Chelsea coach slams Tottenham's 'potato field' pitch | OneFootball

Chelsea coach Carlo Cudicini has warned Inter to expect “one of the absolute worst” playing surfaces when they face Tottenham in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Severe delays to the construction of Spurs’ new stadium means they are still playing their home games at Wembley, for the rest of 2018 at least.

The pitch at the national stadium was particularly poor when the Lilywhites took on Manchester City just a day after it had also hosted an NFL game earlier this month, but its condition seems to have improved in recent weeks.

However, former goalkeeper Cudicini – who played for both Chelsea and Spurs during his playing days – was unimpressed when he visited as part of Maurizio Sarri’s backroom staff at the weekend.

“It’s improved a bit, but the end remains a potato field,” the Italian told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Playing on that pitch isn’t easy. Weird, right? Wembley used to be a temple, the English stadium par excellence. Now it’s one of the absolute worst.

“Inter will also have to deal with this problem.”

Inter won 2-1 when the two sides last met in September and another victory for the Serie A side will see Spurs eliminated from the Champions League.

Cudicini made 37 appearances for the north London outfit between 2009 and 2012, but he says the club is now almost unrecognisable from the one he once represented.

“Back in my day, Spurs were a club searching for a dimension,” added the 45-year-old.

“Today, they’re in the Champions League permanently, have many young players who are of a high level, and the club has widened its horizons, like the decision to restructure White Hart Lane.”