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I don’t think Frank Lampard sees this as a meeting between students and teachers. Of his four meetings with José Mourinho, he has won two and drawn two in 90 minutes, losing only on penalties at the Carabao Cup in September.
An exciting rivalry is developing between Lampard and his former coach, and Saturday’s clash is significant. If Liverpool and Manchester City are to lose their position, Chelsea and Tottenham are the two clubs lining up to take over.
To win this Premier League, you need to find the perfect balance between defense and attack. Finding that will be key to winning this London derby.
Frank Lampard knows that it is no longer a case of student vs teacher when he faces José Mourinho
The last time we looked at Chelsea closely in this column in October, Lampard was cutting and changing his defense. It seemed like everyone was being judged. But Lampard has found his four most trusted defenders in Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma and Reece James, and he’s paying dividends.
While previously he couldn’t decide on his center-back partner, Silva and Zouma have become his regular partner. Since the beginning of October, they have started together seven times. Chelsea are undefeated in all of them and have kept five clean sheets.
Previously, the Blues’ habit of looking at the ball was getting them into trouble. Their naivety was evident in a 3-3 draw with Southampton, which led to 65 goals conceded in 43 Premier League games with Lampard. Now, they have closed that door.
Silva was absent against the Saints that day and is a class act: the driver from behind. He dictates the game and the pace of the game. He knows when to punch midfield or when to slow things down.
Thiago Silva has settled in Chelsea and new goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has also found his foot
Against Rennes midweek, as soon as Silva received the ball Mason Mount and Timo Werner could be seen rushing forward should he decide to go into space.
The 36-year-old Brazilian is part of a strong backbone Lampard has built, from goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to Silva, N’Golo Kante and Tammy Abraham, who has started five games in a row.
Jorginho in midfield makes them more of a passing team, but Kante would be a more sensible option against a crafty Tottenham.
Chelsea rotates well in wide areas, almost like a carousel. On the left are Chilwell, Mount and Werner, constantly swapping positions, turning and moving.
Chilwell goes winger, Mount covers and Werner moves in centrally. It is a routine that is repeated from the right with James, Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech. This is so hard to contain.
Ben Chilwell has improved Chelsea’s defense while helping the team in wide areas
The only danger is that those runs from the rear can leave Chelsea exposed at the rear if they lose the ball to a good opponent.
Lampard might want to be more cautious against Tottenham, who have Son Heung-min and Gareth Bale as options to break into that space. Any early ball in those channels could hurt Chelsea. As good as he is, Silva doesn’t want to be dragged into one-on-one situations, and neither does Zouma.
Tottenham has its own strong backbone with Hugo Lloris, Eric Dier, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Harry Kane.
They are now equipped with the competitive advantage that Mourinho was obsessed with instilling in his new group. Everything is tied to results for Mourinho, and they are getting ruthless.
If there is one Spurs player who embodies Mourinho’s philosophy, it is Hojbjerg. He sets the tone in that midfield. When Mourinho joined opposition Chelsea tomorrow, he declared himself ‘The Special’ and appears to be close to being that fiercely competitive figure again. It seems revitalized.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg defines Mourinho’s philosophy and has brought steel to Tottenham
Tottenham knows well when to push, but also when to sit down and create a low block. It is likely that tomorrow they will be the ones without the ball.
Chelsea is not the best to press at the top of the field. They are not a Liverpool or a Southampton in that area.
They do not have that physicality. But they have good footballers who like to keep possession and can pass the ball as well as anyone in the Premier League.
At Ziyech, they have a player who has a left foot potentially as good as Kevin De Bruyne’s right. While Chelsea once seemed disjointed under Lampard, the pieces of the puzzle are now coming together.
Beating their old boss tomorrow, to possibly rise to the top of the Premier League if Liverpool don’t win on Saturday, would be another great piece that would fit.
