Today in the Premier League there will be another intriguing match. Two London clubs, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, will face each other. Although the season has been different for these teams, a victory in this match is very important for both teams.
Tottenham Hotspur did not start the season very successfully and after four matchdays had only three points. However, calculating the results of the last ten matches, they, like Arsenal players, collected 22 points - the most of all Premier League teams. After losing to Manchester United in the first round, the Spurs have not lost more matches in the English league and currently have a 12-game undefeated streak.
The match against Chelsea will be really important for Tottenham. Their team is quite young (the average age of the players in the match against West Ham was 24.4 years) and there is only one player in the team over 30 years old - reserve goalkeeper Michel Vorm. Despite Chelsea's poor form and current 15th position, they are the current Premier League champions, and a victory against them could boost even more confidence in the young Spurs players. Having already won against Manchester City and played draws with Arsenal and Liverpool, Mauricio Pochettino's team will not face league giants until February, so the unbeaten streak could continue. This could prove to themselves that they can fight not only for fourth place in the Premier League.
On the other hand, it's a much more difficult situation for Chelsea. If Tottenham can still afford to lose without complicating their situation too much, each slip for Chelsea pushes them further away from the top four and next year's Champions League. They are already 12 points behind Arsenal, despite other Premier League favourites dropping points this year.
Another important factor in the 'Blues' team is poor team morale. There have been reports in the press of disagreements between players and Jose Mourinho, and as this season has shown, defeats certainly don't bring the team together. Chelsea, used to good results, need victories. By defeating Tottenham, they could finally try to turn the season around positively. Especially since this victory would be the second in a row in the Premier League - a streak Chelsea didn't have at the start of the season.
The most interesting part of the match will not be between the players, but between the coaches leading the teams. Who will prove to be superior: the increasingly praised Argentine or the Portuguese who is under a wave of criticism? Mourinho's achievements are well known, while Pochettino is still a relatively unknown coach. The former long-time Argentine national team and Espanyol defender started his coaching career at the Spanish team, where he worked for just over three years. After an unsuccessful start to the fourth season, the Argentine was released, and another Premier League club, Southampton, became interested in his services. In May 2014, Pochettino moved to the Spurs from this team. The manager who has been in charge for just six years has been praised multiple times for his excellent work with young players and tactics, and in September was named the best Premier League manager.
Although these two teams are currently separated by a ten-place margin in the Premier League, it would not be surprising if a victory in Sunday's match inspired Tottenham to try to make a breakthrough in the fight for top positions in the English league, while a victory for Chelsea would help them finally start a winning streak that would bring them back into the Champions League race.
Will Chelsea's experience or Tottenham Hotspur's fighting spirit prevail? Who will bring more joy to the match, and who will have to leave the field with their heads down, we will find out today.
The match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea will kick off at 14:00.
Tautvydas Sakalauskas
