There was a time when Jose Mourinho complained about a Tottenham manager parking the bus, using his addition to the footballing lexicon, in a stalemate at Stamford Bridge. It was not on Sunday.
Mourinho, who was famously scathing about Jacques Santini’s tactics against his Chelsea in 2004, ended this weekend with the mischievous suggestion his side were disappointed they did not win a game when they had a solitary shot on target and a meagre expected goals tally of 0.23.
More pertinently, the lack of drama was telling. Tottenham conceded 14 more goals than Liverpool last season. Now they have the division's best defensive record. Since the 3-3 draw with West Ham, and a spectacular conclusion that seemingly prompted Mourinho to tighten up, they have conceded a solitary goal in five Premier League games
That included clean sheets against Manchester City and Chelsea, and just three in nine in all competitions. Mourinho is likely to field a different defence against LASK Linz in the Europa League on Thursday. In a way, however, differences have already abounded.
Spurs’ frugality feels more of an achievement given the personnel. Serge Aurier had such a reputation for erratic defending that, last season, Mourinho told him that with VAR he was likely to give away a bad penalty – and that is the polite version.
Now the Ivorian has been recast as a paragon of reliability to such an extent that he has displaced the summer signing Matt Doherty at right-back.
Eric Dier can still feel more of a jack of all trades than a master of any, despite his preference for playing centre-back, but Mourinho has made the converted midfielder a cornerstone of his side. “It was a decision I made before the manager arrived,” Dier told Sky about his move back. “I felt the time was right in terms of my age and my career.”
Mourinho’s favoured axis of Dier and Toby Alderweireld are an antidote to the ultra-modern centre-back pairings. Instead of a high defensive line, Spurs have the low block that Mourinho prefers and which suits his slower stoppers, who have less ground to cover in compact shapes.
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Chelsea v Tottenham ratings
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CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy – 7. Saved a long-range drive from Aurier early on. Got into a muddle when sweeping a clearance with Kante, but was otherwise untroubled. Reuters -
Reece James – 8. Typically brilliant cross for Abraham at the start of the second half, but the forward headed wide. Booked for a foul on Reguilon. Good strength to block Kane at a corner. EPA -
Kurt Zouma – 6. Booked for kicking Ndombele in the shins. Played one spectacular pass to launch an attack late on, but risked it all with a late mistake. AFP -
Thiago Silva – 7. Spurs’ vaunted forward line should have been a stern test of the 36-year-old Brazilian’s ageing limbs. But he cruised through the game with his usual elegance and poise. Reuters -
Ben Chilwell – 6. Rolled his ankle in the process of fouling Aurier, but battled on, having been industrious if not inspirational throughout. AFP -
Mateo Kovacic – 7. Generally screened his defence well, particularly when Ndombele was breaking in a dangerous position just after the hour. EPA -
N’Golo Kante – 6. Had his work cut out marshalling his fellow Frenchman Ndombele, so he would have been glad to see him go off just after the hour. Reuters -
Mason Mount – 6. Created two of Chelsea’s best openings for himself, first with a dribble then a shot that drifted over in the first half, then had a similar effort saved by Lloris in the second. Booked for a cynical trip on Lo Celso. Reuters -
Hakim Ziyech – 6. Booked for clipping Reguilon’s heels as the full-back broke through. Blazed a good chance over on the half volley, and was generally frustrated by a lack of openings. EPA -
Tammy Abraham – 7. Looked a threat with what little of the ball he saw in the first half, and had the better of Dier a number of times. Might have done better with some fine deliveries by James, though. Reuters -
Timo Werner – 6. Had a goal chalked off when he was offside. Looked bright enough, but was still replaced by Pulisic with 17 minutes to go. EPA -
SUB" Christian Pulisic (Werner, 74') – 6. He was unable to create much in his first appearance in over a month after suffering injury on Champions League duty -
