Three lessons learnt in Chelsea at Tottenham: Men amongst boys

3. Chelsea is a class or three above Tottenham

Tuchel is one of the best—if not the best—coaches in the world at handling a tournament tie. To put it lightly, Chelsea dog-walked Spurs in this game. The Blues’ approach in this one was always going to be something to watch for considering they had a 2-0 advantage. It was never a secret.

The German’s team was comfortable throughout as it finished with a majority of the possession, keeping in mind that Conte wanted Chelsea to take risks so that his men could catch their visitors out of position. The Blues practically toyed with Tottenham throughout the entire first half. They were just begging Spurs to come out as they passed the ball back and fourth effortlessly between the centerbacks and midfield pairing of Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho. When the plan worked and Chelsea was able to drag Tottenham out of its low block, one of the aforementioned individuals would play a long ball over the top into space where it would inevitably find the feet of either Romelu Lukaku or Timo Werner. This strategy allowed the Blues to still take chances whenever they were given to them, just without too many risks on the defensive end of the pitch.

Overall, it was a gameplan that won Chelsea the game and the tie. The stat-sheet will show that Spurs did have more shots than their west London rivals, however, that was always going to happen given they were chasing their opponents even before the opening kickoff. It was another tactical masterclass from Tuchel, but more than that, it was a total dominance from the Blues. The two games certainly looked like a tie being played between the reigning Champions League winners and a team that struggled in the Conference League. There are no two ways about it.

Chelsea is simply a class—or three—above Tottenham right now. The players know it, the supporters know it and even Conte knows it. There was an obvious gap in talent on the bench with the Blues’ reserves being worth north of £200 million, but value doesn’t always determine skills. In this case though, it was apparent that Spurs had no business being on the same playing field as their visitors in either leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal tie. The better team is on to Wembley.

What did you make of Chelsea’s performance? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!