• Heurelho Gomes: ‘Champions are inconsistent’
• Goalkeeper feels ‘title race is wide open’
Tottenham Hotspur hope to capitalise on Chelsea’s fragile confidence on Sunday to maintain their own pursuit of the Premier League title at their local rivals’ expense.
A few years ago Chelsea fans would refer to Tottenham’s ground as “Three Point Lane”, but Spurs have recovered their poise in home matches against these opponents in recent seasons. The champions will arrive in north London having failed to win at White Hart Lane in the league since 2005, to face hosts unbeaten in seven matches in all competitions and buoyed after winning their Champions League group in midweek.
“We have done well against them in the past and I think we can do so again,” said Heurelho Gomes, an integral member of the Spurs side that defeated Guus Hiddink’s team 1-0 in 2009 and Carlo Ancelotti’s 2-1 last season. “They are inconsistent at the moment and their confidence is low, so we need to put pressure on them. In the beginning we need to press them, like we did last season. When we play at home we are a stronger team, but we must remember that they still have experienced players and are still a great side. Everybody is saying they are weaker now, but we need to be careful.”
That note of wariness was delivered despite Chelsea’s recent toils – the champions have won only twice in eight matches in all competitions, and once in six in the league. By contrast Tottenham are only six points from the top and thrilled at their own progress out of what had initially appeared a daunting Champions League group in their first appearance in the senior competition since the 1961-62 European
