Chelsea Football Club

OTD: Chelsea come back to beat Spurs! | Video | Official Site  Chelsea Football Club

Winning the midfield battle

Reece James was selected alongside Moises Caicedo in the middle of the park, and the pair performed admirably to set the tone for our display.

Caicedo was the clear Player of the Match, combining his destructive qualities with an ability to beat the Tottenham press and initiate attacking moves. Of course, the only goal stemmed from his perseverance in the press as he hounded three Tottenham players into errors before squaring for Joao Pedro to score. That was one of seven occasions we won possession back in the final third.

In total, Caicedo made a game-high five interceptions, and he also won two tackles. Only James with three made more for us, with the skipper recording three interceptions as well.

The pair ranked second and fourth for completed passes in the final third, showing they made good use of the ball on the regular occasions they joined our attacks. James spent 6.5 per cent of the game in possession, the most of anyone in blue, and his 81 touches was easily a game-high figure.

Our central midfield pair were assisted by Enzo Fernandez. The Argentinian was deployed in the number ten role but regularly dropped back into the thick of the action to beef up our midfield and overwhelm the hosts. Fernandez won four aerial duels, two tackles and played four key passes, twice as many as anyone else on the pitch.

The trio’s blend of tenacious, tactical and technical qualities was vital to the team’s success and they were ably supported by Romeo Lavia following his introduction.

Asserting our authority

Our pressing was on point at White Hart Lane. Our players put pressure on the midfield, defence and goalkeeper throughout the game and it meant Spurs struggled to pose attacking problems.

Squeezing Spurs' midfield forced them backwards, allowing us to threaten either by recovering possession or moving the ball at speed. We were able to translate our territorial dominance into good chances, creating an xG (Expected Goals) tally of 3.68.

Of our 15 shots, six were big chances, by Opta’s definition, and we had more than twice as many touches in the opposition box (36 to 15) than Tottenham. Of their three attempts, just one was on target, with their last effort of the game coming in the 71st minute, when we blocked Mohammed Kudus’ shot.

The Ghanaian was responsible for each of Tottenham’s efforts on goal, whereas seven different Chelsea players tried their luck, underlying the threat we carried across the pitch.

It was no surprise, then, the Blues completed more passes and more passes in the final third than Spurs, and with a better accuracy rate.

The scoreline might have been 1-0, but we were far more dominant than the scoreline suggested.

Super Sanchez

When the hosts did launch the ball into the box, Robert Sanchez was consistently there to meet it.

The keeper made five claims and came out on top in each of the three aerial duels he contested – both are season-high figures.

He regularly initiated counter-attacks after catching a Tottenham cross, while three of his nine long passes into the final third found a team-mate. He was unlucky not to free Pedro Neto with a swerving volleyed pass in the first half.

Such was our dominance Sanchez only had one save to make all game, but he made sure it was a good one, parrying Kudus’ awkwardly bouncing strike away from a couple of Tottenham players ready to bounce on a loose ball.

It was an almost faultless display from our No.1.

Few people are as well placed to pass judgement on the quality that Caicedo brings to the team, as demonstrated by another brilliant performance in Saturday’s London derby win at Tottenham Hotspur, as Sanchez. The two have been playing together since the Ecuadorian first arrived in England with Brighton in 2021, before both moved to Chelsea two years later.

Our goalkeeper has seen his team-mate grow into one of the best midfielders in the world, as Enzo Maresca stated after the victory over Spurs, and that is a sentiment Sanchez agrees with.

‘He’s an actual animal! He’s the best player playing in his position anywhere,’ insisted the Spaniard. ‘Who’s better than him in that position?

‘He’s a beast. Every challenge, every 50-50, he wins it. His composure on the ball, his finishing…if he strikes it on target it goes in!

‘I knew him at Brighton when he wasn’t even playing at Brighton. I remember speaking to him at lunch about whether he was going to go on loan or not. He took his chance and since then he’s been flying, getting better and better. He’s still only 24.

