Spurs’ loss should have Chelsea smelling blood in the water for the run-in
By George Perry
Tottenham are playing along nicely with Chelsea’s hopes for the end stages of the season. The Spurs’ loss to Manchester United should fire up the Blues for the remaining trophy, Champions League qualification and rivalry dominance.
Tottenham freed themselves of the burden of a few more weeks of “tedious trophy talk” by letting Manchester United battle back for a 2-1 win in the FA Cup semi-finals. By doing so they extended their winless streak to three games, tying their longest of the season. Their next game is against Watford, who held Spurs to a draw in that earlier streak. Chelsea will still need some help from Tottenham’s remaining opponents to reclaim a place in the Champions League. But the Blues should have a taste for blood as Spurs drift towards predictability.
Neither Tottenham nor Manchester United would make for an easy FA Cup final. Tottenham has joined the growing list of Chelsea’s bogey teams, a list coming to resemble the Premier League table. Tottenham reversed a long-standing but pointless bit of history against the Blues on April 1. Anyone hoping for the possibility of revenge against the north Londoners would have to weigh that against Chelsea’s recent form against Tottenham, and the risk-reward aspect. With the game scarcely at 50/50, would you want to risk Tottenham ending their title-drought at Chelsea’s expense? What would it say for Antonio Conte’s legacy if he had a part in Tottenham finally doing something significant?
The other option – the one Chelsea could face – is Jose Mourinho, the master of finals. Since the last time Tottenham won a final, Mourinho has won eight: Champions League, Europa League and six domestic cups in three countries.
Despite the cross-town ill will, Chelsea and Tottenham are scarcely rivals in a competitive sense. For most of the last 15 years, Tottenham were just another London derby. Heated, at times hated, but with little bearing on the big picture. United, on the other hand, vied with Chelsea for leagues and cups. They are rivals for the real prizes, and have split the bounty.
Related Story: Antonio Conte adds Jose Mourinho to the list of managers who had it easier
Then add the Jose Mourinho factor. He is the only manager to provoke Antonio Conte via the media, and is the closest Conte comes to having a bete noire in England. Yet he is forever a part of the history at Stamford Bridge.
Then consider that against Mourinho’s massive haul of cups, Antonio Conte has yet to win a final as a manager. No Champions League, Coppa Italia, FA Cup or EFL Cup from the touchline. In what could be his last game in charge at Chelsea, Conte could end this peculiar drought of his, vanquishing Mourinho in the process on Tottenham’s “home” pitch after they capitulated.
And between now and then, Chelsea still have a chance of overtaking Tottenham for fourth place. They need six more points than Tottenham from the remaining four games. The Blues have Liverpool among their remaining opponents, while Tottenham have the teams placed 12th, 20th and 11th.
But that 11th-place team is Leicester City. On the final day of the season, Leicester could even the karmic balance with Chelsea by burying Tottenham’s latest ambition, just as the Blues once did on a May evening at Stamford Bridge. It almost reaches the symmetry of – dare we say it – 2008 and 2012.
Antonio Conte breaking his duck with an FA Cup against Jose Mourinho. Chelsea pursuing a wobbly Tottenham. Two clubs’ fate for next season coming down to the last kick on the last day in two cities. The final word on several Blue careers coming at Wembley. Parallels and narratives on all sides.
Next: Chelsea must find a way to clear the log-jam at striker
First things first: The Blues must defeat Southampton. If Tottenham’s loss doesn’t give them a taste for blood in the final month, nothing will.