Aforementioned the varying fortunes on the South Coast, it is the turn of London derbies to spice up this weekend’s Premier League fixture list, with Tottenham Hotspur hosting Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
While Enzo Maresca’s men had thrashed Southampton with ease in midweek with a 5-1 scoreline, their hosts were lucky to have been beaten by a close margin in their 1-0 loss to Bournemouth.
Despite having a small number of supporters grumbling in the stands, Ange Postecoglou didn’t waste any time in finding out the truth from Thursday disastrous display at Bournemouth whereby a first-half header from teenage centre-back Dean Huijsen sunk Spurs and set up Bournemouth for the win they deserved.
Tellingly, it was only Bournemouth’s profligacy in front of goal that saved Spurs from an even more resounding defeat but the Lilywhites’ performance was abject to say the least, even allowing for the fact that the visitors had only one fully-fit centre-half at their disposal at the end of the game.
A generally reserved Postecoglou took the ‘direct feedbacks’ from the angry Spurs fans as the Lillywhites failed to claw out of mid-table mediocrity; Sunday’s hosts sit comfortably in mid-table relegation-free zone with just nine games into the new season and sit 10th on the English Premier League log- six points away from the Champions League places.
The last six meeting among them have produced just one success for Postecoglou’s men, but noteworthy of it was their 4-0 crushing of champions Manchester City few weekends ago; While the lily whites will be hoping to register home goal every tenth consecutive match in all competition games this weekend.
Nevertheless, Spurs have lost the last three home games against Roma, Fulham, or Ipswich Town, and Postecoglou has not discovered a winning strategy in the London derbies yet; Tottenham have won only four of the past 13 Premier League matches against other teams from the capital, losing seven games.
Axel Disasi broke through the Saints' defense with just seven minutes remaining on the St Mary's board, sparking Chelsea's goal rush at Southampton, much as a center-back's header in the first half of Tottenham's defeat at Bournemouth did.
A rotated Chelsea team soon displayed their attacking power once more after Joe Aribo quickly restored parity for the men in red and white. Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer, and Jadon Sancho all scored goals in the Blues' most recent resounding Premier League victory.
Despite Maresca's continued dismissal of Chelsea's chances of winning the Premier League, Sunday's visitors are now the team closest to leaders Liverpool after overtaking Arsenal on goal differential in midweek to take second place with seven points separating them.
The Blues should now be the envy of rival fans who are criticizing their summer transfer business because they have won each of their past four games in all competitions, including their last three away games. Their propensity for success at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is also clear.
Chelsea has defeated Spurs in five of their previous seven road games, including their 4-1 victory in this matchup last season, which was helped by Tottenham's collapse as a nine-man team. Since 2019, no other team has defeated the Lilywhites at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium more often than Chelsea.
At the Vitality Stadium on Thursday night, Tottenham lost another center-back, Ben Davies, to a hamstring injury that Postecoglou predicts will keep him out of action for some time.
Wesley Fofana and Reece James are currently the only senior players who are unquestionably out for the visitors due to their hamstring ailments, so Chelsea's selection concerns also relate to defense, albeit not to the same extent as Tottenham's injury crisis.
The Blues' backline is also expected to see the return of Levi Colwill and Robert Sanchez, although Disasi's performance in the middle of the week justifies the Frenchman starting again in place of the injured Fofana.
