The London derby in the second week of the 2022/23 Premier League season between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge ended in a 2-2 draw. This draw very clearly shows the balance and competition between the two teams. Tottenham, who made a lot of polish in the player transfer window this summer by signing 6 players, showed the mentality of refusing to submit to the Chelsea stadium atmosphere, Chelsea’s dominance, and twice winning goals from Chelsea.
Two times Chelsea have scored a goal over Tottenham. However, Antonio Conte’s men managed to reciprocate the lead, including an injury-time equaliser with Harry Kane’s header capitalizing on a corner.
Chelsea, who already saw an opportunity to win three points from their city rivals, had to rub their chests. Kane, who was not well guarded by Chelsea defenders, could take advantage of the blemish and the situation without control in Chelsea’s crossbar. This draw also shows the tension between the two clubs. The balance of the squad between the two teams made the match hot and exciting.
Even this tension also occurs on the sidelines. Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte had a slight clash when Hojbjerg managed to equalize the score 1-1 for Tottenham in the 68th minute. The dispute was resolved by the linesman and several staff from both teams. Conte was seen provoking by celebrating his team’s goal by walking towards Tuchel’s troops.
The climax, when these two foreign coaches got a red card at the end of the match. I don’t know what the content of the conversation between the two when shaking hands and what made the two of them get into an argument at the end of the match, what is clear is that the dispute shows the face of intense competition between the two teams.
The red cards given to the two coaches of these two teams became the new color of the two-team derby from the city of London. This tension will continue as long as both coaches are in the coach seat. With this, the color and intensity of competition in the Premier League is increasing. Conte is not a new face in the Premier League, and this Italian coach has a character that can provoke the emotions of the opposing coach or heat up the tension in a match.
With the availability of the existing squad, Conte certainly wants his team to be able to become competitors at the top of the Premier League standings this season. This situation can be both a pressure and a challenge for Conte. The pressure is because Conte has the privilege to bring in 6 players in the transfer window. Of course, the club owner expects a trophy from the project.
The challenge for Conte is to present Tottenham’s first trophy. In addition, Conte is challenged to make Tottenham not just a dark horse team, but really an elite team in the Premier League. The match against Chelsea was a challenge as well as pressure for Tottenham to prove the composition of the squad that was renewed this season.
Tottenham appeared competitive until the end of the match, and therefore Tottenham are no longer a team that should not be underestimated. It is not impossible, the incident between Conte and Tuchel could also happen with other coaches. This was also agreed by Tuchel, in which Tuchel saw the situation as seemingly normal in a match.
As reported by Goal.com (15/8), Tuchel considered that the tension in the match between Chelsea and Tottenham also affected the atmosphere in the stadium. What’s more, according to Tuchel, both teams have emotional coaches. This is very difficult to avoid when the coach has the spirit not to easily submit to the opponent’s game.
The red card incidents for Conte and Tuchel clarified the rivalry in the Premier League. The two teams who entered the top 4 last season gave a strong message for established teams like Manchester City and Liverpool not to be careless.
Especially with the strength of Tottenham under the Conte era. Armed with the experience of last season and the improvement of the squad they have, Tottenham can say a lot this season. Not only that, Chelsea has also started to fill some holes. Chelsea’s back line has also been improved. Interestingly, Chelsea’s first goal came from the work of two new players, Marc Cucurella who hit a corner and Koulibaly who grabbed the corner with a volley.
If nothing goes wrong in getting Frengkie De Jong from Barca, Chelsea’s quality this season can also be a threat in the top 4 of the Premier League. Red cards for Tuchel and Conte really show the map of competition that will build in the Premier League. The dominance of two teams, Man City and Liverpool could go away, and a 4 or 5 team war to be at the top will be the face of the Premier League this 2022/23 season.
Lineup
Chelsea: Edouard Mendy; Reece James, Thiago Silva, Kalidou Koulibaly; Marc Cucurella, Jorginho (28-Cesar Azpilicueta 73′), N’Golo Kante (23-Conor Gallagher 85′), Ruben Loftus-Cheek; Kai Havertz (Armando Broja 90′), Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling (Christian Pulisic 85′)
Tottenham Hotspur : Hugo Lloris; Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, Ben Davies; Emerson Royal (Lucas Moura 82′), Rodrigo Bentancur (38-Yves Bissouma), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Ryan Sessegnon (Richarlison 57′); Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heun-min (Ivan Perisic 80′); Harry Kane
ASL
