Diego Costa’s tantrum and four other things we learned from watching Tottenham vs Chelsea

kayode OGUNDARE
@kaybaba99Against the grain of expectation, Chelsea went to White Hart Lane and eked out a 0-0 draw against the relatively more-inform Tottenham. Though they were under the cosh for a long time and I agree with Mauricio Pochettino that Spurs should have won, I nevertheless believe that this was one of Chelsea’s better performances of the season and I want to share some of the things I learnt from watching both London clubs squaring up to each other.

Enjoy…

1)      TOTTENHAM NOW PLAY WITHOUT FEAR: Spurs are on the longest unbeaten run in the Premier League, having last tasted defeat on the opening day at Man United. Since then, they have won six and drawn seven of their next 13 games. More importantly, they’ve come out unscathed against Arsenal and Chelsea and destroyed Man City 4-1 last September.

 

Now, they have a spring in their step which only come when you have the self–confidence that you can take on any team without fear, something which had been Spurs’ Achilles Heel for a long time. Besides, Harry Kane’s nine goals in the last seven games give comfort that their goal-machine is back firing on all cylinder and if you factor in the new re-birth in Moussa Dembele’s game, then you’ll understand why Pochettino’s men now fear no foe.

2)      Chelsea gradually turning the corner: For only the second time this season, Chelsea have gone three games unbeaten, an indication that the Blues can permit themselves to see a ray of light at the end of their dark tunnel. Since September when they followed up consecutive home wins against Maccabi Tel Aviv (4-0) and Arsenal (2-0) with an away win at Walsall (4-1) in the Capital One Cup, Chelsea have struggled to string two back-to-back wins together until they defeated Norwich (1-0) at home and followed that up with wins at Maccabi Tel Aviv (4-0) and Sunday’s 0-0 at Tottenham.

 

I’ve always said that the Blues need a run of good results (forget the performance) to build up their confidence and salvage what is left of their season and I’m tempted to think that they are finally turning that corner on the back of the last three games.Before you question the quality of opposition, be reminded that this same Chelsea faced much more inferior foes this season and struggled to get a result so I think it’s only fair to cut them some slack when they are able to cobble a good run together. When you hear Jose Mourinho say: “I have my team back playing as a team again, we have better spirit. I look to the future we have three matches at Stamford Bridge in December and Manchester United and Leicester away. I think a good December awaits us,” better agree with him.3)      Time up for Diego Costa at Stamford Bridge: I’ve said this before but it’s worth repeating here for the benefit of those who didn’t hear me the first time. In a quarrel between a manager and player, I’ll always take the side of the manager. Why? It’s simple. He’s the boss and as long as he has that job, it is not the duty of the player to question the manager’s decision. His employers may do that but CERTAINLY NOT the player.

 

When Mourinho decided to put Diego Costa on the bench at White Hart Lane (reportedly because they had a tiff in the Champions League game against Maccabi Tel Aviv), he was exercising his prerogative as boss. He determines who plays and who doesn’t. Your duty as player is to train and be prepared to get on the pitch to play when called upon. If, however, the manager decides not to put you in a match, you just have to man up, take it on the chin and get ready for the next match.

Thankfully, everyone saw on camera how Diego Costa flung his bib in the manager’s direction because he was told to take his seat and another player brought in after he had warmed up on the sidelines.
Mourinho sought to play down the incident by saying: “For me his behaviour is normal. A top player on the bench will not be happy. If he wants to hurt me it would not be with a bib. I have a good relationship with him.”

If you believe that, you’ll believe anything. I assure you Diego Costa’s days  as a Chelsea players are definitely numbered.

4)      Nemanja Matic is still key to Chelsea’s improvement: I’m convinced that Nemanja Matic was one of the best two players in his position in Europe and, on top of his game, he can singlehandedly dictate the course of a game. He was, alongside Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard, one of Chelsea’s and even the Premier League’s best players as the Blues romped to the title last season.

 

Inexplicably, he suffered poor form this season and Chelsea’s tight defence, predicated on a fluid midfield held together by the tireless Serbian.

Indeed, on August 31, 2015 in an article titled 5 Reasons Why Chelsea Struggle, I’d written as follows: It was my considered opinion last season, and I recall making it known on this column, that Nemanja Matic was the best player in his position in England and among the top three in Europe. He was particularly adept at shielding the centre-backs from attack, breaking up the opposition play and then launching rapid cross-field passes to Hazard and the forward line for counter-attacks which resulted in a lot of goals for the Blues.Further afield, Cesc Fabregas was usually on the prowl, looking to make that telling final pass to any of the attackers which resulted in him making the most number of assists in the Premier League in just his first season back in England. The team’s fortune, as far as the midfield was concerned and in relation to both the defence and attack depended largely on this two players who were outstanding and made Chelsea looked a bit better than they actually are. However, all these have been lacking so far and neither Matic nor Fabregas has been able to replicate anything close to the dazzling heights of last season and this has contributed in large parts to Chelsea struggling this term.

Now, on the evidence of what I’ve seen in the past two or three games, I daresay we may begin to see the old Matic again and I believe this is good news for Chelsea, Mourinho and the fans.

5)      Nothing is decided yet in the Premier League: The last two matchdays have contrived to throw up results which tends to suggest that all is not yet settled as far as the destination of the Premier League title is concerned.
Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Norwich City means the Gunners have taken just one point from the last six and are now fourth, just two points ahead of North London rivals Tottenham.

Spurs’ unbeaten run mean they represent a clear and present danger to the traditional teams in the race for top four placing and a stubborn Leicester City continue to defy all odds as they eke out result after result in the quest to stake a claim for a respectable finish.
Man United have failed to convince even their most ardent supporters that they can challenge for the title with performances that oscillate between the outright mediocre, averagely passable to flawless and back to mediocre.

Man City, for all their riches, out to have put a thousand miles between them and their closest pursuers but the Citizens have been consistently inconsistent such that you never can tell what to expect from them from one matchday to another.
As for Chelsea, they’re struggling to dig themselves out of a hole and, while not regarded as likely contenders, you expect the Blues to play the spoilers for the other big teams.

All of these, in my opinion, points to the fact that nothing is decided yet and we may likely see this season going down to the wire before winners and relegation-bound teams emerge.

November 30, 2015