Danny Wright

Sun 5 November 2023 16:00, UK

Tottenham have been in clinical form in front of goal in the Premier League this season, scoring in each of their 10 matches.

However, except for the 5-2 win away at Burnley in September, they haven’t exactly blown teams away with Ange Postecoglou’s men not scoring more than two goals at all other than in the trip to Turf Moor.

It means they could come unstuck in their next league match, which comes against Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday night (6 November).

Mauricio Pochettino will return to The Lane in charge of the team placed 12th in the Premier League standings. If Nottingham Forest win against Aston Villa on Sunday (5 November), the Blues could be in 13th.

While Chelsea will be battling to move into the top half of the Premier League on Monday, Postecoglou and his men will be vying for a return to the top of the table after Manchester City’s hammering of Bournemouth on Saturday (4 November).

Chelsea’s performances this season have been – yet again – rather forgettable, with the West London club seemingly slipping into top-flight obscurity over the last 18 months.

But their defence remains something that should be talked about with great respect by the likes of top Premier League sides gunning for the title or a top-four finish.

Chelsea have conceded 11 goals this season, giving them the joint-fifth-best defensive record in the division. However, according to stats by FBref, their xGA (expected goals against) stands at 11.3, which is only bettered by Man City (8.0), Arsenal (8.8) and Newcastle (10.8).

Only Arsenal (22) and Man City (23) have had fewer shots on target against them this term than Chelsea (36) when in comparison, Spurs have conceded 41.

Despite this, Chelsea rank 17th in the Premier League for the number of tackles and interceptions made in the top flight this term (234).

The reason why the Blues have done this is because they’re very good at keeping the ball despite their poor form.

Only Man City (88.5%) and Brighton (87.4%) have had more possession than Chelsea (86.1%) this season. Ironically, Spurs’ possession statistic is the exact same after 10 matches. Pochettino’s men, however, have completed more (5662) than Spurs (5471).

Tottenham can anticipate a tough game on Monday night because they aren’t bulldozing through teams like Man City are able to and Chelsea are one of those teams who’ll stand up to the test, defensively, when called upon.

Only West Ham and Arsenal have scored more than one goal against the Blues this term, which means Spurs’ weakness could play a bit into their hands.

Ahead of playing Chelsea, Postecoglou needs to come up with a way to deal with this and get more out of his Spurs attack.

Son Heung-min is doing brilliantly up front but he’s no Harry Kane.

It could be down to the likes of James Maddison to unlock the Chelsea defence when he gets the opportunity to.

In other Tottenham news, Postecoglou anticipates a warm welcome for Pochettino in North London on Monday.