Ian Wright thinks Mousa Dembele is the key for Tottenham when they face Chelsea.
Pundit Ian Wright has told The Sun that he thinks Tottenham’s main weapon in their quest to beat Chelsea will be midfielder Mousa Dembele.
Tottenham’s superb 4-1 victory over Watford on Sunday afternoon means it’s now four wins in a row for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, with 13 goals scored in that run.
Spurs are finally starting to hit form after some underwhelming displays, and their recent winning run faces its biggest test so far as they host Chelsea at White Hart Lane on Wednesday evening.
BT Sport’s Ian Wright
Chelsea have won a staggering 13 Premier League games in a row, and sit top of the Premier League table, five points clear of second-placed Liverpool.
Antonio Conte’s side are favourites to win the Premier League title, but they will be all too aware that losing that winning run at London rivals Tottenham would be a huge blow.
After a fractious affair between the two sides at Stamford Bridge towards the end of last season, many are looking forward to his encounter, and are wondering just how Spurs can beat Conte and his 3-4-3 system.
Chelsea’s Victor Moses in action with Tottenham’s Mousa Dembele
Ahead of the game, pundit Ian Wright has told The Sun that Tottenham’s main weapon isn’t Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane or either of their swashbuckling full backs, Danny Rose or Kyle Walker, but Mousa Dembele.
Wright believes that Dembele’s powerful running from midfield can split N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic, enabling Dele Alli and Harry Kane to trouble Gary Cahill and David Luiz in the Chelsea defence.
Wright wants to see the Belgian running at the Chelsea defence to get Tottenham on the front foot, and believes that the 29-year-old is the key to beating Chelsea’s 3-4-3 system under Conte.
“When Dembele is feeling fit and strong and on top of his game, there is nobody better in the Premier League at running at opposition players and putting the frighteners on them,” said Wright. “Not so much in a physical way but with his momentum and technical ability to put players under the cosh in front of their own goal. And getting Chelsea under pressure is what Spurs must do tomorrow.”
“To stand a chance you must put them on the back foot. Dembele goes through the gears so smoothly that his strength can be dangerously underestimated. At full pace he is virtually impossible to shove off the ball. If he can bulldoze past Kante and Matic he is then able to find Harry Kane or Dele Alli. A threaded pass and Spurs are in.”
“Moses is learning defending on the job. He leaves gaps behind as he bombs on and those need to be exploited by Dele and Kane. Matic and Kante give him breathing space but Tottenham need to suffocate Luiz, and his playing partner Gary Cahill for that matter. It’s the back-three system making them look invincible. Beat the system and you can beat the men. And Dembele is the most potent weapon in Spurs’ armoury to do just that,” he added.
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