Is Costa’s Time Over at Chelsea? Five Talking Points From Tottenham vs Chelsea

So much hype, so little substance that would be the appropriate statement for the anticipated London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham. The last time these two clubs met at White Hart Lane, it ended with a 5-3 victory for Tottenham but this match was a far cry from the craziness witnessed on New Year’s Day last year.

Footballing purists might have found the game to be alright; after all two teams with many star players cancelled each other out in a goalless draw. It is also a measure of how far Tottenham have come that they were favourites to win this tie despite playing on Thursday in the Europa League and the fatigue from a log trip to Azerbaijan showed.

Chelsea’s worst start to a Premier League campaign seems to have hit a mini revival and this was the first clean sheet the Blues have had away from home. Though they also have fallen off the pace in the league, this result could well give them a bit of momentum for the rest of the season.

We look back at the tepid London derby and provide the five talking points from the game.

Tottenham continue their unbeaten run

That defeat to Manchester United seems to have taken place so long. Tottenham were the favourites to win the game and would be disappointed with the draw. They couldn’t really do much in the game but were able to negate Chelsea. This was a tie that Tottenham never really did well in and getting a point would be seen as a positive, hopefully, Pochettino can rally his troops for the rest of the league season and they should challenge for a top four finish if things continue this way.

This is the end of Costa

Not starting with Diego Costa was certainly a surprise for Chelsea, especially since he was the only fit striker the club had. This coming after the ‘spat’ the duo had in the midweek which Jose said was solved with a few “hugs and kisses”, Costa hasn’t been doing the business for Chelsea this season and wasn’t even brought on as a substitute for the Blues. This could well be the end of his time at Chelsea unless he gets back on track.

European hangover affects both teams

Mauricio Pochettino was upset at the scheduling of the game, the early kick-off wasn’t the best thing for a Tottenham side which had travelled from Azerbaijan, and Chelsea though weren’t able to take advantage after their own European excursions in midweek. Fatigue did play a factor in this rather tame affair. Both teams would have taken a point if they were given the choice before the game and they both can build on contrasting seasons and push on.

Cesc isn’t fab anymore

Fabregas is another player who has felt the heat this season, almost every Chelsea player is down on performance compared to last season and Fabregas’ did his best in the game to give the ball away as many times as possible. The Blues midfielder doesn’t seem to have the accuracy that he possessed last season and even kicked the ball out into touch from a free-kick in his own half when he tried to find his own player. Is it fatigue or something more? Only time will tell.

The mini revival continues for Chelsea

So that is three games unbeaten in all competitions for Chelsea though this would not be the greatest stat for them this mini unbeaten streak should provide the Blues with a bit of steam as the season progresses. Chelsea might not be playing the best football but not conceding in the last three games will give Mourinho something to build on and hopefully get them back into top four contention or at least provide them with a good run in the Champions League.