A win against Tottenham on Saturday had Chelsea up to level on points with Thomas Frank’s side, but it doesn’t feel like that parity will remain very long.
A win in that game shouldn’t have surprised anybody. Even the fastest payout casinos won’t get you your money as certainly as the Blues beating Spurs in the Premier League. Our “rivals” have just 8 wins against us in the whole Premier League era. But what of the significance beyond that?
This one felt like it could be a particularly big moment in each team’s season. Both have had mixed stats, and both are looking to kick into gear and start putting points together. But while Chelsea feel like a team with a lot of potential who are just frustrating with a lack of consistency, Spurs look in a far worse state.
Their home record is dire going back almost a year, and there looks to be trouble in the camp too. The new manager hasn’t convinced all of the fans with his new tactics, and it looks like some of the players are having their doubts too.
Micky Van De Ven and Djed Spence were seen basically blanking Frank at full time as he tried to speak to them as they trudged off the pitch. He stared back at them, unsure how to react.
(As a side note, that’s outrageous behaviour from the pair, and we’d be fuming if they were Chelsea players. Both of them were directly at fault for the winning goal with silly play in their own half and this is not a good look at all for them).
Since then more reports have emerged that the players are “bored” with Frank’s tactics and style. And this is just a few months in! Meanwhile at Chelsea, while Maresca divides the fanbase, the players all seem to really like him and his coaching style.
The energy Chelsea played with in the press compared to the hesitancy of Spurs in possession tells you everything you need to know. The fact that Xavi Simons – who was within a whisker of joining Chelsea but ended up at Spurs – was subbed on and then off after a weak, anonymous showing, also felt like it encapsulated the differing direction of travel between the two sides.
So while the two rivals are level for now – we think things could look very different when we reach the turn of the year.
