TOTTENHAM HAVE THE youngest team in the Premier League, and on Monday night it showed.
Even when Spurs were 2-0 up at Stamford Bridge, there was never a sense that they were in total control.
The enormity of the occasion, of needing to win to keep their title hopes alive, undoubtedly got to the Tottenham players, with the provocative likes of Diego Costa succeeding in getting under their skin.
Usually such a disciplined outfit, the pressure on Spurs was reflected by the nine bookings they picked up in total.
Moreover, they should have had at least two red cards — Kyle Walker for committing two obvious bookable offences, and Mousa Dembele, for a foolish eye poke on Costa that will likely see him suspended for the remainder of the season.
This chronic ill-discipline was also the reason why they were without Dele Alli for the Chelsea clash, after the youngster received a three-game suspension for an off-the-ball punch against West Brom.
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And having scored two brilliant goals in the first half, Tottenham simply collapsed psychologically in the second period, losing their cool with a series of needless fouls and failing to play with the type of intensity and footballing intelligence they have demonstrated for much of the campaign.
It was a harsh lesson for Pochettino’s young guns, who have enjoyed a fantastic season by and large, but one they must learn from to avoid similar debacles in future.
2. Bad news for Ireland as Hazard finds his form
Frank Augstein
Frank Augstein
There was no doubt that Eden Hazard changed the game when he came on at half-time in Monday’s game.
Last year’s player-of-the-season has epitomised Chelsea’s dramatic loss of form this campaign with a number of tepid displays and a bizarre sudden inability to find the net until very recently that rendered Hazard a shadow of his once-prolific self.
Yet on Monday night, the Chelsea star showed the type of form that once had some onlookers — including Jose Mourinho — daring to mention him in the same breath as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, if Hazard can continue to show the type of class and enthusiasm he demonstrated in abundance last night, then things will start to look ominous for Ireland and Belgium’s other Euro 2016 opponents this summer.
3. Don’t damn Leicester with faint praise
No other team in the history of the Premier League has been underestimated quite as much as Leicester have.
The 5000/1 outsiders’ title challenge has continually been written off over the course of the campaign, yet they have rarely failed to silence the doubters, losing a total of just three Premier League games so far this season.
And while the Foxes have received plenty of praise for their improbable triumph, there is still a tendency to talk in somewhat patronising terms about the club.
For instance, people who say that teams such as Arsenal blew their best-ever chance to triumph tend to do a disservice to Claudio Ranieri’s side.
They are champions on merit in one of the most competitive league seasons in a long time, where even many traditionally weaker teams such as Stoke and West Ham have invested heavily, so for the Foxes to acquire 77 points and counting amid this incredibly challenging environment is no small feat.
Ranieri’s men would be capable of competing with any Premier League team from any era, though as always with the perennially underrated Foxes, there will probably be those who doubt this contention too.
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Tottenham lose their heads and more Premier League talking points
1. Tottenham lose their heads
TOTTENHAM HAVE THE youngest team in the Premier League, and on Monday night it showed.
Even when Spurs were 2-0 up at Stamford Bridge, there was never a sense that they were in total control.
The enormity of the occasion, of needing to win to keep their title hopes alive, undoubtedly got to the Tottenham players, with the provocative likes of Diego Costa succeeding in getting under their skin.
Usually such a disciplined outfit, the pressure on Spurs was reflected by the nine bookings they picked up in total.
Moreover, they should have had at least two red cards — Kyle Walker for committing two obvious bookable offences, and Mousa Dembele, for a foolish eye poke on Costa that will likely see him suspended for the remainder of the season.
This chronic ill-discipline was also the reason why they were without Dele Alli for the Chelsea clash, after the youngster received a three-game suspension for an off-the-ball punch against West Brom.
And having scored two brilliant goals in the first half, Tottenham simply collapsed psychologically in the second period, losing their cool with a series of needless fouls and failing to play with the type of intensity and footballing intelligence they have demonstrated for much of the campaign.
It was a harsh lesson for Pochettino’s young guns, who have enjoyed a fantastic season by and large, but one they must learn from to avoid similar debacles in future.
2. Bad news for Ireland as Hazard finds his form
There was no doubt that Eden Hazard changed the game when he came on at half-time in Monday’s game.
Last year’s player-of-the-season has epitomised Chelsea’s dramatic loss of form this campaign with a number of tepid displays and a bizarre sudden inability to find the net until very recently that rendered Hazard a shadow of his once-prolific self.
Yet on Monday night, the Chelsea star showed the type of form that once had some onlookers — including Jose Mourinho — daring to mention him in the same breath as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, if Hazard can continue to show the type of class and enthusiasm he demonstrated in abundance last night, then things will start to look ominous for Ireland and Belgium’s other Euro 2016 opponents this summer.
3. Don’t damn Leicester with faint praise
No other team in the history of the Premier League has been underestimated quite as much as Leicester have.
The 5000/1 outsiders’ title challenge has continually been written off over the course of the campaign, yet they have rarely failed to silence the doubters, losing a total of just three Premier League games so far this season.
And while the Foxes have received plenty of praise for their improbable triumph, there is still a tendency to talk in somewhat patronising terms about the club.
For instance, people who say that teams such as Arsenal blew their best-ever chance to triumph tend to do a disservice to Claudio Ranieri’s side.
They are champions on merit in one of the most competitive league seasons in a long time, where even many traditionally weaker teams such as Stoke and West Ham have invested heavily, so for the Foxes to acquire 77 points and counting amid this incredibly challenging environment is no small feat.
Ranieri’s men would be capable of competing with any Premier League team from any era, though as always with the perennially underrated Foxes, there will probably be those who doubt this contention too.
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How Leicester went from 5000/1 outsiders to Premier League winners>
‘The greatest achievement in the history of our game’: what they said after Leicester’s title win>
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Analysis Eden Hazard Premier League Talking Points Chelsea Leicester City Tottenham Hotspur