After Chelsea’s impressive victory away at Everton, it all came tumbling down against a resilient Tottenham Hotspur, buoyed by their victory over Coventry City.
Let’s first give credit to Roberto De Zerbi’s side, who were absolutely terrific from start to finish.
They treated it like a proper London Derby, and were ready to fight.
Chelsea, well, where do we start?
The starting XI from the get-go was baffling. João Pedro was out with a knee injury, ok, no problem, but why was Danny Welbeck sitting on the bench?
The Spurs’ defenders had an absolute field day, with Morgan Rogers playing as a False 9. Why did Xabi Alonso wait until the 88th minute to bring him on?
With Spurs dominating Chelsea, especially in the first half, there was no attacking outlet to release the pressure.
It was an abject performance from a Chelsea side that came into this fixture on such a high, after their performance at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Palmer, what were you thinking?
With Spurs going 1-0 up via Mike Penders’ horrendous mistake, Cole Palmer, who was already on a yellow card for shoving Mateus Fernandez to the ground after a tackle, then decided to lunge in on Conor Gallagher after losing possession of the ball?
Why would you do that?
Your team is heavily on the back foot, and now you’ve added more fuel to the fire by getting yourself sent off!
Now you cannot play against Liverpool in the EFL Cup. Congratulations, that’s real maturity, isn’t it?
This incident sums up the mentality of the football club. Even when it seems that things may be heading in a positive direction-straight down the drain.
If you look at this from a Liverpool perspective, you’re probably thinking on Wednesday night, “Is Chelsea mentally strong? Because if we make this a physical battle and get inside their heads, they are brittle.”
Huge test of mentality awaits
With the club missing out on European football last season, this isn’t just about returning to that stage. It’s about wanting to be a serious club that has the desire to fight for silverware.
For a club like Chelsea, this should be the bare minimum, and Alonso’s side have a lot to do to prove just that, especially on the mental side.
This is why Liverpool on Wednesday, followed by Manchester United on Saturday, is huge for Chelsea and Alonso to reassure the fans that despite the difficult moments, they’re heading in the right direction.
It’s a huge week for Alonso and Chelsea.
Can they win back the Stamford Bridge faithful?
Find out on World in Sport.