‘He hasn’t changed much. As a character he’s always been the same, about hard work and effort, and quiet. A very good guy. Obviously he’s filled out a bit more with age, and with experience he’s got better and better on the pitch. His confidence has got higher and higher.’

However, Sanchez doesn’t want to pile all the praise on Caicedo. He was quick to point to the contributions of all the players who featured in midfield at Spurs, as well as one who was missing.

We began the game with Caicedo partnered in the centre by Reece James before our skipper returned to right-back after the introduction of Romeo Lavia from the bench, while Enzo Fernandez featured in a more advanced role.

According to Sanchez, it is the combination of all those players’ many talents which makes our midfield so formidable.

‘Winning balls from midfield in the last line is incredible, but it is not just about Moi, all the midfielders,' he said.

‘We started with Enzo, Moi, Reece – Romeo was bright when he came on, Cole [Palmer] hopefully comes back soon as well. What more could you ask? We’ve got the defending, we’ve got composure on the ball, we’ve got the attack, we’ve got everything.’

Sanchez was also delighted with his own contribution to the win at Spurs. Whilst the goalkeeper didn't have lots of saves to make, he was totally dominant in his box, claiming a host of dangerous deliveries and distributing the ball well.

He said: ‘I’m feeling good. When you play for one of the best teams in the world at a massive club you’re always going to be under pressure, being the last line of defence. But that’s the life I choose, that’s what I like and enjoy.

‘Personally, I am happy. I’ve got the confidence of the boys and the manager and the club to keep doing as good as I am doing.

‘At the end of the day, the important thing is the clean sheet and winning the game. There are rarely games we don’t score so we need to keep a clean sheet.’

With two more games to go before the November internationals, away at Qarabag in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday and back at the Bridge against Wolverhampton Wanderers next Saturday, another pair of shut-outs by Sanchez, Caicedo et al could help us carry plenty of momentum into the break.

It was another memorable away day at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the Blues secured another victory and went to within two points of second place thanks to Joao Pedro’s first-half strike.

Enzo Fernandez was an instrumental part of the victory, helping to create four chances for his team-mates – the most in the Blues’ ranks – while also aiding us out of possession against tough opposition.

And even the Argentine will admit that his job was helped by another hugely impressive display from Caicedo, which included a plethora of tackles, interceptions, recoveries and the all-important assist for Joao Pedro’s decisive finish.

The Ecuadorian was voted Player of the Match by supporters on the Chelsea Official App, and it’s fair to say that Enzo supports that decision.

‘As I always say, honestly, there are only words of admiration for him,’ Enzo beamed, talking about Moises' performance.

‘He’s a very humble, hard-working guy, who always gives his all for the team every day. I'm very happy to have him at Chelsea; he's a machine. I hope it continues like this.’

Enzo recognises just how crucial Saturday’s victory was as we looked to make amends for the defeat to Sunderland the week prior, and heading into a busy fixture schedule.

He continued: ‘This victory was very important for us. We were left with a bitter taste in our mouths after what happened last week at Stamford Bridge. Today, we showed character and attitude, and I think we deserved to be winners.

'It's important because it was a London derby, and that’s something we take very seriously. I'm very happy with the effort my team-mates put in. I think we deserved to win, and we picked up three very important points.

‘We created a lot of chances, but the important thing is that we won and put three points on the board.’

And our busy calendar ramps up once again on Wednesday as we face Qarabag in Baku in the Champions League – and Enzo is raring to go.

‘We're ready,’ Enzo added. ‘We love playing in the Champions League. Last year, we fought hard to get there, and now we have that opportunity, so every match is very important for us.’

The Ecuadorian played a starring role as we defeated our local rivals 1-0 in the north of the capital on Saturday afternoon, helping us to control the majority of the game and dictate the tempo.

