Mourinho masterclass as Spurs take on Chelsea
Jose Mourinho faces another former club as Chelsea take on Tottenham in Sunday’s London derby. Will the apprentice get one over on his old master? Have a read of our preview here:
The Mourinho effect
People who say Mourinho is antiquated are not wrong, they are deluded. This is a man who has won trophies, invented systems and perfected a look if indignant injustice that no one else could ever help to achieve.
The defeat at Old Trafford may have had some sniggering into their prawn sandwiches, but Spurs followed it up with a huge effort against Burnley, winning 5-0 as Dele Alli finally produced the kind of football he’s capable of. The Chosen One is certainly improving the performances of several within the Spurs ranks who were struggling and this is down to Mourinho’s man-management – something he struggled to get right with Paul Pogba at Manchester United.
Beating Wolves at Molineux is another big result that puts Tottenham back amongst the top-four contenders and just three points behind Chelsea making this game all the more mouth-watering.
Chelsea having a wobble
This is the first time Frank Lampard’s side have been on a run of games where they have looked unsure of themselves. It will be interesting to see how he and his players react.
It is the first time they have been in this sort of position and many onlookers have talked about it being a reality check for the London club, but Lampard does not quite see it in that light, at least not for himself.
"Maybe for the fans and the players, but not for me," he said after the defeat to Bournemouth. "I didn't get excited in the great run that we had, the Premier League is tough and I felt there was a lot of improvement needed, and that's proved true."
He added: "I think it's a reaction time for everybody, myself, the players. Fans are coming here and watching us at home struggle to beat teams that we should beat.”
Stamford Bridge is where the Blues have had more problems than they are used to, losing three on home soil already.
Chelsea have lost five of their 14 home games in all competitions this season, just one fewer than they had in 62 games over 2017-18 and 2018-19 combined.
Whether they can produce enough on the road to make up for it is questionable, but they will certainly have a go on Sunday.
Spurs v Chelsea betting tip
It will be a close game as Mourinho meets his former captain but with Chelsea on a poor run and Tottenham having the home advantage, we are backing Spurs to win at odds of 13/10 with 888sport.