SUB: Olivier Giroud – NA. Had a chance to win it when Rodon’s injury-time back pass fell well short of Lloris, but his shot was limp. AFP -
SUB: Kai Havertz – NA. Made his mark on Rodon – who suffered a bloodied lip from the German’s elbow – if not the game, in his brief appearance at the end. Reuters -
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR RATINGS: Hugo Lloris – 7. Coped with the aerial threat well, and made a fine save to deny Mount from distance with 10 minutes to go. EPA -
Serge Aurier – 7. Made a dynamic start and saw a powerful shot well saved by Mendy, and generally coped admirably with most things that came down his flank. Reuters -
Joe Rodon – 6. Made a nervy start, and was spared by an offside flag when Werner had the ball in the net. Later sliced a clearance into the hands of Lloris. Showed up far better as the game went on, though - until his injury-time lapse. AFP -
Eric Dier – 5. Abraham got the better of him once in the first half, and he lost him at one point in the second, too, but got lucky both times. Often negligent in possession, too. EPA -
Sergio Reguilon – 7. His duel with James was a fine one. He made plenty of raids down the Spurs left flank, but James and Ziyech tested him the other way, too. EPA -
Moussa Sissoko – 7. Unnecessary free kick for a foul on Werner put Spurs under pressure, but otherwise helped Aurier deal with the threat of the German. EPA -
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 7. Stuck close to Ziyech, which was part of the reason Spurs were able to blunt the Moroccan forward. Reuters -
Tanguy Ndombele – 7. Made a number of openings for himself with deft footwork, only for his final ball to go awry. Bruised by a kick from Silva. Taken off for Lo Celso just after the hour, as has become customary. EPA -
Steven Bergwijn – 6. Scooped a ninth-minute shot over after a sharp counter attack. Had his frustration compounded with a cheap booking for a foul on Kovacic. Reuters -
Son Heung-min – 6. His influence was severely limited by Chelsea’s backline, but he did work Mendy once, and was his usual diligent self working back toward his goal. EPA -
Harry Kane – 6. His chances were limited to a free kick, which he hit over in the first half, and not much else, although he did go looking for work deeper on the pitch, too. AFP -
SUBS: Giovani Lo Celso (Ndombele, 64') – 5. Passed up a great chance with a nothing chip with Spurs’ final opening in injury time. Reuters -
SUB: Ben Davies (Bergwijn, 89') – NA. Brought on right at the end to help the away side keep hold of a point. AFP -
SUB: Lucas Moura (Son, 90+2') – NA. Managed to get on just long enough to pass the time of day with his bestie, Thiago Silva, on the opposition. Reuters
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Indeed, his quickest centre-back, Davinson Sanchez, has been benched and, with Alderweireld injured, it was Joe Rodon who stood in against Chelsea. One mistake apart, when he permitted Olivier Giroud an injury-time chance, the Welshman excelled on his first Premier League start.
Mourinho drew a playful comparison with Thiago Silva, the established great Chelsea recruited, and the buy from Swansea. Perhaps it illustrated his own efforts. A defence with the rookie Rodon, the rejuvenated Aurier and the reinvented Dier feels a triumph of organisation.
There is another ingredient, and Sergio Reguilon’s surging runs have made him the attacking threat Tottenham have lacked from left-back since Danny Rose declined, while he has also conjured solidity from the Spaniard.
Mourinho apart, the most important component in turning what, man for man, is not the best defence into what, statistically, is lies ostensibly in the midfield. Mourinho has always had one of the shrewder analytical brains in the game and, with Dier retreating into the back four and Victor Wanyama leaving, it was evident there was a vacancy for a defensive midfielder.
Mourinho landed his premier target, in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and, after an inauspicious debut against Everton, the other club who coveted him, the Dane has excelled.
But he has done so in tandem with the tactically disciplined Moussa Sissoko and if both have underlined the difference a defensive midfielder can make, they have done so with a tweak from Mourinho as they have dropped into the channels to form a back six. The strength has come from the structure. Their efforts are reflected in the record.
