Tottenham\u2019s title tilt has once again lost balance after\nevents last weekend. Mauricio Pochettino\u2019s men had the perfect opportunity to\nthrust themselves into serious contention, only it was one that they refused to\ntake up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A 2-1 defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor now means that the\nfocus for Tottenham is to make sure that they finish in the top four come the\nend of the season, an objective that is also desired by their next league\nopponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is Chelsea who lay on the welcoming party on Wednesday\nnight and perhaps they\u2019ll need a win even more after their Wembley\ndisappointment in the Carabao Cup Final, one that saw them edged out by\nManchester City by virtue of a penalty shootout win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, it is not necessarily the defeat that was the\noverriding story to come out of Wembley last weekend. That\u2019s because manager\nMaurizio Sarri and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga were embroiled in an almost\nfarcical row.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the former Athletic Bilbao player going down with cramp\ntwice in quick succession, Sarri felt it was the opportune moment to then bring\non shootout specialist Willy Caballero instead \u2013 especially after he played\nsuch a huge role in Manchester City winning the 2016 edition of the\ncompetition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Kepa then waved away the substitution, much to the\nobvious chagrin of the Chelsea manager and it now asks huge questions as to who\nis actually running matters in West London, is this a case of player power\ngoing too far?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not only that, but it also makes you wonder if Sarri\u2019s\nposition at the club is one that has become untenable. Will the former Napoli\nmanager be a dead man walking, he certainly will be if Tottenham manage to come\naway with all three points on Wednesday night. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"