Thomas Tuchel grabbed his second Chelsea win as they found little opposition against a struggling Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday evening in the Premier League.
Struggling Tottenham Hotspur Pay the Penalty
Spurs Looking Lost
The only goal of the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium came from a 24th minute Jorginho penalty that gave Chelsea all three points, which moved them up to sixth whilst Spurs slip to eighth place.
From the first minute, it looked like Tottenham had still not learned any lessons from recent defeats and performances. Tino Werner had a free header and looped it over Hugo Lloris but also over the bar. It set the tone for the first half where Spurs looked lacking in leadership, creativity and desire. Chelsea, for their part, rarely troubled the Spurs goal but they attacked at will and Ben Davies was absent time and again at left-back where Reece James had acres of space.
Fortunately for Spurs, Chelsea were poor in the final third.
More Defensive Woes
Tottenham continue to make their own problems. Eric Dier’s foul to concede the penalty epitomised his team’s current slump. Timo Werner was in the box and Dier was on the ground. Toby Alderweireld was still on his feet yet Dier kept trying to kick at the ball and it was almost inevitable a penalty was coming. In the second half, Dier had Lloris to thank for saving his blushes following an over-hit back pass.
Vinicius Struggles Not Helped by Team Mates
Carlos Vinicius started his first Premier League game against Chelsea and had Spurs’ best chance with just a couple of minutes to go following a superb Serge Aurier cross. Vinicius headed wide when he should have scored, but that was the only time he was given any service in the match. In the first half, Davies and Aurier hardly passed the halfway line and Son Heung-min looked lost without Harry Kane on the pitch. There was little attacking intent from Spurs and they gave the ball away time and time again in the first half.
Tuchel must have been expecting a tough game against Mourinho’s Spurs but in the first half, his team hardly had to break sweat. Chelsea were faster to the ball, showed more desire and more creativity. All that Vinicius could do was to watch those behind him struggle to pass to each other.
Jose Mourinho Now Under Pressure
Three defeats in a row could just be a bad moment for a football club. Tottenham are in the Carabao Cup Final, still in the Europa League and FA Cup but it is not just the results that are a problem for the manager. The performances are worrying. Losing 3-1 at home to Liverpool was a poor performance and when Mourinho needed a response from his players away to Brighton & Hove Albion, the players did not deliver.
Against Chelsea, there was some response in the second half but still a lack of quality and creativity. Jose Mourinho was brought in to make a team of nearly men winners and should he deliver the Carabao Cup then maybe that is job done. A trophy and mid-table finish would be a strange success.
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From Title Talk to Mid-Table Obscurity
Spurs were top of the table earlier this season but are now eighth, and could see themselves drop as low as tenth or eleventh if results go against them over the weekend. They are seven points off the top four and 14 points off the top of the table.
Tottenham face West Bromwich Albion at home on Saturday, February 7, and another defeat is now unthinkable. Should the unthinkable happen then Mourinho might just find himself getting very hot under the collar and not welcoming any knock on his door from the less than patient Daniel Levy.
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