Wembley Here We Come!

Article by Adarsh Kam

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When Mohamad Salah slotted the second goal past Hugo Lloris on Thursday, a feeling of resignation swept over even the most optimistic of Tottenham supporters. It was immediately followed by a sense of foreboding as they contemplated the fast approaching Capital One Cup final against Chelsea. If we are outplayed by a Fiorentina side languishing at 5th in the Serie A, what chance do we have against the runaway leaders in the Barclays Premier League hell-bent on revenge?

Firstly the defeat, despite being very damaging, wasn’t exactly what we could call unforeseeable. Pochettino had decided to dispense away with the team’s biggest attacking threats in the first leg - Townsend and Walker - and started with Lamela and Chiriches instead. Predictably, the side lacked any real pace or penetration and kept playing themselves into trouble. This embarrassing defeat may turn out to be the clichéd blessing in disguise for Spurs in the longer run, but it will not stop Vertonghen and co from replaying the defensive blunders that cost the tie again and again in their heads. A similar lapse in concentration against the likes of Hazard and Costa will most definitely be fatal.

However, Chelsea aren’t without their fair share of problems either. After that controversial game at Burnley, Mourinho will be thinking long and hard on how best to plug the Nemanja Matic sized hole in midfield. In the Serbian’s absence, an inform Dembele and Eriksen have the potential to run the Chelsea midfield ragged. Harry Kane will also be relishing the prospect of his second bout with John Terry and Gary Cahill.

Team fitness will play an undoubtedly vital role on Sunday. With Dembele, Mason, Townsend, Walker and Kane not starting the game on Thursday, Pochettino will have the luxury of having a relatively fresh starting eleven on Sunday. But with no European distractions in midweek, Chelsea will be the fresher and better prepared of the two London rivals.

With Spurs winless in their last four games in all competitions, Mourinho must surely smell blood. The Portuguese manager has a sparkling record in cup finals with nine wins out of eleven. But when it comes to Spurs, stats do not usually count for much. A side coached by Mourinho had previously conceded five goals only once and on New Year’s Day, Spurs rewrote history and added their name alongside mighty Barcelona as the only sides to put five past Mourinho. If there is one thing we have learnt so far from Spurs’ debut season under Pochettino, it is their determination and zeal to keep fighting till the last whistle is blown. It is not in them to go down without a fight.

The battle lines have already been drawn in social media. A nation waits with bated breath to see who lays claim to the first piece of silverware. And, the actual final couldn’t be more tantalizingly poised. A repeat of the League Cup final seven years would serve as the perfect springboard for Spurs to launch a final assault for a place in the top four while a defeat would be a crippling blow to their top four aspirations.

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