Mourinho left singing that same old sad refrain
Hapless and hopeless Tottenham Hotspur welcome potential top four and London rivals Chelsea to their part of the capital for the sole Thursday Premier League match this week. The visitors have tightened up their backline in the two games new boss Thomas Tuchel has overseen since replacing club legend Frank Lampard in the hotseat, keeping clean sheets in both. Meanwhile, without the injured Harry Kane and drifting badly from their own steel first, silk second philosophy that had the hosts in first at the beginning of December, the side in white and navy blue bereft of ideas and confidence in themselves, individually and collectively. Read our preview here:
He won't let the Son go down
With only goal difference now separating the teams ahead of kick-off, it's obvious that the hosts need a shot in the arm from somewhere. José Mourinho has seldom proven himself as a manager to turn to when the chips are down under his auspices, and there are major rumblings of discontent at present internally with the North London giants, especially over player selection choices. Heung-min Son is doubtlessly an elite talent, but under the system employed by his coach both prior to and during the slump, the South Korean superstar needs a certain level of support he's just not receiving. With the near telepathic understanding he enjoys with Kane unavailable, there is no-one else in the likely XI tomorrow who can really take on the playmaking role, or even take the burden off him scoring, either. Erik Lamela could line up on the right of a front three, but the Argentinian has barely started any match in 2020/2021; striker Vinicius has only had 70 minutes of top flight football, and the midfield four behind them are mainly defensive-minded. Were they the same resolute outfit as they seemed to be in the early months, that might not have been so damaging to their short-term prospects.
Hudson bae
Tuchel, on the other hand, can call upon every single member of his 25-man roster for Thursday evening, and ought to have a similar formation to his foes; the key difference will be Timo Werner and Mason Mount (in a more advanced role than under Lampard) will play off striker Olivier Giroud, and the French international will use all his guile and experience to bring them into the game, and the impetus will most likely fall on them if recent performances are anything to go by. Versatile wide player Callum Hudson-Odoi has looked lively under the new manager, and ought to continue to thrive in a wing-back role that bestow little in the way of defensive responsibility, given the attributes César Azpilicueta has. The inclusion of Marcus Alonso on the opposite flank adds a bit more dynamism than was often seen with Ben Chilwell (at least in a Chelsea shirt), and moreover, brings a better balance to the XI.
No doubting Thomas
The contrasting approaches by both head coaches is also evidence of when their pedigree in the game was earned. Mourinho forged his in the early 2000s, and although the 'boring' and 'pragmatic' labels were ascribed to his sides a little too frequently, it's reasonable to suggest that the sport has evolved quite far tactically, even from that era. The emphasis with most coaches now is on the attack, and the defensive aspects of football feel like they're now playing catch-up to offensive innovations. The twice former Stamford Bridge supremo has proven this term that there is still room to soak up the pressure and hit teams on the break, but that was a strategy that only truly worked with far more defensive nous and both Son and Kane fit and firing. Tuchel is a different breed, and his managerial career has been characterised by closely following one Jürgen Klopp's footsteps. There is a chance for Spurs if they can strike first, but the likelier outcome is a Chelsea win with both teams scoring at odds of 4.25
