Enzo Maresca seemed to realize at halftime that it is not necessary to take unnecessary risks against Tottenham to create chances. They will come anyway. They always come, because that's how Spurs play.
Caution is advised in the storm season. Not only do they push players forward and provide great, tempting, wide-open spaces in transition, but Ange Postecoglou doesn't like to see them play it safe on the ball.
His team is full of players like Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie and Yves Bissouma who are not defensively sharp despite being dependent on defensive positions, and are therefore never far from making a costly mistake in a dangerous area.
There is always the chance that Bissouma will bounce back after making a mistake in possession and recklessly rush into a challenge, such as the one on Moses Caicedo for the first penalty to draw Chelsea level.
There is always a chance that Cole Palmer could seep through the ranks of Udogie's side of defence. Always a chance Porro won't close a shot as quickly as you think he should for Enzo Fernandez's goal to put Chelsea ahead.
There was never any real need for Maresca to rely on Caicedo in a right-back-cum-central midfield role, bending Chelsea from a back four to a back three in possession, loosening Benoit Badiashile to the right and freeing Fernandez to go. forward. In any case, no other need than to somehow squeeze all three of his expensive midfielders into the same team.
The so-called lesser teams who don't feel obliged to make the play when they face Spurs have learned to sit still, frustrate Postecoglou's team and wait for the opportunities to open up.
The more illustrious teams go head-to-head and Chelsea's tactical complications simply played into Tottenham's hands during a frantic opening scene. It was one of the reasons why they were already 2-0 behind within eleven minutes.
That and Marc Cucurella's banana leather boots. There is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing, as the saying goes, and Cucurella's boots seemed suited neither to the rain-soaked surface nor the intensity of the Spurs press. He made a great show of changing them after his team got the second one.
Dominic Solanke made such a sparkling start that he caused both centre-backs Levi Colwill and Badiashile all kinds of problems. His work-rate spread uncertainty through Chelsea's defence, left Son Heung-min in space and served to replenish Spurs' confidence damaged by the defeat at Bournemouth.
When Maresca returned to an orthodox back four after Romeo Lavia was forced off at half-time with a hamstring problem, allowing Cucurella to play higher up the pitch and join the press, the visitors seized control and squeezed away Tottenham's lead .
Chelsea look impressive and credit Maresca with finding balance and fluidity amid the haze of the huge numbers available following their billion-dollar wave.
Palmer is a joy to watch, the talisman for this emerging side, a new hero for the fans, and yet the Blues have much more to offer. They have a purpose under Maresca and it's easier to keep players happy on the fringes of a huge team when the team is winning.
For Spurs, however, this is another painful defeat with consequences. The pre-match positivity of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Van's return turned into more misery when Romero damaged a thigh muscle while executing a back heel kick in his own penalty area.
Van de Ven also did not get through. The sight of the pair limping away together with the unwell top scorer Brennan Johnson typified the afternoon.
Spurs watching is the best in the country and yet Postecoglou finds himself taking physical risks with just-fit players, on top of the tactical risks inherent in the only way he will play. The selection is cracking, the matches ahead are challenging and the pressure is increasing.
There will be a hostile reception for the Celtic hero at Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday, followed by home games against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup and Liverpool either side of a trip to Southampton. There are many risks. Now Postecoglou urgently needs a reward.
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