Sunday evening will be crunch time for Chelsea and their manager Jose Mourinho. The Blues will take on London rivals Tottenham in the League Cup final at Wembley in search of what could be their first of many trophies this season.
For Mourinho in particular, the tie will bear far more in importance. The man who infamously labeled Arsene Wenger “a specialist in failure”, the former Real Madrid manager failed to lay his hands on a single title last season.
In fact, the 52-year-old last won a title back in 2012 when Los Blancos lifted La Liga in his penultimate season at the Bernabeu. This is his longest spell without a trophy since arriving at Porto back in 2002.
Will Mourinho end his three-year trophy-drought on Sunday? Lets check out what the stats say.
Chelsea take on Tottenham in the COC final, on Sunday
One key factor in the League Cup final will be the experience of both coaches. Mourinho, one of Europe's most decorated managers, has won a whopping 20 trophies in his coaching career. His counterpart Mauricio Pochettino, who took over the helms at White Hart Lane this season, is yet to win a major trophy.
However, the Argentine tactician has proven he has got what it takes to defeat the Portuguese boss. The last time the two managers came face-to-face, it was the Spurs boss who came out victorious in the unbelievable 5-2 win at White Hart Lane.
A look at the two managers head-to-head stat, though, sees Mourinho come out on top. They clashed four times in the English Premier League, with three ending in wins for Chelsea.
Mourinho vs Pochettino
Furthermore, the Blues boast an unrivaled win percentage vs. Spurs. The west London side's win record over their neighbors since the beginning of the league is 88.7%. Since 2007-2008, this has decreased to 77.8%.
One may say a game is won by the eleven players on the pitch, and that may be so. Jose possesses the English Premier League's most deadliest attack, alongside Manchester City, scoring 56 goals so far. Tottenham have managed 41.
The Blues' defensive record is second best only to Southampton, having let in only 22 goals this term. Spurs, on the other hand, have conceded 36 goals.
A look at two standout players from the London sides this season, Diego Costa and Harry Kane, witnesses the league leaders better their rivals once again. Costa boasts more goals and a superior goal-per-game ratio at 17 and 0.91, compared to Kane's 14 and 0.82.
The latter has more assists to his name, however, with three, compared to the Spaniard's two. In the assist table, it is Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas who leads the pack, with 15 under his belt.
Costa vs Kane in the EPL
One issue that may hurt Mourinho's crew is their inability to avoid conceding goals in the closing stages of a match. No side have let in more goals in the last 10 minutes than the Blues.
Coincidentally, no side has scored more late goals than Tottenham in the English Premier League.
Despite this, the stats point towards a victory for Mourinho and an end to his three-year trophy-drought. The game on Sunday now looks likely to become his first title since 2012.
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