Chelsea FC At White Hart Lane: Post-Match Reflections

There is little doubt that Diego Costa probably deserved to be on the bench based on his current run of form, but can we say the same for Loic Remy? He didn’t even make the bench, which may further affect his already shaky confidence. And with Chelsea punting long balls up to Eden Hazard, who is a midget compared to Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, you would think that Remy would have been a better bet for that role. But apparently not Jose Mourinho!

Having said that, Hazard did put in more effort up front than Costa has done all season, especially considering the fact that he was forced to play like a target man. He won more headers than Costa has in any single EPL game this season and forced Hugo Loris to make a spectacular save from his volley, his only shot at goal. He should have done better if the service from the players behind had been forthcoming, but in terms of effort and industry, I give him a pass mark!

Tottenham did manage to get some headway inside Chelsea’s 18-yard box in the first half, especially Son Heung-Min’s header from Harry Kane’s cross. But as a whole, the Blues managed to restrict them to efforts from long range, which Asmir Begovic dealt with quite comfortably.

I have to say that Cesar Azpilicueta had a torrid time with Kyle Walker and Christian Eriksen doubling up on him all through the first half, although he showed some improvement in the second half as Pedro Rodriguez gave him much more protection.

Next: Lethargic Passing