Mauricio Pochettino has yet to lead Chelsea to victory in a London derby (Picture: Getty Images)
Mauricio Pochettino’s return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time since being sacked by the club in November 2019 shouldn’t hold any fear for the fans who used to worship him.
Chelsea may be struggling this season but Spurs supporters will be concerned their unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign is about to be halted by the man who led them to a Champions League final.
The more pessimistic in their ranks will point out Tottenham’s 2-0 victory against Chelsea in February ended a run of seven games without a win against their London rivals.
But this is not the same Chelsea which has won four times at Spurs’ wonderful new home and those victories weren’t achieved against the entertainers managed by Ange Postecoglou.
The former Celtic boss has swiftly transformed Tottenham from plodding donkeys on Blackpool beach to thoroughbred horses racing for a king’s ransom on Epsom Downs.
It’s not just in attack where they have shone either, Spurs share the best defensive home record in the top-flight with Liverpool, having conceded just twice in front of their own fans, and the nine league goals they have allowed in total this term is only bettered by Manchester City, who have let in eight.
Pep Guardiola’s defending champions knocked Tottenham off top spot on Saturday when they beat Bournemouth 6-1 but Spurs can regain the lead with victory against Chelsea.
They are currently 14 points ahead of the Stamford Bridge club, who have won just four league matches since Graham Potter left in April, and Poch’s players have lost to West Ham, Fulham and Brentford in derby outings and threw away a 2-0 lead when they recently shared the spoils with Arsenal.
The Blues have also been tight at the back, allowing just four goals on their travels and just 11 in total, but they have only scored 13 times in their first ten games and that’s where the trouble lies.
Heung-min Son has scored eight times already this term (Picture: Getty Images)
Tottenham are 23/20 with Ladbrokes, Coral, bet365 and Betway to win while 2-0 is 12/1 with William Hill. Heung-min Son has scored just twice in 17 outings against Chelsea but so much has changed under the new regime that stat can be thrown out of the window and he’s worth backing at BoyleSports’ 11/2 to break the deadlock.
Spurs fans can give Poch a round of applause for his stellar service to the club then continue loving Big Ange instead.
• Bangladesh are 17/10 with Paddy Power to beat Sri Lanka, short on confidence after being skittled for 55 runs in their huge defeat to India, when they meet in their Cricket World Cup encounter in Delhi.
• The Texas Rangers are 12/1 with BetMGM to win next year’s World Series after beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1 to clinch the 2023 Fall Classic.Â
Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham return will be uncomfortable.Â
