It was within the eighth minute of what should be called the second battle of Stamford Bridge, a 2-2 draw between hosts Chelsea and visiting Tottenham Hotspur, that Thomas Tuchel lost his rag with N’Golo Kante. The Chelsea midfielder had simply judged Ben Davies’ pass to midfield absolutely, slipping before Heung-min Son and winning possession for his team simply within Tottenham’s 0.5.
Chelsea’s unconventional center forward Kai Havertz reacted quickly and took a tread on the Tottenham defense; however, Kante’s next pass was raw. As usual, Tuchel bounced up and down the sideline in a very match of rage.
He wouldn’t do it once more. It can be argued that this was the last sloppy moment that Kante would deliver within the next seventy-six. He was dominant. Chelsea too.
Of course, the 2 were in and of themselves joined. The reason Chelsea was able to set the terms of engagement so dramatically in their favor is that Kante, skilfully assisted by the no less spectacular Jorginho, was able to cover all of Tottenham’s escape routes.
Five steals, one interception, one tackle, and 2 of the four loose ball duels won don’t seem to be surprising numbers for one amongst the foremost dominant midfielder forces of the last decade. However, what mattered most was wherever those numbers were being hit.
In a press discussion wherever Tuchel, after the confrontation with the Spurs boss Conte, gave the impression of an unwelcome playground person riant at an uproar at lunch period, the sole negative came when he was asked regarding one amongst his favorite footballers. He said that it seemed like another muscle injury, the hamstring. He said that he feels it is sturdy enough. Thus no excellent news.
Chelsea may still have lost those 2 points with Kante on the pitch. They’d had an opportunity to kill the game; the very fact that they didn’t get them on such a feverish occasion allowed the competition to descend into a form of free for all that produces the Premier League so thrilling.
Likewise, it’s conjointly true that Richarlison’s introduction simply before the hour gave the Spurs additional choices to hit with immoderate long throws, breaking a number of the pressure Chelsea midfielder had placed on them.
The hamstring problem he suffered on Sunday would be the fifteenth injury the 31-year-old has suffered since the beginning of 2019-20. Several of them have had muscle issues.
Meanwhile, Mateo Kovacic is stopped with knee issues. Chelsea may realize themselves heading to Elland Road for a clash against previous Leeds rivals with Jorginho, a repurposed Mason Mount, and Conor Gallagher, hardly the foremost natural of pairings if they play three-thirds, because of the sole midfielder choices. A troublesome check, all the harder if Tuchel is disqualified and not on the sidelines.