[ad_1]
Even when they don’t seek to end long television series, humans are pathologically obsessed with stories; consider our relationships with literature, art, psychoanalysis, gossip, and ourselves. And there are fewer better examples of that than soccer, an eternal continuum of unfolding events less boring than anything else we’re doing.
But even in that context, this match stands out, a faster ball of narrative and life that has every chance of ending up in a ruck. More importantly, this is a derby between two clubs that despise each other for our entertainment, deeply rooted feelings that periodically surface on the pitch. Although there will be no fans on the field, players will know exactly what is expected of them, so we can wait.
On top of that, this is a derby to decide who will lead the league at the end of the weekend, an aspect intensified by how little nobody expected it to be. The Spurs, however, somehow found the money that Mauricio Pochettino was always denied and spent well, then Harry Kane restored José Mourinho’s lost mojo after almost a decade in exile and suddenly we are looking at possible champions.
Chelsea, meanwhile, seemed to be spending like, well, an oligarch, buying expensive and shiny things because they could and to prevent someone else from having them, rather than because they absolutely needed it. But then Hakim Ziyech got in shape and opened up everything – an impact that will come as no surprise to anyone who was surprised that he was not expropriated from Ajax earlier. As long as N’golo Kanté remains fit and the center of his defense remains firm, they are a threat.
And finally, there is the managerial aspect. The work that Mourinho did with Frank Lampard and his friends is almost unprecedented in the history of football, his shaman row inspiring a team that kept winning because of him for years after he left. The styles that both adopt are not similar, but the attitude they demand could not be more like that; watching that game should be an absolute pleasure.
Start: 4.30 pm GMT
