38 min Abraham does well to win the ball and find Kante, who sends it out wide to Ziyech. He quickly swipes a cross into the middle but Abraham, on the run, has to flap and contort just to force a limb onto it, diverting wide.
36 min Chelsea need more of what we’ve just seen: Abraham finding space and Chilwell deep inside the Tottenham half.
35 min Better from Chelsea, Abraham isolating Dier down the right side of the box and cleverly shifting him back and forth before creating the space to get by on the outside. He then powers along the by-line and forces a corner, and when it and the ensuing cross are improperly cleared, Chilwell races onto the bouncing ball to lash well over the top.
33 min “Pedants Corner,” says B Davis. “In fact the Portuguese pronunciation of the name José is not exactly ‘Joe-Zay’, because the first letter actually makes the sound that is the middle of ‘vision’ for example. The ‘o’ of José is short, as in ‘orange’, not a dipthong like the ‘oe’ in ‘Joe’.”
I love the word dipthong but it really should be an insult as in “Yeah, complete and utter dipthong, him.”
31 min Ndombele does really well out wide – having back is so useful for a footballer and he has it by the pantload – then cuts inside between three challenges, winning a free-kick. Son’s delivery is kicked clear.
30 min Kane goes for goal but has to dig it out to get the movement he’s seeking and it flies off towards Selhurst Park, wherever that is.
29 min Reguilon, who looks a player, dashes around Ziyech who yanks him down; he’s booked. Free-kick Spurs, 30 yards out, left of centre, and Hazza Kane fancies it.
27 min Spurs counter, Bergwijn into Kane onto Son, but when he finds Bergwijn yer man slips so that his pass for his captain is intercepted.
26 min “I realise this sort of explanation is not always welcome,” emails Nuno Ferreira, “but just in case you really wanted to know the correct pronunciation of José in Portuguese is ‘Joo-Zeh’, and the initial J sounds like the g in ‘genre’.
On the contrary, it’s always and absolutely welcome. Jay-Z and Joo-Zeh, Unreasonable No Doubt.
25 min “Your remark on 22 minutes invites the inevitable commentator’s curse!” reckons Richard Hirst.
Even I’m not so self-obsessed that I think any of what I say matters. But I’d be glad of a goal!
24 min Chelsea need to move the ball quicker and try to work overloads even if they’re in central areas. At the moment, Spurs are defending them pretty easily because they’re too strung out.
22 min There’s not a lot in this, but a Spurs goal on the counter looks more likely than a Chelsea goal under weight of pressure.
20 min “Is it just me or should we expect more of an elite striker? Werner’s finish did deserve praise from GNev and Martin Tyler, but no word about being a yard offside? Given his position on the field and the space he had, I thought it a dismal error on his part.”
I’m not sure. It’s so hard to watch the line and the ball, and it was marginal. I guess he could’ve given himself a yard on the basis that if the pass came, he had the gas and space to get away, but I think you’re being a little harsh on the lad.
18 min Chelsea pass a bit, but it’s all in front of Spurs. Their problem is that they don’t have wingers so rely on the full-backs to stretch the play, and they’re worried about defending the counter.
17 min This game is showing signs of sparking. Maybe Mourinho should ease a finger up Lampard’s nostril to help it on its way.
15 min The corner is only half-cleared and Ndombele lashes a shot that Mendy saves easily enough. Simply having a keeper not desperate to toss them in at all times has made such a difference for Chelsea.
14 min Ndombele does well to turn in midfield and spread to Bergwijn – he’s started well – and again sorts his feet out to whip a brute of a cross to the far post, forcing Thiago Silva to head behind under pressure from Kane.
13 min “I’m sure I won’t be alone in wanting to point out to Alex Whitney that ‘Joe-Zay’ is the correct pronunciation for the Portugese version of the name,” says Peter Flint. “‘Hoe-Zay’ is Spanish, but Mourinho told us the correct way to say his name pretty soon after he arrived at Spurs (at least, those of us who watched the Amazon documentary).”
I remember it being discussed on Sky early on in his time at Chelsea, but thought it was “Jo-say” with a soft s.
11 min Lovely rom Chelsea, Abraham feeding Mount who moves onto Wenrer on his outside; he opens his body beautifully and curls a curler around Rodon and Lloris, but moved a fraction to soon, so the flag goes up.
