Sunday 1 March 2015 06:45, UK
Tottenham have the attributes to cause Chelsea problems in Sunday’s Sky Live Capital One Cup final – but may pay for their midweek Europa League exertions, says Jamie Redknapp...
Chelsea go into this weekend’s Capital One Cup final as favourites, but Tottenham will be looking back to that remarkable 5-3 success on New Year’s Day as inspiration for a Wembley win.
Harry Kane was brilliant. He destroyed Chelsea, scoring two goals at White Hart Lane. Gary Cahill and John Terry couldn’t handle him.
But it wasn’t just Kane – Spurs got their tactics right that day.
They’ll look back on that match and realise how well they pressed Chelsea, how they put their visitors’ back four under pressure, and played a direct game up to Kane, working off the second balls.
That’s what they’ll try to do again on Sunday.
Of course, they rode their luck at times - Chelsea could have been awarded a penalty when they were 1-0 up - but there’s no doubt Spurs found a way to unsettle Jose Mourinho’s side.
How will Chelsea respond? I think Kurt Zouma will play instead of Gary Cahill, who struggled against Kane, but a trickier problem for Mourinho is how to cover the absence of the suspended Nemanja Matic.
We know the stats well - Chelsea have lost only one match with him in the side this season - but Jon Obi Mikel, when he has come in, has not had a great record this season in the big games.
Chelsea, though, will hope they can hurt Tottenham at the other end of the pitch and I expect Mauricio Pochettino will be particularly concerned about Eden Hazard.
The Belgian always looked the most likely to make something happen for Chelsea in that 5-3 game and has had a great season.
To have lost at Fiorentina makes it even tougher for Spurs to be at their absolute best this weekend
Spurs will have to find a way to contain him or limit his involvement, given the open spaces at Wembley he can exploit.
How Kyle Walker deals with Hazard will be fascinating to watch. We know the England man has great pace and loves to go forward, but does he have the defensive skills to contain the tricky winger?
Another key battle will be Diego Costa against the Tottenham centre backs. Jan Vertonghen will be up for the contest, I’m sure, but I reckon Pochettino may go with Eric Dier over Federico Fazio and it will be interesting to see how the young centre defender - who I reckon has great potential - deals with the experienced Chelsea striker.
Ryan Mason’s performance will also be a key factor in how Tottenham fare. I’m a big fan of him and his energy has been so important for Spurs this season. But how will he match up against his Chelsea opponents in midfield in the biggest game of his career so far?
He stood out on New Year’s Day but, two months on, this is another test entirely.
Open game
Just like us neutrals, I’m sure Pochettino is hoping for an open game in the final, and with Matic out, that could be the case. There’s likely to be goals, too – as well as the 5-3, Chelsea won 3-0 against Spurs at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season.
However, more than those two fixtures, I feel it is the past few days which will play a big part in the outcome. A Thursday night away game in Europe ahead of the Capital One Cup final was the last thing Spurs needed. To have lost at Fiorentina makes it even tougher for them to be at their absolute best this weekend.
Unlike Mourinho, Pochettino only found out on Friday morning which players will be fit and firing for Sunday, while the Chelsea team have been able to focus on the final all week long.
This is a hard game to call, given the extreme results we’ve seen in the past two fixtures between the sides, but I can’t help feeling that tiredness will tell for Spurs.
I’m predicting a draw in 90 minutes, but Chelsea to lift trophy. That would make it 10 wins in 12 major finals for Mourinho - an incredible record - and give him significant revenge for that shock on New Year’s Day.
Coverage of the Capital One Cup final starts at 2.30pm on Sky Sports 1HD on Sunday.
