Chelsea went into their match against Tottenham in a bit of a dip in form, but Spurs were still unbeaten since Antonio Conte arrived at the club. Something had to give, and it did.
In an era when the physical differences between elite level professional footballers are becoming slighter and slighter, there’s something to be said about the psychological side of the game, and there are few ways in which football is more fascinating than in the weight of importance we all put on form.
Highlights of the Blues’ deserved 2-0 victory over Spurs thanks to a beauty from Hakim Ziyech and a header from Thiago Silva.
Weirdly, while the lineup screamed 4-4-2, for large portions of the match it looked like Spurs morphed into a 3-5-2 with Doherty playing more centrally. Doherty drifted outside in possession but moved into the middle in defense. Another interesting tactical wrinkle from Conte. Shame it didn’t work because Matt Doherty was awful.
Tottenham’s starting lineup was bizarre, possibly out of necessity. Due to a combination of injuries and absences, Conte was forced to play in a 4-4-2 formation, with Eric Dier returning to the starting XI and alongside Davinson Sanchez.