Did You Notice: Why it looked like Spurs ‘always had an extra player’ against Chelsea

Tactical analyst Jon Mackenzie examines how Tottenham Hotspur appeared to have an extra player during their victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi used James Maddison as a dropping playmaker to repeatedly bypass Chelsea's pressing structure. Meanwhile, De Zerbi deployed a 4-4-2 diamond midfield setup to overwhelm Chelsea's build-up and limit the influence of Cole Palmer.

According to data from Mark Stats, Spurs registered an 87 percent build-up completion rate, outperforming Xabi Alonso's side by 15 percent. Mackenzie highlights that while Chelsea attempted to counter Maddison's movement with their center-backs, timing delays and defensive shifts consistently opened spaces for Spurs to progress possession from back to front.