9 min And that’s why! Son finds Ndombele who finds Bergwijn and he sends the ball wide to Reguilon. It comes straight back and Bergwijn, whose bounce and dexterity makes him really unpredictable, rearranges feet on the move, opening his body to curl a curler just over the top.
8 min The game is yet to settle. Chelsea have had most of the territory and ball, but most of it’s been in front of Spurs, who are happy for them to do all of that.
6 min What is it with these kits – Spurs have it and so do Liverpool – needing v-neck collars on their backs. I don’t understand, at all.
5 min First little flash of Spurs, Bergwijn bouncing down the right, and he wins a throw deep inside the Chelsea half. But from that the ball goes backwards, and we start again.
3 min I really, really love Reece James. The first time I saw him live, he beat Marcus Rashford in a “foot race” – not many can say that – and everything I’ve seen since that night tells me he’s got a whole lot of it. Not as much as Kieran Trippikiyay, mother expletive, but still plenty.
2 min James crosses towards Abraham and when the ball’s headed clear, Ziyech cracks straight at Lloris.
1 min Mourinho is old! He’s now doing that Alex Ferguson thing of wearing a zip-up under the coat.
1 min And off we go!
The players take a knee. All black lives matter.
A minute’s applause for Diego. He convinced my generation that one bloke could get the ball and run around everyone, in the World Cup knockouts. No one has ever done more ti disprove the team-game truism.
“Redknapp/Ziyech” says Alex Whitney. “It’s not near as bad as an entire nation calling a certain Mourinho by ‘Joe-Zay’. Can we allot three yellows?”
Is that his emcee name? I need to hear Joe-Zay bck-to-back with Jay-Z. I’d call the record Unreasonable Doubt.
Here come the teams!
Redknapp says he’s been talking to Cousin Frank about Thiago Silva, who he says is great not just on the pitch but in the training and in the dressing room. I’m not going to lie, I’ve never especially rated him – I don’t think he’s rubbish, just that he played in an era that didn’t have many great defenders and had he been playing 10 years earlier, he’d have been just another bloke. But being considered one of the best of his time has given him a composure which is making a big difference to Chelsea at the moment, though if I was Harry Kane (FAOD I’m not), I’d be telling Son to run off him.
Lampard says both teams are playing well and knowing when to attack against a team so good on the counter will be key. Good knowledge.
Mason Mount says like all big games, it’ll be “massively focused on tactics”, and hopes his team can impose themselves.
“What are your opinions on Joe Rodon and Eric Dier as a centre-back pair rather than Davinson Sanchez starting?” asks Owen Dodd.
It’s hard to say as I’ve not really seen much of Rodon, but it’s a bit of a cleanse for Sanchez that the manager prefers an untried kid to him. I really liked the look of him when I saw him for Ajax the year they got to the Europa Final – even though Mourinho had United pla on his touch – but he’s not improved as much as you’d have hoped since then, and we know Mourinho doesn’t often change his mind.
Jamie Redknapp clad in cardigan, tie and button-down shirt combo, just pronounced Ziyech “Zye-eck”. That’s got to be worth two yellow cards.
I wonder if Chelsea have missed a trick playing Abraham – my guess is Rodon and Dier will both prefer marking him to Werner but, on the other hand, him dashing from in to out sounds like the opposite of fun
Mourinho says they trust Rodon and there’s always a first time; his first time is in a big match. He was happy the team were stable with Dier and Alderweireld, but injuries happen and he’s still happy. But he doesn’t want the same performance he got last week because all games are different.
Sissoko says his team need to be compact and play like they did last week. Hope no one tells his manager.
Hakim Ziyech, then – what a magnificently nasty, lovely expletive he is. He plays like he’s in a hurry, like he can’t believe it took Chelsea so long either, and it’s great to see. Obviously he strikes the ball like a boss, but the main thing is the brain and the intensity – he understands the game, and is able to impose that on his team-mates, raising their level as a consequence. I imagine Lampard has identified the space behind Reguilon as one to attach, and I imagine Mourinho has identified Lampard identifying that.
Email! “I don’t mean to be rude,” says Mike Title – so you know what’s coming next – “but Frank Lampard comes across in interviews as a cab driver who has been told that unless he convinces the watching public that he is the Chelsea manager, his family will be shot. I don’t think he handles stress well at all. Surely a prerequisite of the job!”
