Chelsea vs Tottenham: Three things to look for against Nuno's Spurs

Chelsea vs Tottenham: Three things to look for against Nuno’s Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur's Portuguese Head Coach Nuno Espirito Santo (L) shakes hamds with Chelsea's German head coach Thomas Tuchel (R) after the pre-season friendly football match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge in London on August 4, 2021. - The game finished 2-2. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images) /

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LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 14: Ben Chilwell of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on August 14, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images) /

2. Team selection

There are several selection headaches at Cobham at the moment. With N’Golo Kante injured, Tuchel has to pick two midfielders from Kovacic, Jorginho, and new signing (on loan), Saul. Kovacic and Jorginho played the match against Zenit and the 2nd half against Aston Villa. In normal circumstances, Tuchel would love to give rest to one of them and call upon his fourth midfielder. However, Saul’s debut against Villa was evidence that he needs more time to adapt to the league. Spurs have been playing well despite the hiccup against Crystal Palace.

It would be a huge risk to start Saul against Spurs as Chelsea cannot afford mistakes against players like Harry Kane. Jorginho and Kovacic will likely start against Spurs, and it makes you if we could witness a late Ruben Loftus-Cheek appearance with the game in the bag.

Another considerable issue pointed out by several fans is the absence of Ben Chilwell. The Englishman played exceptionally well last season and even worked his way back into the side when Tuchel took over. It seems that Chilwell is back to square one and will have to work his way back into the starting lineup again. Tuchel recently mentioned that Chilwell was mentally tired and forcing things after arriving from the difficult EURO 2020. Gareth Southgate decided to play players out of position rather than fielding a defender that won the Champions League.

Marcos Alonso has started all the games and has hit the ground running with some brilliant performances. He is one of the untouchable players at the moment, along with Edouard Mendy, Antonio Rudiger and Romelu Lukaku. Things are not looking good for Chilwell, and he will have to be patient for a while. It seems unlikely that Tuchel will trust him for a high profile game like Spurs. Chilwell should get an outing in the EFL cup next week, and he needs to prove and earn his manager’s trust again.

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