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Tottenham v Chelsea: 5 reasons Pochettino’s squad will top the Blues

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 22: Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur in action during The Emirates FA Cup Semi-Final between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on April 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 22: Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur in action during The Emirates FA Cup Semi-Final between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on April 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – APRIL 10: Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur (R) with Jan Vertonghen celebrates as he scores their second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at White Hart Lane on April 10, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – APRIL 10: Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur (R) with Jan Vertonghen celebrates as he scores their second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at White Hart Lane on April 10, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

2. The Belgian trio

It’s easy to remember that Tottenham feature the impressive Belgian central defensive pairing of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, but that doesn’t fully account for the club’s Belgian contingent. Mousa Dembele is also an integral part of Pochettino’s squad and his Belgian trio.

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This excellent trio forms a large portion of Tottenham’s spine on the pitch. Specifically, these three men will make it difficult for Chelsea to find any job on the ball. All three players are capable of snuffing out the Blues’ attack without any fuss.

Thinking of them as just defensive entities would be a mistake though. While defense is each of their primary objective, they’re all capable of popping up for a key offensive play as well. Dembele can carry the ball forward to set up his fellow attackers, Alderweireld can slice Chelsea open with his long diagonals, and Vertonghen can set up the attack with his quality distribution from the back.

Much has been made of Spurs’ English talent under Pochettino, but his Belgian trio will be crucial to get a win over the Blues today. Count on Dembele, Alderweireld and Vertonghen to put in excellent shifts to help their club secure all three points.

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