I don’t know about that. Of the ex-pros who get jobs, he one I’d not be surprised to see be good: he’s an excellent communicator, played for some great managers, and probably knows what a decent player looks like. I’m sure he’s got a lot of improving to do as a coach and tactician, but he can get help with those and ultimately the main thing is talent and mentality and in those he’s an expert. For what it’s worth, here’s something on that (but with a different focus).
That game is now over. United move up to seventh in the table and if they win their game in hand will be only two off Liverpool. What an absolutely ludicrous state of affairs in an absolutely ludicrous league in an absolutely ludicrous country in an absolutely ludicrous sport in an absolutely ludicrous world.
Edinson Cavani has just scored for Man United in injury-time, his second goal after coming on at half-time – and he made the one he didn’t score.
Back to that Spurs midfield, before Tanguy Ndombele, who was the last player who responded well to Mourinho’s unique brand of nails love? Joe Cole? I remember Mourinho saying something like “He was a talent, now he’s a player,” and he was – though I wonder if being a slow winger in a great team was the best of which he was capable. Anyway, Ndombele is so much fun to watch, and very few midfielders have his ability to elude the press and beat men in centrefield – and I’d expect goals to come too.
Talking of managers finding formulae, Southampton v Man United is into the last five minutes. The home side led 2-0 at half-time but it’s now 202 and both sides look capable of finding a winner. Follow along here:
So what does it all mean? The most noticeable Spursian aspect is the handing of a full debut to Joe Rodon – no doubt his name has already been added to Mourinho’s fabled spreadsheet. He replaces the injured Toby Alderweireld and is, I’m told, a player. Otherwise, the team is the same one that beat Manchester City last weekend, which makes a lot of sense – though I can’t help but wonder how much funner and maybe better Spurs would be with Giovani Lo Celso in ahead of Moussa Sissoko.
As for Chelsea, they also make one alteration: Thiago Silva is in for Antonio Rudiger. Which is to say both managers think they’ve found the formula
Tottenham Hotspur (an implacable 4-3-3): Lloris; Aurier, Dier, Rodon, Reguilon; Hojbjerg, Sissoko, Ndombele; Bergwijn, Kane, Son. Subs: Hart, Sanchez, Bale, Lo Celso, Lucas Moura, Davies, Vinicius.
Chelsea (a flexible 4-2-3-1): Mendy; James, Thiago Silva, Zouma, Chilwell; Kante, Kovacic; Mount, Ziyech, Werner; Abraham. Subs: Kepa, Rudiger, Jorginho, Pulisic, Giroud, Azpilicueta, Havertz.
Having a hard day: Paul Tierney (Wigan)
Even when not seeking to end protracted television series, humans are pathologically obsessed with stories – consider our relationships to literature, art, psychoanalysis, gossip and ourselves. And there are fewer better examples of such than football, an eternal continuum of unfolding events less boring than whatever else we happen to be doing.
But even in that context, this match stands out, a moreish speedball of narrative and life that has every chance of ending in a ruck. Most importantly, this is a derby between two clubs that despise each other for our entertainment, sentiments with deep roots that periodically surface on the pitch. Though there’ll be no fans in the ground, the players will know exactly what’s expected of them nevertheless so we can hope.
On top of that, this is a derby to decide who’ll be top of the league at the end of the weekend, an aspect intensified by how little anyone expected that to be the case. Spurs, though, somehow found the money that Mauricio Pochettino was always denied and spent it well, then Harry Kane restored José Mourinho’s mislaid mojo after almost a decade in exile and suddenly we’re looking at potential champions.
Chelsea, meanwhile, appeared to be spending like, well, an oligarch, buying expensive shiny stuff because they could and to stop anyone else having it, rather than because they absolutely needed it. But then Hakim Ziyech got fit and opened up everything – an impact that will surprise no one who was shocked he wasn’t expropriated from Ajax sooner. For as long as N’golo Kanté stays fit and the centre of their defence holds up, they are a threat.
And finally, there’s the managerial aspect. The work Mourinho did with Frank Lampard and pals is almost unprecedented in football history, his shamanic bronca inspiring a team that continued winning because of him for years after he left. The styles the two of them espouse are not similar, but the attitude they demand could not be more so; watching that play out should be an absolute treat.
Kick-off: 4.30pm GMT
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