Tottenham are looking to end the season in the strongest way possible, following some challenges in their chase for the Champions League.
Ange Postecoglou has transformed the squad in his first full campaign as Spurs manager, implementing his philosophy early on and refining it as the days and weeks pass.
While the Lilywhites got off to a quick start, despite losing all-time top goal scorer Harry Kane in the summer transfer market, that initial boost has slowly faded.
The current goal for the final few fixtures of the season is a top-four finish and Champions League qualification.
Recent defeats to Newcastle and North London rivals Arsenal have not only taken a blow to Tottenham’s chances of finishing fourth, but they have also highlighted a glaring weakness for the coaching staff to work on.
Tottenham set-piece problem
One issue for Tottenham that has become particularly clear as of late has been defending set-pieces.
Newcastle and Arsenal both managed to do damage to Spurs from them, with plenty of talk surrounding Ben White’s attempt to put off Guglielmo Vicario.
Postecoglou has addressed the set-piece issues, claiming his side were “very poor” at defending them against Arsenal, but he wouldn’t be pouring too much time into solving it.
With the issues of corners and free-kicks on the agenda, midfielder Pape Matar Sarr was quizzed on the tactical concerns coming from defending them.
Speaking ahead of the clash with London rivals Chelsea, the youngster told Sky Sports: “When it comes to set pieces, it’s not just us, all teams have difficulties with set pieces at the moment because teams are so good at them that every set piece presents a chance for a goal.
“We all need to focus on this aspect. Defending set pieces is something that requires an awful lot of focus and we are aware of that.
“We need to take our responsibilities and make sure we do the job out on the pitch because certainly in training we are doing everything we need to and working really hard to make sure we are up to the challenge.
“The difficulty is that out on the pitch there is another team and they have also been working on that aspect of the game really hard. We just need to make sure we are fully concentrated on it.”
Chelsea vs Tottenham key duels
As Tottenham gear up for their clash with rivals Chelsea, one of the key areas that the Lilywhites will have to address is in their defensive set-pieces.
If they can keep the Blues out, it will mark some progression while keeping any discussions surrounding potential weaknesses out of the spotlight.
That’s not the only key area that will decide the match, as the forwards are likely to have their say by the final whistle.
The midfield battle will also have a large part to play, with the contrasting form of Cole Palmer and James Maddison perhaps preluding their own fight for a space in the England squad over the European Championships this summer.