Spurs’ 2-0 win over Chelsea was as impressive for the mature game management of Mauricio Pochettino’s side as Alli’s continued goalscoring exploitsOnce again Tottenham Hotspur were in the last chance saloon against Chelsea. Lose on Wednesday and the damage to their Premier League title hopes would most likely have been fatal. This time, however, it did not descend into the equivalent of one of those scenes in which bodies are hurled across the tables and gunfire shatters the whisky bottles. Tottenham kept their cool and the 2-0 home win was notable for its comfort in the closing stages.“It was not the first time we have played well against Chelsea,” Mousa Dembélé said. “But this time when we went in front,...
Tottenham’s coach has made his reputation as a master tactician and he showed why when his side stalled the Chelsea juggernaut with a 2-0 home winMauricio Pochettino has earned a reputation as a fine tactician, and this was a very impressive strategic performance by the Tottenham Hotspur coach against Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 system – the first time anyone has truly outwitted Chelsea in that shape.Since Conte switched to 3-4-3 after a 3-0 defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in September, Chelsea had won all 13 league matches, and had been so utterly dominant that opposition managers have found themselves terrified of playing their regular system for fear of being torn apart. The problem, though, is that no one had actually...
Mauricio Pochettino wanted his Spurs side to put down a marker against Chelsea yet games between these two clubs always come loaded with significanceMauricio Pochettino has been at Tottenham Hotspur for only two and a half seasons but, already, he has plenty of history with Chelsea – and it goes deeper than the now notorious 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge at the end of last season, when his team lost a lead, their heads and any chance of the title.Pochettino can reflect on the 5-3 home win over them in his first season, which was one of the first indications that his side could play in the manner that he demanded while there would be the 2-0 Capital One Cup...
Liverpool, Manchester United, Sunderland, Leicester and others may be hit by loss of players to tournament as clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester City capitaliseNow is the time for top clubs to prove that to be forewarned really is to be forearmed. Everyone knew that the Africa Cup of Nations was on the agenda for early 2017 and now, with 23 Premier League players among those heading off to Gabon to compete for their countries in what their employers view as the world’s worst-timed international tournament, rich clubs must show they are resourceful enough to cope. Otherwise they will pay a heavy price. Related: Liverpool’s matchwinner Sadio Mané will head to Gabon with a heavy heart Related: Wilfried Zaha accepts Ivory...
The Frenchman was a master of understatement but 10 seasons ago he hogged the limelight when he scored at White Hart Lane with his only shot of 2006-07Florentino Pérez and Zinedine Zidane might be playing nice at the moment but the pair have not always seen eye to eye. There are not many players that can publicly criticise the Real Madrid president and get away with it but that is exactly what Zidane did after Pérez took the decision to sell Claude Makélélé to Chelsea in 2003. Related: Remembering Florentino Pérez's Pavones, the players Real Madrid forgot Continue reading...