A key aspect of the win was the constant pressing Moises and his Blues team-mates applied to Spurs all over the pitch, putting the home side on the back foot and coming out on top for a vital victory in a physical and fiercely contested derby.

‘It means a lot,’ said Caicedo after the game. ‘The spirit from the team was amazing so we need to keep showing that every match, because to win games we need this spirit.

‘Everybody was focused on the game and it was so important to win this game.

‘It’s a derby so we always need to fight. They fought and we fought also. It was a battle out there, so the team showed a very good attitude to win this game. That was very important.’

Caicedo’s own role was crucial to the win. It was his relentless hounding of the Tottenham players in possession which led to the game’s only goal, forcing Spurs back towards their own area before winning the ball and teeing up Joao Pedro to score.

It was part of a commanding performance which resulted in our No25 being chosen as Player of the Match by both the Premier League and the Chelsea supporters.

‘As I always say, I always try to help the team. I try to always do my best,’ our midfielder continued.

‘I think I need to show my best in these kinds of games, because my role is very important when we play against big teams. So I did my best to help the team.

‘This award is for my team-mates and my family, because my family are always with me, supporting me. So it’s for them.’

He also highlighted the support of the travelling Blues fans in north London as being important to this win, which moves us up to fourth place in the Premier League table, only behind Tottenham on goal difference.

‘For sure the fans were amazing, so this is for them also, because they are supporting us every game. It is so important for us. So we are so happy, we just need to enjoy it.

‘I think the competition is long but we need to keep it up because it’s going to be important to win games, away games at big teams. So that was important and we want to keep it up, because at the end it’s going to be so important.’

Our skipper has alternated between his well-established spot at right-back and a different role in midfield throughout Maresca’s time as Blues head coach, and featured in the latter at Tottenham on Saturday.

Moises Caicedo caught the eye with another impressive performance and created the game’s only goal, winning possession and teeing up Joao Pedro to make it 1-0. However, his midfield partner for the day was arguably just as important to the victory.

That combination of Caicedo and James bossed the centre of the pitch, despite Spurs attempting to crowd out the midfield by creating a numerical advantage in that area with their team selection, which our head coach explained was why James’ presence there was deemed crucial.

‘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 Mater] 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.’

Once again, James certainly didn’t look out of place in our midfield. It leaves Maresca in the happy position of knowing he can rely on his captain to perform to the highest level, as a defender, as a midfielder and, perhaps most importantly of all, as a leader.

‘I think Reece is doing fantastic when he's playing as a midfielder, he's doing fantastic when he's playing full-back, and he's doing fantastic in terms of leadership with the players inside the changing room,’ concluded Enzo.

You don't need to tell Blues fans, players or staff about Caicedo's quality. After what some perceived as a slow start to life at Chelsea, the midfielder has been truly exceptional for the majority of his time in SW6.

Defensive positioning, distribution, spectacular goals, and regularly making tackles he has no right to win, Caicedo is the complete package when it comes to a defensive midfielder.

And scarily for the rest of the Premier League, he only turns 24 today. The best is very much still to come.

It was Caicedo's exceptional work which led to the deciding goal during our 1-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night.

First, he tackled Djed Spence deep into the home side's half, then he forced a backwards pass from Xavi Simons while pressing, before he dispossessed Micky van de Ven on the edge of the Spurs box and passed to Joao Pedro, leaving the Brazilian with a simple finish.

When asked during his post-match press conference if he would swap Moises Caicedo for any other midfielder in Europe at the moment, Maresca replied: 'Moi, I think he's showing how good he is. He's top.

'I said many times, the best thing from Moi, for sure, we judge him inside the pitch, but he's so humble, he's such a good guy, he's always there to help everyone.

'And I just said to the television interviewer that for me, him and [Manchester City's] Rodri, in this moment, they are the two best defensive midfielders in the world.'

You will struggle to find a Chelsea fan who would disagree with that statement.

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