Chelsea will have to play better than they have all season to win at Spurs and Mourinho can only hope that he and Chelsea are through the worst of it. “In the end, we can feel happy and maybe a bit disappointed because we always try to win”.
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Spurs welcome the Blues to White Hart Lane on Sunday for their third consecutive league London derby and the hosts will be aiming for a repeat of the performance in last season’s corresponding fixture.
Chelsea face rivals Tottenham at White Hart Lane this weekend. And, with just three points between us and Qarabag at the top and bottom of the table respectively, Group J remains tight and qualification is by no means secure yet.
The former midfielder has now heaped praise on the system in place in north London that has helped Pochettino and head scout Paul Mitchell continue to source young talent such as Dele Alli, who was purchased from League One club MK Dons.
Roy Keane recalled in his autobiography, “The Second Half”, that one Sir Alex Ferguson team-talk before playing Spurs was simply: “Lads, it’s Tottenham”.
Mason, however, says Kane should reject any advances and focus on developing along with Mauricio Pochettino’s side. Rose was rested for Tottenham’s Europa League game this week and will need all the energy he can muster against the relentless Brazilian.
During his time at Southampton and now at Tottenham, Pochettino has had the chance to work with some of England’s brightest youngsters. Plus, Chelsea felt content to sit as many as seven to eight – or more – players at the 18-yard box and earn a draw instead.
“We have to approach the game the same as we did last time, when they were top of the league, and not take it for granted that we are going to do the same to them”.
Speaking on the Sports Bar ahead of Sunday’s clash, Hazard said: “I think we’re in the mix and certainly our form suggests we’re in the mix. It is good when they are linked”, said Pochettino who had goalkeeper Hugo Lloris turn down Manchester United in the summer. Nacer Chadli and Alex Pritchard remain sidelined through injury, while Erik Lamela is a doubt after missing the midweek trip to Qarabag.
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“We have to make sure we don’t make any mistakes, keep ourselves in the game for as long as possible, keep it tight and then assert our own game plan”.
