Go to "Three-Point Alley" to collect three points. Chelsea also has a "world-beating midfielder"

Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Yan Yu

How does he evaluate Chelsea in 2025? When the Blues won the UEFA Cup and the new Club World Cup one after another, optimists once predicted: a great renaissance is coming soon! However, when the new season started, people quickly discovered that this young team was still not very reliable, losing 3 games in the first 9 rounds. After losing to Sunderland a week ago, Chelsea even fell to 9th in the standings, barely staying in the top half, and once gave people the feeling of being "four in the middle".

But having said that, the situation of competing for the top four in the Premier League this year is really chaotic. As of the end of the 9th round, the third-ranked team is only 3 points higher than the 11th-ranked team, which is only one goal difference. So in the 10th round, Chelsea "came back" and achieved "the same point as fourth" by defeating Tottenham 1-0 away from home. Although this situation is very temporary, after all, there are still teams with one game less that can surpass the Blues, but a victory is a victory after all, and it will go a long way in rebuilding the confidence of this team.

Joking and talking, Maresca is very lucky. When he needed to win the most, he happened to encounter Tottenham, a seemingly powerful but easy-to-win opponent. Even in away games, the Blues have a natural psychological advantage. Their fans even call Tottenham Hotspur Stadium "Three-Point Alley" because based on historical record, this is Chelsea's blessed place - including this round, the Blues have visited here in the Premier League 7 times and won 6 times.

It is also obvious that Tottenham are in greater trouble at home than Chelsea are in away games, even though they were ranked (third) much higher than the latter before the game. In the last 19 Premier League home games, Tottenham have won only 3 games with 4 draws and 12 losses. Even excluding the part led by Postkoglu last season, the team under new coach Frank has also lost at home to Bournemouth and Villa, and once drew with Wolves, who are currently at the bottom with 2 points.

Such a "home bug" was unlucky. They were forced to replace their starting midfielder Berivar in just 7 minutes. The 19-year-old Swedish international was hit on the head and was suspected of suffering a concussion. Although he was extremely reluctant, he was substituted on the advice of the team doctor. This accident also disrupted Frank's deployment. Although Simmons, who came on the bench, was a heavyweight new player with a transfer fee of 52 million pounds, his adaptation to the Premier League was far from enough, and his contribution to Tottenham was very limited. In the second half, when Frank tried to change the passive situation, Simmons was replaced in the 73rd minute.

After the game, home team defenders Van der Ven and Spence refused to applaud their fans and went straight to the player tunnel and ignored the dissuasion of coach Frank and set-piece coach Georgeson. Tottenham's defeat became more topical than Chelsea's victory, but it cannot be thought that the Blues' victory was just because their opponents failed. Chelsea was able to limit Tottenham's total shots to only 3. This is a matter of skill and not accidental. The fact is that the midfield trio composed of Caicedo, Enzo and Reece James restricted the opponent very effectively. The team's overall high pressure often overwhelmed Tottenham, and Joao Pedro's winning goal came from this.

Simmons returned the ball in the backcourt with too little power. Van der Ven had no time to deal with it, and was caught by Caicedo as he stepped forward. The latter stole the ball and entered the penalty area, and then fell to the ground before the opponent's defense and knocked it across, giving his teammates a good opportunity to face the goalkeeper. This goal fully demonstrates Caicedo's extraordinary ability to "integrate offense and defense", and it can't help but be reminiscent of the Blues senior Kante in his peak period. The characteristics of the two are not exactly the same, but they are both ubiquitous pillars of the team's midfield.

After the victory, coach Maresca also gave Caicedo a very high evaluation: "He is top-notch. At this time, he and Rodri are the two best defensive midfielders in the world." To be more serious, this statement will actually make people feel a bit "demeaning" Caicedo. After all, Rodri is suffering from injuries. His current physical condition is not ideal and he cannot even play for Manchester City. But to be "tied" with the former Mr. Ballon d'Or is a high degree of recognition.

With the help of Caicedo, Pedro was finally out of trouble. The striker who once shined in the Club World Cup has been stuck in a scoring drought. Not only has he not scored in 705 minutes in all competitions, but he has only had 3 shots in the previous 6 rounds of the Premier League. He broke the silence in this game, scored a goal, and took enough shots. Five of his five shots were on target. If the opponent's goalkeeper Vicario hadn't blocked it several times, the score would have been more than 1-0.

A small victory is a bit unsatisfying, but 3 points is enough for Chelsea at the moment. This team does not need a "sudden surprise" goal feast (such as a 5-1 victory over Ajax in the Champions League, a 4-3 victory over Wolves in the League Cup), but it must make its state more stable and consistent, and cannot have several good games followed by another bad one. After two consecutive victories in the League Cup and the league, Chelsea will travel to Azerbaijan in midweek to play against Champions League opponent Qarabak, and at the weekend in the Premier League they will face Wolves at home. The opponents are not strong, and Maresca and his players need to take advantage of them.