A certain Chelsea player has all but confirmed his status for this weekend's London derby in the Premier League against Tottenham and has seemingly dropped another hint in the process in relation to the formation manager Thomas Tuchel is planning to use.
The Blues are heading into this London derby as underdogs which is an unusual thing for any Chelsea side to be since the Roman Abramovich era started 19 years ago. They face an Antonio Conte side who are being tipped for great success this season. Tottenham kicked off their campaign which promises so much after a productive summer with a convincing 4-1 home success over Southampton. Meanwhile, the current World Champions, who are not finished in the transfer market, scrapped past Everton by a one-goal margin on the opening weekend.
But whether or not the Lilywhites are favourites in this contest is pointless when the north Londoners only have once at Stamford Bridge in the last 31 years. It's a mental block that Antonio Conte knows makes this one an even game, despite others underestimating his former club. Looking into the game itself, there are a lot of tactical decisions for Tuchel to make. Decisions which the supporters should have confidence in due to the four wins he accumulated against this opposition in 2021/2.
READ MORE: Why Thomas Tuchel doesn't believe Antonio Conte as Chelsea boss lays down Tottenham challenge
Even he knows though that Conte's admission of an 'important gap' between the two sides wasn't entirely true, referencing that it was mistakes on their behalf and moment of brilliance from his players that contributed to the quadruple of wins over their London rivals.
"I never felt a huge gap in preparing these matches because they are close matches, and they are a very competitive and talented squad," Tuchel outlines in his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. "I know very well what we invested and what level we played to beat them four times and not concede a goal against this quality of the team. In an emotional game in London like this, which means so much for everybody, it was a huge effort and big consecutive performances from us.
"I don't believe everything that Antonio Conte says in games, before games and after games like this. I admire him a lot, and I believe strongly that every team he trains competes for everything no matter which team, what club it is. This is what he proves right now.
"They had maybe the opposite last seven months from us, given the situation. Everything was clear. They had something clear to fight for. They put all the energy into making it to Champions League football. Their targets were clear, and their set-up in the club was clear. They took advantage of this situation and had a very aggressive transfer period.
"It was a very straightforward and excellent transfer period to strengthen in quality and depth. That's why it's one of the toughest opponents. Always is with Antonio Conte's teams. That's what we're facing Sunday."
In terms of team news and hints, Mateo Kovacic is out with a recurring injury that he sustained during the pre-season tour. One player who looks guaranteed to start based on his latest hint is veteran defender Thiago Silva, who put in a solid display alongside Kalidou Koulibaly last weekend at Goodison Park.
Unusually, the Brazilian only posts his graphics on his Instagram but today he has taken to his personal Twitter account @tsilva3 to almost guarantee his involvement in this Super Sunday clash. A contest in which he netted twice over the four games played out between the two.
His involvement would almost certainly rule out the curveball of a potential back four usage from Tuchel in this one. The pace and dynamism of the Spurs' attack means that a back three/five formation. maybe the only way to combat such threats.
"I don't tell you! I think we have to be very disciplined in certain regions of the game," Tuchel added on his tactical decisions in last season's games against Spurs. "They stepped the level up in their game. They play in the same structure so far and have a pattern in offensive pressing and in their attitude to defending. This changes a lot.
"It's very important we are good on the ball. It's very important we are the dominant team. Hopefully, we put the game in the opponent's half and control their counter-attacks before everybody else sees them. Hopefully, we don't talk about counter-attacking because they are maybe one of the best teams in the world in counter-attacks and these movements.
"We did fantastic jobs in closing it down [last season]. The players were unbelievably disciplined and aware of the situation. That's why we can never lose the structure and never lose our heads while we are attacking. This is the moment, I believe, to stop the counter-attacks. When they start already, you are already in big trouble given the quality, speed and determination of Tottenham, so we need to be smart and stop the counter-attacks before they start.."
Chelsea fans - Would you risk playing a back four tomorrow or would you prefer to see the tried and tested back five be used instead for this one? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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