Preview Panel - Chelsea

Our latest Preview Panel - and who better to talk about the latest derby clash between Spurs and Chelsea than someone who played on both sides of the blue and white divide? Gus Poyet did just that, and was later first team coach alongside Juande Ramos when we beat Chelsea in the League Cup Final at Wembley in 2008.

Introducing the panel...

Gus Poyet - An all-action, goalscoring midfielder, Gus made his name at Real Zaragoza in La Liga (he played in that final, with that Nayim goal in 1995) before joining Chelsea in 1997. He won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Super Cup and FA Cup at the Bridge before joining Spurs in 2001. Gus scored 23 goals in 98 appearances for us, helping us reach the 2002 League Cup Final, before retiring in 2004. He joined us as coach in 2007 and won the League Cup in 2008, and has since had managerial spells at Brighton, Sunderland, AEK Athens, Shanghai Shenhua and most recently, Bordeaux.

Carrie Brown - A regular at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in her role as senior sports correspondent for BeIN Sports, Carrie became the first woman to chair the Football Writers' Association when she was elected unanimously in 2019.

Liam Twomey - Staff writer for The Athletic, covering Chelsea, Liam previously worked for Goal and ESPN and gives us a view from Stamford Bridge.

What have you made of Chelsea so far this season?

Gus: “I think that Chelsea are still not the final product with the new players, the adjustment has maybe been a little bit more difficult than expected. Also, there’s more pressure now. There are no excuses. They need get three or four results in a row just to calm everything down and the players will then express themselves, because they are very good players.”

Carrie: “If you live in the land of the reactionist on social media then Chelsea should have fired out of the blocks, won every match and be mirroring Liverpool’s point tally as we head into game four. But, for me, Chelsea have started exactly how I predicted. The club have invested wisely and recruited well, but price tags and titles don’t negate the time you need to bed in together. Kai Havertz, depicted as a waste of money after one match and a then midfield messiah, is just a classic example of this. I don’t think Frank Lampard has had the opportunity to understand or work out his strongest line-up yet, and it’s really easy to blame a goalkeeper, and Kepa Arrizabalaga has received the brunt of that. I think Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva will keep their places, with the latter keen to prove errors like Sunday’s against West Brom are a freak incident, and not a regular feature in his game. I think it’s an ideal time for Tottenham to meet Chelsea. I don’t think they are as together as a team in a formation with an understanding as the team you met in February. At least it would be a good time but for the caveat of three matches in six days...”

What is key to this tie?

Gus: “Alongside the passion you have to put into the game - and there have been many passionate games between these teams - the most important thing is to impose your game, with that passion, and with the intelligence to play to your strengths. Sometimes when you go into these games you lose a little... I would call it 'calmness', because you try too hard. One of the biggest things for Spurs now, compared to my first match for Spurs against Chelsea, which was during the famous record against Spurs, there was a mental block, and I don’t think that exists anymore. Spurs players know they can compete and know they can win. So, play to your strengths and if Spurs do that, we all know they are a very good team.”

Carrie: “I think Spurs fans will have to learn to roll their ‘r’s, because the name Reguilon will be tripping off their tongues. I was lucky enough to be in Germany for the Europa League Final (Sergio played as Sevilla beat Inter in August) and I’ve spoken to Matt Doherty, he knows all about him, he came face to face with him (for Wolves against Sevilla). Reguilon happily runs forward, he’ll do all the work coming back and his scything tackles... there will be a few, and they’ll be just fine. He's audacious, confident, a bounding player and I’m so excited to watch him. After Callum Hudson-Odoi’s performance... Frank Lampard likes to reward flair and build confidence and I can imagine those two coming head to head would be a fascinating encounter. I can’t wait to see Reguilon. I love him as a player. You have a cracking signing there.”

Do you have a favourite memory of Spurs-Chelsea?

Gus: “It’s a different feeling as a player (the 5-1 League Cup semi-final win, 2002) and a coach (League Cup Final win, 2008). As a player, you always feel you’ve played a part. I didn’t score in the 5-1, but I will always remember when I chested the ball down to Teddy Sheringham to score a magnificent volley, a top-quality goal. As a player, you feel like you’ve participated.”

