Tottenham Hotspur have the small matter of a London derby at Chelsea coming up soon, but their focus will first be on the crucial game against Coventry.

Roberto De Zerbi’s men certainly cannot afford to look too far ahead at the moment, and they are still winless in the Premier League and languishing at the bottom of the table after six matches.

There is a feeling among the Spurs fan base that performances are trending in the right direction, especially after the dramatic nature of the equaliser at Old Trafford after the away side were reduced to 10 men.

However, anything other than a win against Coventry will arguably send the club into a full-blown crisis, and the Lilywhites’ form at home does not inspire one with confidence.

Xabi Alonso is already looking forward to first London derby against Tottenham

While De Zerbi will not be thinking beyond Monday’s clash, his opposite number is already licking his lips ahead of the big clash at Stamford Bridge.

Xabi Alonso has made an impressive start to his spell at Chelsea, and after seeing his side beat Everton away on Saturday, the Spaniard slipped in a little line that showed that he is already thinking about next weekend.

Alonso ended his post-match interview with TNT Sports by saying: “Tottenham at home next will be a nice one” before giving a little smile.

This will be De Zerbi’s second trip to Stamford Bridge as Spurs boss after the Lilywhites fell to a 2-1 defeat in their penultimate game of last season.

Tottenham’s abysmal record at Stamford Bridge

Stamford Bridge is undoubtedly Tottenham’s least happy hunting ground. The two sides have met 33 times at Chelsea’s home ground in the Premier League, and it is the Blues who have dominated the fixture, winning 21 matches, drawing 11 and losing just once.

That sole Tottenham victory came back in 2018 thanks to Dele Alli and co, and De Zerbi will be desperate for his side to replicate that result next weekend.

Spurs vs Chelsea is a bigger derby for the Blues

While the Chelsea-Tottenham clash is undoubtedly important for Spurs fans, it is arguably a lot more important to Blues supporters, as it has become their biggest derby over recent decades.

For Spurs, the North London derby will always be their most important derby. While new Tottenham signings are told about the rivalry with Arsenal, the new Chelsea signings are likely told that the Spurs clash is the most important for their fans.

One can see that with just how much their legends, such as Frank Lampard and John Terry, hate Spurs. One of the consequences of this slightly lopsided rivalry is that the Chelsea players tend to approach this game with more intensity than their Tottenham counterparts.

That will hopefully not be the case next week, with De Zerbi always demanding maximum intensity and passion from his players.