The difference between the product Chelsea put out on the field in its first two games was night and day. The Blues scurried away with all three points from Goodison Park on matchday one, albeit barely. They looked rather poor against an Everton team expected to scrap for relegation. Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel’s men played Tottenham off the park in Sunday’s 2-2 draw from Stamford Bridge. They looked ruthless as their relentless pressing and work off the ball backed Spurs players into a corner for 90 minutes.
Despite the superb performance—which should’ve seen the home side capture all three points, it must be said—in the latest London Derby, there are still a lot of question marks going forward. This doesn’t have anything to do with Anthony Taylor’s questionable refereeing decisions either. Chelsea didn’t exactly show fans anything new on Sunday, all the Blues did was prove that they aren’t as unprepared right now as many believed they were against the Toffees.
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Chelsea didn’t show fans anything new against Tottenham on Sunday
The reality of the situation is that while many supporters were panicking about the Spurs match, Chelsea was never going to lose. As Jose Mourinho would say, it’s football heritage. The Blues simply don’t lose to Tottenham at Stamford Bridge—there’s a reason it’s happened just once since the Premier League was created. No matter how many shiny new toys Antonio Conte is given during his time in north London, it will take years to reconstruct Spurs’ mentality.
It may be a hard pill for Tottenham fans to swallow, but their team is not a title contender.
The Blues’ performance on Sunday speaks for itself. Tuchel said it best after the full-time whistle when he claimed that he was thrilled with the team’s showing, as he should be. Chelsea played a near flawless match, one of the most complete 90-minute performances the club has put together since the German gaffer took over in January 2021.
All of this being said, we didn’t learn anything different about the Blues. Chelsea has always been a team to step up to the big occasions. There are countless examples of that. The example most relevant to this article was when the Blues took Spurs out of the title race in 2015/16, despite finishing 10th in the league. These—the derbies and the big six clashes—are not the performances that supporters worry about in regard to Chelsea.
The Blues will seemingly always play their best when under the brightest lights, especially with Tuchel at the helm. It’s the matches against relegation battlers and mid-table warriors that ultimately pull Chelsea out of the title race every year. Sunday was nothing out of the ordinary for the reigning Club World Cup Champions, despite many supporters around the globe feeling uninspired heading into the match.
Tuchel’s men will now face the teams they typically struggle against for the next month. The Blues’ next battle will come against Leeds United at Elland Road. While the fans remember the rivalry of the olden days, there is no bad blood between the sides at the moment. Chelsea will then face Leicester City, Southampton, West Ham United and Fulham. It will be a month before the Blues come face-to-face with another big six team, so the upcoming weeks will reveal a lot about where the club is at right now.
What did you make of the Blues’ performance on Sunday? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!