Spotlight on... Chelsea
This Sunday we welcome London rivals Chelsea to N17 (4.30pm kick-off) - here's all you need to know on the Blues...
This Sunday we welcome London rivals Chelsea to N17 (4.30pm kick-off).
Going into the clash, with just one place and three points separating the sides in the table, we know a victory will see us leapfrog the Blues and move into the top four for the first time since the end of September.
So, ahead of our meeting with the Blues, we put Frank Lampard’s side under the spotlight...
Team news
Chelsea have an almost fully-fit squad ahead of Sunday's clash with only Ruben Loftus-Cheek unavailable for the Blues. The midfielder has been out since May with an Achilles injury.
Chelsea’s form
The west London outfit are having a spell of the blues at the moment with four defeats in their last five league outings. Losses against Manchester City, West Ham United, Everton and Bournemouth have seen the gap tighten dramatically between Frank Lampard's side in fourth spot and the chasing pack. However, in that period, Chelsea did manage to secure their place in the Champions League knockout stages after a 2-2 draw with Valencia in their final group stage game – they will play Bayern Munich in the last 16.
New faces
Having signed for the club in January but spending the remaining months of the 2018/19 season back at Borussia Dortmund, Christian Pulisic eventually made his first appearance for Chelsea earlier this season. That was the only new arrival at Stamford Bridge ahead of the campaign but there have been several new faces making a name for themselves under Lampard, with Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Reece James all having made the transition from youth team to first team.
Leader of the opposition
Chelsea’s all-time record goalscorer (211) Frank Lampard was appointed as the Blues' new Head Coach in the summer. One of the greatest midfielders of his generation, Lampard won 11 major honours during his career – including four Premier League titles as well as the Europa League and Champions League. Add to that 106 caps for England and the runner-up spot in the 2005 Ballon d’Or and his time on the pitch was certainly notable. He moved into management with Derby County in 2018, taking the Rams to the Championship Play-Off Final in his first campaign before returning to Stamford Bridge in the summer.
Last five meetings
27 February, 2019 – Chelsea 2-0 Spurs – Premier League
24 January, 2019 – Chelsea 2-1 Spurs (4-2 on penalties) – Carabao Cup semi-final, second leg
8 January, 2019 - Spurs 1-0 Chelsea – Carabao Cup semi-final, first leg
24 November, 2018 – Spurs 3-1 Chelsea – Premier League
1 April, 2018 – Chelsea 1-3 Spurs – Premier League
The numbers game
4 - We have won four of our last five Premier League games (L1), more than we had in our previous 15 in the competition (W3 D6 L6).
4 - Chelsea have lost four of their last five Premier League matches (W1) – as many as they had in their previous 24 in the competition (W14 D6 L4). The Blues haven’t lost three consecutive Premier League games since November, 2015.
15 – Chelsea have lost 15 matches in all competitions during 2019, their most in a single year since 2000 (also 15). They last lost more in a year back in 1994 (17).
12 - José Mourinho has won 12 and lost none of his 13 home games in all competitions against sides he’s previously managed, including winning all three against Chelsea (once with Inter Milan, twice with Manchester United).
5 - Dele Alli has scored five goals in our last four Premier League meetings against Chelsea - against no team has he scored more goals in the competition.
Played for both
Scott Parker played 29 games for the Blues between 2004 and 2005 before a later move to White Hart Lane in August, 2011. Primarily a defensive midfielder, Scott began his career with Charlton Athletic in 1997 before his subsequent move to Chelsea was followed by stints at Newcastle United and West Ham United. It was with the Hammers where, despite the club being relegated to the Championship in 2010/11, his performances in claret and blue saw him named the Football Writers Association Player of the Year – he was also named as England’s Player of the Year later that term. In the summer of 2011, he joined us in N17.
His quality in the centre of the park was clear to see from the off as he helped us to a 2-0 win over Wolves on his debut, playing in Emmanuel Adebayor for the game’s opener. Sitting just in front of our back line, he orchestrated our defence, was the anchor in our midfield and was always able to find a way to get us moving forward. He departed the Lane in 2013 and headed back to west London to join Fulham. He spent four years at Craven Cottage as a player before moving into coaching. He had a spell as our Under-18s Coach before taking over as Fulham's first team boss at the end of last season.
Quick quiz on Chelsea
- Who grabbed a brace as well as two assists in our 5-3 win over Chelsea in January 2015?
- Harry Kane
- Heung-Min Son
- Christian Eriksen
- Who scored the opener the last time we hosted Chelsea in the Premier League, as we secured a 3-1 win over the Blues at Wembley in November 2018?
- Dele Alli
- Heung-Min Son
- Lucas Moura
- How many members of our current squad have scored a Premier League goal against Chelsea?
- 4
- 5
- 6
- Having played in 48 Premier League London derbies, how many goals has Harry Kane scored in those games?
- 19
- 29
- 39
- We first faced Chelsea in a competitive fixture in which year?
- 1899
- 1909
- 1919
(Answers at the bottom of the page)
Pictures from the past
Match data
Venue – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Opposition colours – Blue shirts, blue shorts, blue socks.
Referee – Anthony Taylor.
Weather forecast – Mostly cloudy, nine degrees.
Answers: 1 – Harry Kane; 2 – Dele Alli; 3 – 6; 4 – 29; 5 - 1909