Tottenham and Chelsea retained their positions of first and third of the Premier League respectively after playing out a largely uneventful 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge.
The solid, if unambitious, Spurs performance was reminiscent of Jose Mourinho‘s first spell at Chelsea but Frank Lampard will feel that Chelsea could have sealed all three points after dominating proceedings in the second half.
Here i looks at the match-defining performances from Stamford Bridge…
Joe Rodon – 7/10
“He came to us because we trust him. There is always a first time so when you come from smaller clubs, from lower divisions, there is always a first time. And for him the first time is a big match, but it’s also a great opportunity for him,” said Mourinho pre-match.
Despite having the vastly more experienced Davinson Sanchez at his disposal, Mourinho demonstrated his faith in Joe Rodon, the summer signing from Swansea City, handing the 23-year-old his first Premier League start at Stamford Bridge alongside Eric Dier in defence.
The towering, tattoo-covered Welshman, learned quickly that mistakes at the top level can be punished when after having his pocket picked by Mason Mount on the halfway line, he watched Timo Werner bend an arcing shot beyond Hugo Lloris – only for the offside flag to come to his rescue.
Rodon’s heart will have been in his mouth again in the 92nd minute when his weak header back fell straight to Olivier Giroud who failed to execute his lob over Hugo Lloris. A couple of shaky moments aside though, it was a promising first start in a Spurs shirt for Rodon, who got a bloody lip from Kai Havertz’s elbow for his troubles.
Reece James – 7/10
Forget Mason Mount vs Jack Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold vs Reece James looks set to be this generation’s biggest selection dilemma for Gareth Southgate or any other England manager if both remain at right-back. There is an argument to be made that they are already the two best crossers of a ball in the Premier League, although it is difficult to gauge who is the superior provider.
At half-time, Gary Neville suggested that Chelsea had made life easy for Tottenham’s centre backs by crossing from too deep with James and Hakim Ziyech particularly culpable. It was almost as if James had listened in on Sky Sports’ half-time coverage as he whipped two sensational balls into the box within the opening five minutes of the second half.
The only frustration as far as James was concerned is that Tammy Abraham could not convert his pinpoint deliveries.
Tanguy Ndombele – 6/10
On more than a handful of occasions over the summer, it looked as though Tanguy Ndombele’s days at Tottenham Hotspur were numbered. The Frenchman, a club-record signing from Lyon in 2019, had struggled to force his way into Mourinho’s plans and the generational gap between both men was seen as too big a hurdle to overcome.
Tottenham’s gravitation towards a 4-2-3-1 system this season, though, has helped Ndombele showcase his best qualities, namely his superb close control and dribbling skills, in a No 10 role. During the first half, Ndombele completed twice as many dribbles (four) as any player on the pitch, including a couple that left N’Golo Kante and Thiago Silva bamboozled.
In the second, a quicksilver shift of his feet led to Kurt Zouma being cautioned for a foul by the touchline. After starting three games in a week, he was replaced by Giovani Lo Celso after 65 minutes.
Timo Werner – 5/10
There have been flashes of the near-unstoppable RB Leipzig version of Werner in the blue shirts of Chelsea but nothing sustained as yet. That captivating burst of acceleration followed by an assured pass through to Abraham to score against Newcastle last Saturday was followed by a glaring, scarcely believable miss in Tuesday’s win over Rennes.
The best of Werner has invariably followed by the worst or vice versa so far into his Chelsea career. That was the case again here. Werner took his one real opportunity to score brilliantly, bending a ruthless effort in off the post early on. Sadly for the German, he had strayed into an offside position and it didn’t count.
Werner only had one non-offside shot all game which didn’t hit the target, while he failed to create a chance or complete a dribble. He had 28 fewer touches than Hakim Ziyech managed on the opposite flank. It was an anonymous performance from the £50m striker but judging by his pattern, a blistering display in his next game could be forthcoming.
Harry Kane – 5/10
For Werner, also read Harry Kane. The Spurs striker has been arguably the player of the Premier League this season, combining seven goals with a division-leading nine assists. Prior to kick-off, you had to travel as far back as Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Everton on 13 September for the last Premier League match in which Kane had failed to provide a goal or assist.
However, like Werner, Kane could barely get involved in the game. The Spurs striker retreated deeper and deeper as it wore on in an attempt to find the ball and make something happen but it was an ultimately fruitless task. His 41 touches of the ball was one fewer than his goalkeeper Lloris made.
Similarly to Werner, Kane’s lack of influence wasn’t necessarily any fault of his own. Spurs managed just 39 per cent possession across the 90 minutes and were set up to not lose rather than go for the win – a feat they ultimately managed. Despite the abundance of attacking talent on the pitch, it was a game dominated by the defenders.
Follow i sport on Facebook for more Premier League news, interviews and features
More on the Premier League
- Sam Johnstone tells Sam Cunningham why he is finally ready to become a Premier League star
- The making of Timo Werner: How his father’s motivation and ‘scary’ power meant Chelsea star was always destined for the top
- Eric Dier reveals why he stormed into the stands to confront an abusive Spurs fan
- Daniel Storey: How to lose supporters and alienate Messi, by FC Barcelona
- An apology to Man Utd’s Jesse Lingard
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/37jS4lL
Post a Comment