Tottenham’s two-striker setup exposed myth of Chelsea’s title challenge

Tottenham played two strikers to expose the frailties in Chelsea’s challenge for the Premier League title.

Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t play two strikers often, but the Tottenham boss may become tethered to the idea after how well it worked against Chelsea.

Spurs beat the Blues 3-1 at Wembley Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday with a high-pressing approach led by two up top. Harry Kane and an effervescent Heung-min Son both scored as Chelsea slipped to a first defeat of the season.

Going unbeaten in 12 previous league games couldn’t mask the fact Chelsea looked the most vulnerable of the main title hopefuls. Spurs laid the vulnerability bare for all to see by pressing from the front.

Kane and Son led the way after Pochettino’s decision to start with two strikers caught his Chelsea counterpart Maurizio Sarri by surprise:

The advantage of pairing Son with Kane was obvious once the duo started harassing the Blues’ playmakers at the back. At least one striker stayed glued to David Luiz, the ball-playing center-back restored to the starting XI by Sarri this season.

Luiz fell out of favor under Antonio Conte thanks to his penchant for reckless decisions in dangerous areas. Sarri has been prepared to live with the risks because Luiz has the technique and vision to suit the neat and patient possession game the Italian has brought with him from Napoli.

Kane and Son’s hard charging meant Luiz was denied the time to identify and pick forward passes. It left Chelsea unable to play out from the back.

Sarri noted how hard Spurs made it for the Blues to build from deep, per Football.London’s Alasdair Gold:

"In the first 25 minute we had big problems trying to exit our half. We lost a lot of balls and against Tottenham that is very dangerous. In short counter attacks they are one of the strongest teams in Europe. It was a disaster."

Isolating Luiz was the key to Tottenham’s approach and Pochettino’s strike duo did it with intelligent use of movement and space. Their most common move saw Kane drop off the front and leave room for Son to sprint off the left and into the middle.

The latter’s angled runs took Luiz into positions he didn’t want to go. Getting the Brazil international on the turn was a recipe for disaster for Chelsea and an easy passage to goals for the hosts.

Kane’s goal, Tottenham’s second, summed up the problems Son’s movement posed to Luiz and Co. Both strikers had switched positions, with Kane on the inside left and Son drifting centrally.

The latter wasn’t at the tip of the attack, though. Instead, Son had dropped a little deeper, taking up a position between the midfield and forward lines to pose Chelsea’s defenders a dilemma.

Either they could come out to track him and risk letting Dele Alli run in behind. Or else they could sit back wary of Son’s pace when breaking from deep.

Luiz and fellow center-back Antonio Rudiger chose the latter option. Their passive approach afforded Kane all the time he needed to turn and shoot from distance, a shot Luiz wanted no part of, and one that ended up in the bottom corner.

Wherever they went Tottenham’s two strikers caused problems. If Son ghosted into the pocket as a No. 10 he took attention away from runners through the middle like Alli.

Kane predictably drew a crowd whenever he worked the flanks, often drawing the attention of a Chelsea midfielder. Not long after his goal Kane worked the left again, taking Cesar Azpilicueta and Rudiger with him.

Their split focus allowed Christian Eriksen to dart into the inside channel. Luiz started to come over toward the Dane who picked out Son in the middle.

With Luiz covering for Rudiger, Son was free to get his shot away and draw a fine save from Kepa Arrizabalaga.

This kind of movement and the confusion it caused in the Chelsea defense put Kane and Son in the thick of the action:

Their pressing and rotations didn’t just bother Luiz, though. They also helped nullify deep-lying midfield playmaker Jorginho.

He’s been a prolific pass dispenser since arriving from Napoli for £57 million in the summer. Jorginho is the oil in the engine for Sarri’s Chelsea, having thrived under the Italian in Naples.

Spurs knew if they stopped Jorginho from playing Chelsea wouldn’t win. While Pochettino had Alli take a teflon-like approach to trailing the cultured Italy international, Kane and Son also played their parts.

Any time either striker dropped deep they plastered themselves to Jorginho. The ploy denied the 26-year-old the time and space to conduct play in his usual serene and cerebral manner.

Speeding up Jorginho’s decision-making clock led to an uncharacteristic number of giveaways from a player usually the personification of efficiency.

Jorginho became so sloppy in possession because of the unwanted attentions of Kane and Son, the Blues ended up bypassing their usual conductor and resorted to going long.

The result was an unusually meagre return on the ball from a rightly lauded pass-master:

Son and Kane caused Jorginho bigger problems off the ball. Their positioning in the grey area between the latter’s shoulder and the Chelsea back four forced Jorginho into more defensive work than he’s comfortable with.

In particular, Son’s willingness to run off Jorginho forced him to turn and track. Neither could be described as a strength of his game.

Jorginho had let Son go for the chance shortly after Kane’s goal. He also couldn’t stay with the striker on what proved to be an epic solo goal destined to be remembered as one of the greatest scored between the Wembley walls.

Son and Kane finally shattered the myth of Chelsea’s supposed title challenge. Four draws from their previous 12 games hinted at problems, especially the stalemates with Liverpool, Manchester United and Everton on home soil.

Being handled so easily by Spurs proves fighting Arsenal for a fourth-placed finish is Sarri’s most realistic target this season.

As for Tottenham, Pochettino has usually preferred to play Kane on his own, flanking the lone center-forward with wingers Lucas Moura or Erik Lamela. He may choose this defensive approach for next Sunday’s north London derby away to the Gunners.

Going pragmatic would be a mistake after playing Son and Kane together against Chelsea proved Spurs are harder to beat when they defend from the front.