Jumat, 19 Oktober 2012

Preview Tottenham VS Chelsea

 

PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR V CHELSEA

The interruptions in our fixture list are now over for 2012, and it's a major match to resume the league campaign. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton prepare the way to White Hart Lane…

TALKING POINTSThis is Chelsea's second successive away trip with a Saturday 12.45pm kick off, and both have been in north London. The Blues triumphed 2-1 at the Emirates with a dominant performance and decisive moments of flair.
Arsenal had not lost at home since succumbing 1-2 to Wigan in April. Spurs are undefeated at White Hart Lane since that same month, when Norwich won by an identical scoreline.
Leaders Chelsea have so far dropped just two points from a possible 21. Along with Manchester City, four points behind, the Blues are the only Barclays Premier League clubs yet to taste defeat. Spurs, though, have not lost at home in local derbies since 2007.
KEY STATNorwich have not managed a clean sheet in any of their last 36 top-flight away games - a Premier League record.

Roberto Di Matteo will have to negotiate this traditionally feisty derby and the ensuing three domestic fixtures without captain and leader John Terry as a result of the player's decision not to appeal the FA's recent judgment, fine and four-match suspension.
The other games JT will miss are Manchester United in the league and Capital One Cup, both at home, and Swansea away. The central defender remains available for the Blues' vital Champions League visit to the Ukraine to play Shakhtar, second-placed in Group E and could return to domestic action for the visit of Liverpool on Sunday 11 November.
Terry has of course retired from international football, but many of his teammates remain heavily engaged with their country - just six first-teamers reported for training at Cobham until midweek.
However, during the previous break there were just three. This time Juan Mata and Cesar Azpilicueta were omitted by Spain and Daniel Sturridge was regaining fitness, while Ryan Bertrand and Frank returned early through illness and injury respectively.
Other than Petr Cech, David Luiz, Ramires (virtually two full games) and Oscar (likewise), none of those who stacked up the air miles was involved in two whole matches.
None the less, league matches following the FIFA-imposed interludes are always a test, with preparation reduced to a minimum and players often enduring long journeys and tiring match schedules.
Last season in the four games played after interruptions in August, October, November and February (an England match rescheduled from August), Chelsea won one (Everton at home), drew one (Stoke away), and lost two - Liverpool at the Bridge and West Brom at the Hawthorns, both upsets.
Nor will the workload ease up. This season there are further fixed international dates in mid-November before another visit to West Brom, early February ahead of the arrival of Wigan, and towards the end of March prior to the trip to Southampton.
Tottenham are similarly affected; symbolically, Chelsea's Eden Hazard replaced Spurs man Mousa Dembele at half time for Belgium against Scotland. Their USA international Clint Dempsey arrived back from games in the Caribbean and Kansas on Thursday. He was rested after racking up similar mileage during the previous FIFA break.
All that exertion perhaps suggests goals late on as players tire. In a turnaround from last season's bad habit, Chelsea have scored three times in the last 10 minutes of Premier League matches, conceding none.
Tottenham have managed the exact opposite, and are in danger of inheriting a pattern that was damaging to the Blues' last campaign. Going into January Andre Villas-Boas's Blues had conceded nine times from the 80th minute on.
Villas-Boas

It was one of the factors that contributed to Chelsea finishing behind Tottenham in the league for the first time in 16 years. Over the course of the Premier League the Blues have averaged 70 points per season, 16 more than the Lilywhites.
In terms of honours, last season's domestic and continental successes mean that the west Londoners now boast as many European and League Cup victories as our north London rivals and are just one short in the FA Cup. Chelsea have won twice as many league titles as Tottenham.

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