Saturday is really shaping up to be a grudge match and both Spurs and Chelsea fans in the Tavern are ramping up the banter before this FA Cup semi final.
Spurs have been in sensational form of late and have managed to close the gap in the Premier League to just four points between them and Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino’s men don’t seem to be finished yet as they seek to dump the Blues out of the cup.
Our landlord agrees that the Lilywhites have all the momentum going into this one but have warned that Chelsea are at their most threatening when teams misjudge them and the attacking trio of Pedro, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard will be a constant threat when Saturday comes around.
Their match up with the back line of Spurs is one of the main talking points among the fans in the Transfer Tavern but with a shut out against the Blues in their last meeting at White Hart Lane, the Spurs contingent in the Tavern are confident that a repeat performance can do the trick.
So with the Spurs defence seemingly having the current bragging rights over the Chelsea front line, our landlord has been wondering whether Pochettino will go with three at the back to match Chelsea or stick to his recent formula of four at the back as well as which personnel will take the field for Spurs.
Let’s take a look at who he feels should start the semi final here…
CB: Eric Dier
Our landlord believes that Poch will push Eric Dier back into a back three in order to match up to Chelsea’s formation of 3-4-3, a favourite from their manager, Antonio Conte.
The Englishman has been impressive in centre midfield for Spurs of late but the versatility of Dier’s play has impressed the Spurs fans in the Tavern and they are more than comfortable with him playing in a back three.
CB: Toby Alderweireld
The Belgium international has been a real rock for Spurs this season and many of the Tottenham punters in the Tavern are shocked over his omission from the PFA Team of the Year thanks to Chelsea’s David Luiz and Gary Cahill.
A semi final against the Blues will give Alderweireld a chance to show his class and to prove he was more worthy than Luiz and Cahill in that side, something that is a common view from many football fans currently enjoying a pint in the Transfer Tavern.
CB: Jan Vertonghen
A real unsung hero at Tottenham, Vertonghen is usually in the shadow of Belgium team mate and defensive partner, Toby Alderweireld. Our landlord has commented that the former Ajax’s man competence is the reason that Alderweireld is able to look so strong and he has received many plaudits in the Tavern for his performances this season.
A real asset of the left hand side of the back three, Vertonghen will be part of a real key battle of Chelsea’s attack vs Spurs’ defence and the winner of this duel surely will see their side return to Wembley for the FA Cup final.
