Chelsea are bang in the title-race if they beat Tottenham

It could be a long afternoon for Tottenham against Chelsea on Sunday.

We all saw how some Spurs fans booed Ange Postecoglou at the end of the match against Bournemouth on Thursday, which shows what they are thinking.

But I just don't know what his best team is or what we can get from them.

Yes, Postecoglou has had a few injuries, especially at the back. He lost the two central defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, as well as goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Despite this, they had a great performance against Manchester City, but on either side they had Crystal Palace, Ipswich and Bournemouth. . . really bad performance.

They've also now had Ben Davies' injury.

The Spurs are not a regular team. Even if they are all fit, you are not sure who is going to play.

It leaves them very short at the back and if they were to put Archie Gray next to Radu Dragusin I wouldn't really fancy that, especially as the two full-backs like to attack and those two would be exposed.

Archie is a fantastic young talent, but it's brave to play as a centre-back against Chelsea in great form.

If I were Ange, I'd want to play against a much more defensive-looking team.

I wouldn't be sitting here thinking, “Okay, let's attack them.” It's not a day for him to be excited.

He will need to ensure he establishes a really solid midfield and perhaps give up his attacking instincts to gain defensive stability for that pair at the back.

That could mean playing with five players in midfield and Dominic Solanke on his own at the top. Ange can't afford to open up.

The full-backs will be told that they cannot simply bomb forward, but must maintain a solid base.

You have to stay in the game and be patient. Maybe just take advantage of the opportunities when they come – when they get them.

I know how much it matters to the fans of both teams because this is a huge rivalry now. But if Tottenham fans put pressure on the players, it could play into Chelsea's hands.

The Blues will have seen what happened on Thursday evening and will look to dominate the early exchanges.

Chelsea will definitely go there as favorites. They are confident and resilient. Still, they looked a bit of a mixed bag at the start of the season and I really didn't see them doing anything.

It can be a big problem if you have too many players who all think they should be playing. That can lead to a very difficult dressing room.

But it looks like they've resolved that and are doing fine. The manager is doing a good job and now people are suddenly saying, “Wait a minute, it's not impossible.”

When you see the team they put in midweek to score five in Southampton, it shows that everyone believes in what they are trying to do.

Cole Palmer is the main character. He would be the X-factor for any team. But we now also see it with Enzo Fernandez. He is a World Cup winner and is starting to show the form they bought him for.

The same goes for Moises Caicedo. Now he's really showing what he's capable of and they look strong in midfield.

But I also look at Nicolas Jackson. I have to be honest, when they bought it I thought, “It's just not good enough”.

He was supposed to go to Bournemouth for £20 million but that didn't happen because he had an injury and I really thought the Cherries saved themselves £20 million.

Now Jackson seems like a very useful player. Credit to the manager for giving him a bit of confidence and he's delivering the goods.

If Chelsea can continue this run, they will put themselves on the map.

D-DAY FOR GARY AND JULEN

It will be a nervous evening for both bosses at the London Stadium on Monday.

For me it is still a bit early to think about pulling the trigger, but West Ham and Wolves are sides that are struggling.

I know Gary O'Neil well and think he did a great job, even though it was difficult because of the injuries and the players he lost.

He did a fantastic job at Bournemouth but now he needs some results at Wolves.

I've seen a lot of their games and I think they've been really unlucky in a lot of them, but the pressure is increasing. The fans seemed to turn against him for the first time at Everton last week. Things can get tough when that happens – and the players feel it.

What I do know is that Gary has so much to offer. It's very good, clear as a button.

I saw a lot of what he did at Bournemouth – which was fantastic – and last year at Wanderers, but he certainly needs some luck to turn it around now.

It feels a bit the same for Julen Lopetegui at the Hammers. A lot of that comes down to recruitment. I thought their signings looked good in the summer, but German striker Niclas Fullkrug has barely played because he has been injured since arriving here – although he did score that late goal in Leicester.

I think both managers would take a draw, keep their jobs and get some time because if someone loses the game they will be under a lot of pressure.

If Wolves can keep the crowd quiet and the fans get tense and turn around a bit, it could be a tough night for the hosts.

GUNNERS ARE SET TO WIN

THERE ARE some people who rush to criticize Arsenal for scoring so many goals from set pieces.

Dimitar Berbatov said they were just a modern version of Stoke after the match against Manchester United.

The bottom line is they have people who want to attack the ball with a bit of movement.

Their central defenders, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, have grown a bit bigger, but REALLY want to score.

Instead of whining about it, put your best marks on their best offensive weapons.

I see too many set plays where attackers take on defenders, but attackers can't defend and they're done. You need to make sure your center halves are on their halves.

You want a good header at the near post, someone at the back post and sometimes you can have a spare man and just tell him to go wherever the ball goes

At West Ham I had Julian Dicks, a fantastic header. I would give him the freedom to start in the middle, attack the ball and nod it away.

If I had to play against Arsenal I would like to have Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin, who played for me at Portsmouth, as my two centre-backs.

Sol was a powerhouse and if he marked you, you could never beat him to that ball. Sylvain was also a big, strong athlete.

But at Arsenal you have to be aware of everything because they can hurt you anywhere.

Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are fantastic players. Odegaard pulls all the strings while Bukayo is so dangerous. That's why I think Arsenal will battle Liverpool all the way.

They are certainly not just a good set-piece team. They are a very good team, good at set pieces.

And when that ball comes in, they have people who want to score. Fulham will have to be at their best when the Gunners visit.

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