Tottenham Hotspur vs. West Brom: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Tottenham Hotspur are winless in three league games and have lost two consecutive home matches after a 1-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion.
Spurs are supposedly chasing the Premier League's top four, but they struggled to compete against one of the League's weakest sides.
West Brom, though, were surprisingly strong and, after a cagey beginning, took the game to Spurs.
Mauricio Pochettino's men were astonishingly poor, unable to complete simple passes and disorganised in defence. The Argentinian will be livid with the performance, and he clearly has plenty to do before next week's north London derby.
Loser: Mauricio Pochettino
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Mauricio Pochettino made an excellent start to life as Tottenham manager. Spurs won home and away to open the season, but since then his job has appeared much more difficult.
Defeat at home to West Brom is an embarrassment for a club supposedly chasing Champions League football.
Tottenham were abject, and the selection of two liabilities in place of central defenders was a particularly grievous error. Younes Kaboul is not capable of playing at the top level anymore, and Vlad Chiriches needs to be leashed by his partner. Putting the two together is asking to be exposed.
West Brom were able to find space in both channels and between the central defenders throughout the match.
They defended deep, but that can come as no surprise. Many teams are defensively organised when they travel to White Hart Lane. The more troubling thing is that Spurs couldn't compete with the attack-minded Liverpool or the defensive West Brom.
It would seem as though there is little that this team is good at.
Pochettino also failed to make an improvement from the substitutes' bench. Paulinho was a negative influence, while Aaron Lennon gave a predictably muted performance. Roberto Soldado was also poor.
Spurs face Arsenal next weekend. A similar embarrassment there could spell early-season trouble for Pochettino.
Winner: Joleon Lescott
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Joleon Lescott may have had to wait a little longer than expected to make his Premier League debut for West Brom, but on this evidence, it was worth the wait.
Lescott gave a vintage performance marshalling the Baggies defence and leading by example.
His sliding tackle to dispossess Emmanuel Adebayor in the first half was just one highlight of an excellent display.
Last season, West Brom only just managed to avoid relegation after conceding 59 goals. Only the relegated sides, Sunderland and Aston Villa had a worse record.
The signing of Lescott on a free transfer may be the key factor in keeping Albion in the Premier League for another season.
Losers: Vlad Chiriches and Younes Kaboul
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In European action midweek, Spurs' best performers were their central defenders. Jan Vertonghen and debutant Federico Fazio were strong in defence and helpful in attack.
The pair were omitted against West Brom in favour of Vlad Chiriches and Younes Kaboul. Kaboul and Chiriches were given a good opportunity to solidify themselves as a partnership.
After their display, it is hard to see them being the first-choice duo again any time soon.
Both were desperately poor individually and as a combination.
Kaboul and Chiriches are both quick players but were consistently exposed by simple balls down the channels. It was not the display of a senior defensive pairing.
Winner: Alan Irvine
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Alan Irvine's West Brom earned their first three points of the season with a rugged 1-0 victory at White Hart Lane.
Spurs were desperately poor, but the Baggies made them look even worse.
Tottenham's defence was under constant pressure as West Brom looked to transition rapidly after winning possession. Time and again, they exposed the shoddy Tottenham back line, and they were rarely threatened by Spurs' disjointed, predictable attack.
Initially sitting deep, Spurs' struggles encouraged them to push out; by the end of the match, they looked the far stronger side.
After a difficult start to the season, West Brom have kick-started their campaign with victory in London and proved that they have ample quality to stay up once again. They'll take valuable confidence from this fully deserved win.
Losers: Moussa Dembele and Paulinho
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Etienne Capoue and Christian Eriksen are clearly first choice in midfield for Mauricio Pochettino.
The third central-midfield role remains open. Moussa Dembele has been preferred from the start in the last two league games but has done little to advance his cause.
Against West Brom, Dembele seemed unsure of his role and regularly dropped too deep. He was unable to make an impression in an attacking sense and did little more than shuttle the ball across midfield.
Dembele is an excellent player; powerfully built and with a long stride, he can be the perfect player for a dual midfield role but has failed to show his best form for some time now. Pochettino's patience will wear down in time.
Paulinho is the logical rival to Dembele in this role. Less technical and more dynamic, he came on to replace Dembele in the second half but left little impact on the match. He spoiled a neat counter-attack shortly after being introduced and continued to have a negative impact.
Neither player has laid claim to the role, and Mauricio Pochettino must continue to search for midfield balance.
