West Brom vs. Tottenham: Issues, Decisions That Will Shape Premier League Game
West Bromwich Albion and Tottenham Hotspur meet in the Premier League on Saturday with cup diversions set to one side.
The Baggies secured a place in the FA Cup fifth round last weekend, Spurs the Capital One Cup final on Wednesday. Now the respective tasks of avoiding a relegation battle and initiating a top-four-tilt resume.
West Brom beat Tottenham 1-0 at White Hart Lane in September. Read on for issues and decisions set to shape this weekend's contest at The Hawthorns.
Spurs Could Do with Settling Down in Defence Again
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Tottenham's cup commitments have ensured they have remained busy since the concentrated demands of the Christmas and New Year's period, and will be so for the foreseeable future.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino has managed his resources relatively well in January, but the rotation that has supported this has not been without issues. In defence, the improvements that sprung from the consistent pairing of Federico Fazio and Jan Vertonghen have regressed slightly amid frequent changes.
Fazio's recent illness meant some disturbance was unavoidable. Nonetheless, the use of all eight experienced defenders in Spurs' squad this month (bar new arrival DeAndre Yedlin) has led to an uneven look over the last week.
The defence, which lost to Leicester City in the FA Cup, mixed back-ups (Vlad Chiriches and Younes Kaboul) and a returnee (Fazio) with the recent league starting left-back Danny Rose. The disorganisation of the unfamiliar quartet in the deciding latter stages was not surprising.
The back four that played against Sheffield United—(r to l) Kyle Walker, Eric Dier, Vertonghen and Ben Davies—was more experienced as a combination. They played as a unit in the semi-final's first leg and, except Davies, in the league win over Sunderland.
The Blades' use of width and movement to pull this defence apart in the second half should not be detracted from, nor the calm with which 18-year-old substitute Che Adams dispatched the goals that leveled the contest.
But between Davies' discomfort protecting his flank and Walker's disconnect with his nearest centre-back Dier, Spurs did not help themselves.
The reality of a busy, ongoing fixture list will require Pochettino to make changes in the weeks to come. But starting with West Brom, he needs to try to settle on a preferred back four again, or at least a regular centre-back partnership.
As it did over Christmas, such a constant could prove a crucial base for his side in the pivotal month ahead.
Will Berahino and Anichebe Get the Chance to Revive Their Double Act?
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Tottenham's defence will need to be at its functional best if West Brom forward pair Victor Anichebe and Saido Berahino are able to repeat their successful FA Cup double-act.
The two started the 0-0 draw with Everton a fortnight ago and did enough to earn another outing together at Birmingham City. At St. Andrew's, Berahino's vision and skill on the ball twice saw him pick out his colleague in the box, where the determined Anichebe proved too much for the Blues to handle.
"If you get the ball into his feet with one defender marking him, then that is trouble," goalkeeper Ben Foster said of Anichebe to their club's official website. "I don’t care who you are, you will not be able to stop him bulldozing his way through."
The presence of the increasingly eye-catching Berahino—14 goals to his name this season—is just about a certainty in the West Brom team these days. Anichebe (four goals) has not got to that point, but as Foster pointed out, he has it in him to be a must-use weapon for Tony Pulis in attack.
Perhaps joining the aforementioned forwards in Saturday's starting XI will be new signing Callum McManaman. West Brom's Twitter feed has the news:
"CONFIRMED: We are delighted to announce the signing of Callum McManaman. Full story here http://t.co/QAfK3rhNWD #wba pic.twitter.com/LQiN1Qcvv8
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBAFCofficial) January 28, 2015"
The winger was one of the standout performers of Wigan Athletic's victorious FA Cup run in 2012-13.
He has to bide his time in the Championship since then, but he could be an addition who helps bring even more out of colleagues like Anichebe and Berahino.
Tottenham Need to Set the Tone for a Massive February
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Arsenal, Liverpool, Fiorentina, West Ham United, the Viola again and Chelsea. Three matches with top-four rivals, three London derbies, a challenging two-legged Europa League duel with one of Serie A's more talented sides and a Cup final.
Tottenham's next 30 days following this weekend's fixture are literally season-defining.
This is not "new" news. These fixtures have been marked since before Christmas, with the Capital One Cup final a hoped-for appendix. Spurs' solid form in this time has ensured that the significance of the Premier League portion of February remains especially big.
Pochettino's side could drop points against West Brom and still emerge from the following month in good shape and spirits. But the strength of the sides they face—in their comparable momentum and in some cases greater talent—makes Spurs heading toward them in confident mood just about imperative.
The north London club's win over Chelsea was their first over one of last season's Champions League qualifiers since February 2013. Their hoodoo may have ended, but they need to prove it beyond one, admittedly eye-catching, win.
Spurs stopped West Ham's winning streak against them last August, but the Hammers have come on impressively since then. Meanwhile, Fiorentina are hoping to play their part in a renewed focus from Italian teams in European competition, what with precious UEFA co-efficiency points at stake.
Saturday's opponents should not be underestimated in the slightest. As already noted, West Brom have already beaten Spurs this season. This is why Pochettino must urge his side to use this test to reinforce their own credentials. They need to try to set the tone for the kind of team they want to be when facing the challenges that await.
Only if they come out of February positively can they turn a decent campaign into a potentially great one.
Can Pulis Keep West Brom's Gathering Momentum Going?
4 of 4After just one win in six matches in December, things have picked up for West Brom in January.
The appointment of Pulis on January 1 has been the trigger for an unbeaten month. Though two of their wins were against lower league opposition in the FA Cup, they have served as confidence-boosting exercises around which their league form has been re-energised.
Respectable away draws at West Ham and Everton sandwiched a timely 1-0 win over Hull City. Now 14th—three points off the relegation zone—three Premier League matches in a row provide the Baggies a chance to establish some proper momentum.
In his pre-match press conference (video above), Pulis talked up Tottenham as one of the division's best teams.
Behind closed doors he will surely point out to his team they have beaten the north Londoners, and while that may have been early in the season (back when Alan Irvine was still in charge), it has to count for something.
Pulis used wins over Chelsea and Everton to propel his Crystal Palace side to safety last season. Spurs may view West Brom as a stepping stone to bigger things ahead, but the Midlands club have every right to feel the same too.
