Chelsea beat Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, with Enzo Maresca getting the better of Thomas Frank on Saturday evening.
A Joao Pedro goal was the difference on the night, with the Brazilian ending his goal drought with a 34th-minute strike.
That was enough to secure all three points for the Blues and propel them up to sixth in the table, level on points with Tottenham.
Spurs didn’t have enough firepower on the night, and it was apparent there were a few issues in midfield. Chelsea dominated in that area, with Moises Caicedo and Reece James both excellent.
Enzo Maresca surprised at Thomas Frank’s team selection
Enzo Maresca touched on this after the match and suggested that he was surprised by Thomas Frank’s team selection, with the Italian thinking the Spurs boss would have played a three-man midfield.
“It depends a little bit on the game plan. I think yesterday we needed a little bit more physicality in the middle,” explained Maresca.
“We expected them to play with [Pape Matar] Sarr, with [Rodrigo] Bentancur, with [Joao] Palhinha. We didn’t expect them with four midfielders, because then [Lucas] Bergvall also played.
“So we needed a little bit more physicality in the middle, but it depends a little bit on the game plan.”
Bergvall, of course, had to go off through injury, replaced by the disappointing Xavi Simons, who was later substituted himself.
Thomas Frank says he understands Tottenham fans’ frustrations
Aside from being dominated in midfield, the overriding factor in the defeat was that Tottenham simply couldn’t create any chances.
The lack of a goalscorer is becoming a huge issue, and fans resorted to booing at the end of the game – something Frank acknowledged.
“We all sense the frustration and the emotions. That is part of football. It is extremely painful and, of course, that is part of the job – to face you guys now and answer the very good questions when you are burning inside.
“You like to find solutions, watch the game back and see what went wrong, but I think it’s about trying to stay calm. In general, I think Chelsea were good and we were definitely second best.
“We performed badly. I think we lacked energy and intensity and that freshness we didn’t have. Then I think the high pressure they came with – I don’t think we solved it well enough even though we worked on it. That’s something we need to keep improving.
“Our high press lacked a little bit in the beginning until we got on top of it, and then they went 1-0 up and we were chasing. Then it’s a bad cycle – we’re chasing, lacking intensity and energy, and making bad decisions.”
Tottenham face FC Copenhagen on Tuesday evening, where they’ll be hoping to at least find the net as they continue their Champions League campaign.