Coach Mauricio Pochettino understands why Tottenham played tit for tat despite having two players sent off in the 1-4 loss to Chelsea in the 11th round of the Premier League.
After Cristian Romero was sent off in the first half, and Destiny Udogie received his second yellow card in the 55th minute, Tottenham still didn’t sit back and defend deep. The home team continued to push high with an offside trap when the score was 1-1. The 0-7-1 formation was deployed multiple times to press and limit Chelsea’s attacking options. This daring style of play helped Tottenham hold their ground until the 75th minute before conceding three more goals in the remaining part of the match.
“When you’re at the top of the table, you can try anything,” Chelsea’s coach, Pochettino, told Sky Sports after the 4-1 victory over Tottenham. “Tottenham is confident, and I knew they could do that. If they were calmer and more confident, we might be in a different situation and possibly in a different position on the points table. We found many gaps behind their defense line, and we should have scored more than four goals.”
Playing with more than one player down from the 33rd minute and with over two players down from the 55th minute, Chelsea only took the lead in the final 15 minutes. A hat-trick from forward Nicolas Jackson at the end of the match brought joy to Coach Pochettino in his reunion with his former team. Chelsea also handed Tottenham their first defeat in the Premier League this season.
“Their defense line pushed high, while we lacked the patience to switch the ball from side to side and wait for the right moment,” Coach Pochettino added. “We were disappointed after the first half when we couldn’t capitalize on the spaces they created. The entire team entered this match with more doubts than confidence. When facing an undefeated team like Tottenham, you must double your efforts. This young team needs confidence if they want to go further.”
Acknowledging that his players lacked composure and decisiveness, Coach Pochettino believed that Chelsea deserved the win as they took control of the game from the 15th minute. The match also witnessed nearly 10 VAR interventions, extending the total playing time for both teams to 110 minutes. The Argentine strategist supported thorough referee checks to avoid situations where VAR might be unfair to certain clubs, as seen in recent rounds with Arsenal and Liverpool.
The victory lifted Chelsea four places, placing them 10th on the points table. Pochettino’s team faces four challenging consecutive matches in the Premier League, taking on Man City, Newcastle, Brighton, and Man Utd.
