Battle of the Bridge
Chelsea and Spurs fight out for a place in Europe and the title of London’s top dog
The top two teams in England from last season battle it out at Stamford Bridge on Sunday but while passions between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are running just as high, this year the teams have slipped down the Premier League table. It will be fourth against fifth with a place in the Champions League, rather than a chance to become the champions, at stake.
The clubs have been playing one another since 1909 but the rivalry arguably started in earnest with the 1967 FA Cup final, the first showpiece to be contested between London clubs. Tottenham won that day and former Chelsea men Jimmy Greaves and Terry Venables scored the goals. Both became club legends in North London – the former going on to become the North London side’s top scorer and Venables a manager of the Spurs side during the 1990s.
With Manchester City running away with the league title and expected to be crowned champions in the coming weeks, the top three in the table are rounded out by Manchester United and Liverpool, giving England’s northwest primacy over the capital and the London clubs looking like also-rans this season. The balance of power has shifted.
Chelsea were the champions last season and Spurs finished runnersup but the champions go into Sunday’s game outside of the Champions League qualification spots, five points behind the visitors. A win keeps alive the hopes of a top-four finish and a place among the European elite, while anything less than that puts the advantage squarely with Spurs, according to former Chelsea player Ray Wilkins. The ex-midfielder suggests that even a draw would end Chelsea’s chances with only six games left to play in the Premier League.
History
While a win in West London would put Spurs eight points clear of their hosts and in the driving seat for a trip to the continent next season, history is not on their side. They have not won at Stamford Bridge in any competition since a 2-1 win in the old First Division back in February 1990, the winner scored by Gary Lineker with Venables looking on from the dugout.
Spurs have now visited Stamford Bridge 25 times in the Premier League since then – the longest run without winning at any ground by any team. While that might seem like Sunday is a foregone conclusion, no one has told the players involved.
There has been no love lost in this rivalry in recent years, with the highlight – at least in terms of passion so often missing from the Premier League in the modern age – being the meeting between the clubs in the penultimate game of the 2015-16 season. Spurs entered the match with faint title hopes still lingering and they kept them alive by leading 2-0 going into halftime.
The home side rallied in the second half and leveled the scores, with Spurs becoming the first team in league history to receive nine yellow cards in a single game. The result meant that Leicester City became the champions of England and the wait for a league title in the White Hart Lane trophy room would be extended to at least 56 years. As if by way of revenge, last season Mauricio Pochettino’s side ended Chelsea’s unbeaten league run with victory at White Hart Lane to prevent them setting an English top-flight record of 14 games.
Spurs have become a side that finishes consistently in the Champions League places and now pushes on in Europe, while also getting to the semis of the domestic cup. But they have not won any silverware for a decade. That’s not a charge that can be leveled at Chelsea, despite recent turnover with managers and Antonio Conte expected to go next.
Chelsea have won the two most recent meetings between the teams, both at Wembley: Last season’s FA Cup semifinal and then this year’s league game, back in August, thanks to a brace from fullback Marcos Alonso in Spurs’ first game in their temporary home of the national stadium. This game also represents an opportunity for the hosts to get their first league double over Spurs since 2005-06.
Bad news
The bad news for Spurs is that star striker Harry Kane is out injured after his ankle knock against Bournemouth in the club’s last league game before the international break. As worrying is the widely held view that Delle Alli has struggled for form this season, failing to hit the heights of his previous two campaigns.
He has been warned by England manager Gareth Southgate that he is not guaranteed a starting spot for his country in Russia this summer. A match-winning performance on Sunday could change that, of course.
If not Alli, then Spurs will look to three players who are outside candidates to be player of the year: South Korea’s Son Heung-min, Belgian midfield engine Moussa Dembele and Danish string-puller Christian Eriksen. The trio – along with preinjury Kane – have been at the heart of everything good that Spurs have done this season, particularly the run to the Champions League knockouts where they pushed Juventus all the way.
The hosts have had their own troubles, including a meek surrender to Barcelona in the Champions League, but the chance to keep hopes of another shot at Europe next season and London bragging rights are not to be underestimated as fuel for their fire. It also gives the winners the edge in what is likely to be the latest FA Cup final in May.
Sunday’s dress rehearsal will go some way toward settling who is the top dog in London this season. Can the cockerel crow or will the lion remain rampant?