Carrie: “If I could paint the scene of the tunnel at Stamford Bridge, and off to the side of it are some interview rooms. Imagine those pitchside reporters all up against the door being guarded by security, all of us trying to prize it open as the ‘Battle of the Bridge’ emanated down the corridor (2-2, 2016). That has to be the one. Remarkable scenes. The battle on the pitch between Costa and Jan Vertonghen, that was entertainment in itself. It was a night I’ll never forget. There is a phenomenal amount of respect that Jose and Frank Lampard have for each other, and that brings this fixture into top billing right at the start of the season. Yes, Jose will not have all the players to select he wants to. Yes, I think Chelsea’s unfamiliarity might level the playing field. In terms of desire, hunger... level playing field, all bets off. Let’s watch the entertainment!”

A couple more for Gus...

You’ve been involved in two huge Spurs wins over Chelsea – 5-1 in the League Cup semi-final in 2002, then the League Cup Final in 2008. What are your memories?
Gus: “The 5-1 was so important, because of what I mentioned before. One moment I was on the good side of that Chelsea-Spurs record, the next, the other side. I tried everything I could to change the mental side of that Spurs team to cope with these games. The first Spurs-Chelsea game for me at Spurs, I was suspended, and we lost in the last minute. The second was the first leg of the semi-final, we lost at Stamford Bridge. The next one, the second leg, I was going crazy before the game! We needed something different. If you remember, we scored early, and the rest was confidence, strength, belief. That team was also very experienced with the likes of Teddy Sheringham, Les Ferdinand, Mauricio Taricco, Darren Anderton, Tim Sherwood. I think that was a turning point. The 2008 final was difficult! Chelsea were winning everything, Didier Drogba scored, as usual, and we’re 1-0 down at Wembley. Juande Ramos made tactical changes that were outstanding. He took a risk, took off Pascal Chimbonda, who wasn’t fully fit, moved Steed Malbranque to left-back. Steed was looking at me saying ‘me?’ and said. ‘yes, you!’. He’d never played left-back before! We went to a back four and won it in extra time. What day!"

Finally, tell us what you’re up to at the moment...
Gus: “I’m very well, thank you. I would love to get back into a team in England, I know the Premier League is difficult, but I would like to think after all the teams I’ve already managed, I could at least get into the Championship. I would take a possibility there. It’s been more difficult than I expected, but I’m not giving up.”

View from the Bridge...

What have you made of Chelsea so far this season?
Liam: “A ‘work in progress’ is probably the best way to describe them, obviously a very expensively assembled work in progress, but I think Frank Lampard has tried to navigate different members of his squad being at different physical stages, with the lack of the pre-season. He’s also trying to find the best tactical set-up to bed in a couple of the new faces. Of course, he doesn’t have all the new faces to call upon yet. So, we’re still some way away from knowing what Chelsea at full strength will look like, and I don’t think we’ll see it against Spurs. We’ve seen him try things, and he hasn’t yet got the balance between attack and defence. He may well switch things up against Tottenham.”

How do you think Chelsea will approach this game?
Liam: “One thing I’m interested to see is if he goes with three at the back again. That was something that worked really well for Chelsea against Tottenham last season, both times they needed a result they went to it and it posed tactical questions. They have the players to do it again if they want to. Other than that, it’s a hard one to call. From what Lampard said (on Monday), I’d say it’s more likely than not that we’ll see Edouard Mendy (new signing, goalkeeper from Rennes) make his debut. That’s an unknown, his first game behind a new defence. We’ll probably see Ben Chilwell as well but beyond that, he’s got players who need to get a bit fitter. He may try to get players who need minutes on the pitch but, at the same time, Tottenham are a good team and Chelsea will want to win the game. It’s a delicate balance to strike.”

Who should we look out for?
Liam: “I’ll caveat this at the start by saying it’s possible he doesn’t play, but the one player Lampard has leaned on since he took over more than most is Mason Mount. He’s a player who is a little divisive between Chelsea fans, particularly on social media, but there is no doubt in Lampard’s mind of the value he brings to the team, whether he’s having a good day or a bad day, his energy levels are irrepressible and he’s absolutely key to leading the high pressing style Lampard wants. He’s flexible enough to play in a number of positions, so in the comeback against West Brom (3-0 down to 3-3 on Saturday) he moved to a number eight role having started on the right wing, he’s played on the left, as a 10... Lampard always wants to get him in the team. He really values what he brings in terms of his intensity, his technique, he has the ability to keep the ball and uses it well, and he can get you a goal, even if he’s sometimes guilty of taking a few low percentage shots, but so was Lampard in his day! When Mount plays well, Chelsea often play well.”