Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea: Key Battles
One of the two big games of this weekend sees Tottenham take on the champions, Chelsea at White Hart Lane. Tottenham have been a breath of fresh air this season, especially in the Champions League where they have been scoring goals for fun.
On the other hand, Chelsea, who seemed to be running away with the league title until last month, have found themselves in deep trouble after winning only 2 of their last 8 matches in all competitions.
On Sunday, the two London rivals take on each other in what is bound to be an enthralling affair. The last 14 meetings between these two teams have produced an impressive 42 goals and with Tottenham managing only a solitary clean sheet in their last 24 competitive
matches and Chelsea conceding goals regularly, a goal fest at White Hart Lane should be expected.
Bettor.com will look at some of the key battles over the pitch which we believe can prove decisive as to who goes on to win the match:
William Gallas (Spurs) v Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
Gallas has been performing reasonably well of late but due to a constantly changing defence along with the absence of Huddlestone, who sits in front of the back four, Tottenham have found it hard to stop leaking goals.
Drogba has been in horrific form of late. He started the season in stunning fashion when he was all over the opponent defenders and was scoring goals for fun. However, this game presents him with a chance to play against a team who are sure to concede a
goal or two.
Gallas needs to be at the top of his game, even to stop an out of form Drogba. This could well prove to be the most decisive of all battles. If Drogba can get back on song than he certainly is capable of winning it for Chelsea but he will have William Gallas
standing in his way.
Luka Modric (Spurs) v John Obi Mikel (Chelsea)
Modric has been an inspiration for Tottenham this season. Although, most of the lime light has been taken by Rafael Van der Vaart and Gareth Bale, Modric has been the man who has made Tottenham tick from the middle of the park.
Mikel needs to improve on his recent showings if he wants to stand any chance of stopping the Croatian midfielder. He needs to make sure Modric does not pop up in the empty spaces and does not get too much time on the ball.
If Modric can overrun Mikel, which he is more than capable of doing, then Chelsea could well be in for a tough night. The Croatian has shown on more than one occasion that when the emphasis has been on Bale, he has come up with a man of the match performance,
like he did against Liverpool.
Gareth Bale (Spurs) v Michael Essien (Chelsea)
One of the contenders for player of the season already, Gareth Bale is fast becoming a world class player. His pace and dribbling have been unstoppable at times. The problem against him is that if you go too tight on him, then he has the touch and pace to
run away from you, but if you back off, then he can put in those scintillating balls into the box from his gifted left foot.
Michael Essien has been in and out of the team this season due to injuries and suspensions. In the absence of Jose Bosingwa, there is a good chance that Essien is preferred to play in the right back spot over Paulo Ferreira. Even if he isn’t, he will have
a huge role to play on Sunday.
Essien is one of the few players capable of stopping a player of Bale’s calibre and on Sunday he will have no margin for error. This is a must win battle for Chelsea or else they can say goodbye to their chances of winning the title.
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