Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur: Combined XI

Midfield

Eric Dier

If there is one area of the pitch where Chelsea have disappointed this season, it is in midfield. Conte has still not been able to find the perfect midfield combination and N'Golo Kante's inconsistent performances have also made the Blues a porous unit in their own half.

Cesc Fabregas has lost his place in the starting lineup - a move that also saw him dropped from the Spain squad as a result - while new signing Tiemoue Bakayoko has caused more problems than solve them.

On the other hand, Mauricio Pochettino has managed to run a tight ship in midfield with Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele anchoring the middle of the park.

Mousa Dembele

Dier's distribution and ability to compete in aerial duels while Dembele's physical attributes that help him hold on to the ball, make strong tackles, and even dribble past midfield players make them the perfect pair to play in the midfield double pivot.

While most of Spurs' players have impressed this season, their biggest disappointment has been Dele Alli. Playing in the hole behind the striker, he has not been as prolific as last season, scoring just 6 goals (5 of which have come against weak sides).

Christian Eriksen

So instead of him, we have picked Christian Eriksen to play in the hole. Although he has been deployed predominantly on the right side of midfield, he is more than capable of playing as the central attacking midfielder in this lineup.

With 7 goals and 8 assists this season in the league, there is no better central attacking midfielder in both sides.