Stopping Jorginho And The Key Tactical Battles Between Spurs And Chelsea

After the latest round of international fixtures, Premier League football is back on agenda this weekend and no game is bigger than Spurs vs Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday evening. The rivalry between the two clubs has intensified significantly over the past decade with both challenging towards the top of the Premier League table and the same is true this season. Chelsea are still unbeaten in the league under Maurizio Sarri after 12 games yet they are just a point and place ahead of Mauricio Pochettino’s side in third and fourth respectively. There has been virtually nothing to separate the two from their previous eight meetings in the Premier League: Spurs have won three, Chelsea have won three and there have been two draws. Both will be looking to keep the heat on Liverpool and Manchester City above them but which key battles could shape the outcome of the game?
Aside from goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, Jorginho is the only major addition to Chelsea’s team from last season, yet he has had a transformative impact on the team’s style of play. The Italy international has averaged more passes per game (88) than any player in Europe’s top five leagues, shifting Chelsea from a counter-attacking team to a possession-based one. Marco Silva acknowledged his importance during Everton’s trip to Stamford Bridge earlier this month and instructed his No.10 Gylfi Sigurdsson to man-mark Chelsea’s playmaker.
Like many of England’s World Cup heroes, Dele Alli has endured a stop-start season thus far, starting in just five of Spurs’ 12 Premier League games due to hamstring problems. Now back to full fitness, Alli will be relishing a return to action against a team that he has historically enjoyed playing against; he has scored five goals in his last four games vs Chelsea. Four of Alli’s five goals against Chelsea have come as a result of his excellent movement. In the 2-0 win at White Hart Lane in January 2017, Alli ghosted in to the box to head home twice. When Spurs were defeated 4-2 in the FA Cup semi-final by Chelsea, he latched onto a pinpoint long-range cross from Christian Eriksen to score and he did likewise in a 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge in April, this time clinically converting a ball over the top from Eric Dier. Chelsea have struggled to deal with Alli’s off-the-ball movement and late runs into the box. With N’Golo Kante now being deployed in a more advanced midfield role and with one fewer centre-back to provide cover compared to last season, Chelsea will have to devise a plan to stop Alli adding to his goal tally against them.