Michael Bridge and Charlotte Marsh analyse Chelsea and Tottenham ahead of their clash; listen to the latest Pitch to Post Preview podcast below or on your preferred platform; watch Chelsea vs Tottenham on Super Sunday from 4pm on Sky Sports Premier League; kick-off 4.30pm
Friday 27 November 2020 12:55, UK
Ahead of Chelsea and Tottenham's showdown on Super Sunday, Michael Bridge and Charlotte Marsh assess the teams on the latest Pitch to Post Preview podcast.
Jose Mourinho once again returns to the club where he had so much success, facing a manager who made 215 appearances under him as a player at Chelsea and scored 71 goals.
Both sides head into the game in superb form and on unbeaten runs, but where are their strengths and weaknesses ahead of the game, live on Sky Sports?
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On the latest Pitch to Post Preview podcast, Sky Sports News reporter Michael Bridge and Sky Sports journalist Charlotte Marsh give us the lowdown...
"The key here is Mourinho has a squad where there seems to be two players for every position, there seems to be real competition. Serge Aurier is now at right back, he's got Matt Doherty too. He's up against him and there's competition in the squad. Hojbjerg has been a huge addition to that midfield doing the dirty jobs well so there seems to be a change around the place and full credit has to go to the manager.
"I'm sure Mourinho will play it down in terms of the significance of the game, but mark my words, this is a massive game on a personal note and for the football club. Frank Lampard said before his Champions League game that he was already thinking about the game on Sunday. It's a big derby in its own right, there's a lot of history between the clubs, obviously there won't be any fans but Lampard will want to win this game as well. There's no doubt in my mind that after the Man City game, Jose would have been planning the Chelsea match as well.
"It's going to be a really tough game and Spurs have obviously had the Europa League game in the middle of that as well but I expect the team to be very much as it was against Man City.
"However, there is a big loss, with Toby Alderweireld has a groin problem. It sounds like it wasn't as bad as first feared but he won't play on Sunday. So does Jose play Joe Rodon and put him in for his first Premier League start? It's a big ask for him, or does he put Davinson Sanchez in? He's a bit up and down but it will be alongside Eric Dier, who was phenomenal against Man City. So there's a few decisions to be made and it will be interesting to see which XI he plays.
"It's phenomenal the way Kane is playing. I can't even describe what he is at the moment, he's just everything. At the end of the day, Kane does want to break the goalscoring records, and if he stays fit, he will break them.
"But you look at his performances, against Man Utd, his throughballs for Son were incredible and his passing range against Southampton at the start of the season was phenomenal. I've said that Spurs really miss the creative influence of Christian Eriksen and they've not brought in a creative midfielder, but they've actually got it in Kane.
"I've said this for a while now and I do believe that the team that wins the league is the team with the least amount of people in the treatment room. There's no reason why Spurs and Chelsea can't think that they can do this now. You look at Liverpool against Atalanta, Jurgen Klopp makes a few changes and all of a sudden they look quite normal. It is early days but neither side will want to lose this match, especially Chelsea being at Stamford Bridge."
"Chelsea have had so many new players come in and it was about them clicking and finding that rhythm together which they are starting to do.
"For me, the biggest change has been Hakim Ziyech coming in, he has been absolutely superb. He's only played in five Premier League games after an injury when he came in, but he's scored once, assisted three times and has helped created ten chances, which is only bettered by Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell who have played slightly more games than him and it works out at about two chances per game at the moment which is pretty good.
"Lampard clearly had a vision in the summer of who he wanted to bring in and how he wanted to set up his team. After spending £226.1m, it's working out for him.
"And there's definitely a personal component to it. In the EFL Cup game they played earlier in the season, which Spurs won on penalties, they had a bit of a to-do on the touchline so there's that element. Lampard was the first manager to beat Mourinho twice in a league season last year and if he does it again, it will be the first time Mourinho has ever lost three consecutive league games against the same manager or club.
"So considering it's Lampard and Chelsea, that adds another dimension to an already exciting game.
"You also can't underestimate the job that Edouard Mendy has done since coming in. He was a bit of an unknown entity, nobody really knew too much about him, apart from Petr Cech, who had a big hand in bringing him in and it just proves that you can't challenge or win anything without a decent goalkeeper. Kepa Arrizabalaga was clearly struggling and it looks like Mendy is the answer to the problem and they didn't have to spend £75m or £80m trying to find another goalkeeper.
"Pointing towards the summer again, there's Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell. There were a few question marks over Silva and his age and whether he could keep up with the Premier League and he had a bit of a rocky start and again, it's all about adaption to the league and he's starting to show what he can do. Chilwell looks like he's been playing left-back for Chelsea for the last ten years and he's only 23.
"They've really shored up that defence but they will really be tested by Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, who are two players in incredible form."
This week on the Pitch to Post Preview Podcast, Peter Smith is joined by Michael Bridge and Charlotte Marsh to look ahead to a blockbuster London derby between title hopefuls Chelsea and Tottenham. James Cooper explains how Bruno Fernandes has become Man Utd's leader, and we analyse Arsenal's creativity problems.
Plus, Tim Thornton has the latest from Leeds and Sheffield United - including the story of how the Blades almost signed Diego Maradona! Charlotte then makes her bold Pitch for what she thinks will happen in this weekend's Premier League action…
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