West Brom Serve Reminder Tottenham Cannot Afford to Rest on Their Laurels
In places, West Bromwich Albion and Tottenham Hotspur's 1-1 draw on Saturday bore a resemblance to the former's 1-0 defeat of the north London club last season.
The Baggies once again deployed a core strategy of getting numbers behind the ball to stifle Spurs. Possession won, they proceeded to pounce on their frustrated foes via a forward outlet hovering threateningly on the shoulder of the visitors' last men.
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Swap Salomon Rondon for Saido Berahino as the aforementioned attacking nuisance, Tony Pulis for Alan Irvine as the instigator of the plan and a far more confident Tottenham team still struggling to figure them out out, and you have a near-replication that was again almost as irritating for Mauricio Pochettino's men as it was pleasing for West Brom (oh, and the venues were different too).
Pulis has had almost a year in charge at The Hawthorns since replacing Irvine. Even with him guiding the struggling Midlands club to safety last season, sustaining Albion's Premier League status remains just as vital a priority as then. A solid point off one of the division's form sides is no small thing.
James McClean—praised by his manager, above—leveling Dele Alli's opener made it three in a row unbeaten for West Brom against capital clubs.
Although not completely of the winning variety, the seam of consistency weaving its way through West Brom's recent displays is one they will hope to create something much more attractive out of soon enough. Based on this display in which they created more chances (11 to Spurs' nine, per BBC Sport) and dangerously combined directness with impressive individual invention (notably the Darren Fletcher-led assault down the right-hand channel which created McClean's goal), they have a good chance of doing so.
The way Tottenham regard this draw is a more complicated thing.
Arsenal lost on the same pitch two weeks ago. Spurs left with a point on a day they did not play well, extending their unbeaten run since opening day to 14 games.
But while Pochettino saluted the team effort that continued this historic run (see above), he was also displeased his team were unable see off a bottom-half outfit. Especially having taken the lead.
"The feeling is one of disappointment though as we feel that it was two points dropped today," he said, per Spurs' official Twitter page.
Tottenham are some way removed from the side who lost to West Brom almost 15 months ago. They defeated Saturday's opponents 3-0 at The Hawthorns in January, and over the last few months have shown the progress they have made since then.
The defensive solidity that has withstood the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, coupled with the attacking verve that dismantled the latter and more recently West Ham United, may have reinforced the expectation within the Spurs squad that they would have enough to deal comfortably with West Brom.
As it was, Rondon had as much joy as anyone has battling centre-back Jan Vertonghen since Leicester City's now table-topping attackers in August. Those in support worked hard to make something of his unsettling efforts and further reduce Spurs' comfort levels (a superb Hugo Lloris save from Jonas Olsson rescuing them in one such moment).
At the back, Jonny Evans, Gareth McAuley and Co. led a disciplined, well-prepared resistance seldom breached by their would-be conquerors. Indeed, their good reading of Spurs' attacking intent was typified by the combined 13 interceptions those two made between them, as tallied by Squawka.
Complacency is probably too strong a word in describing Spurs' lack of anticipation for, and subsequent inability to counter Pulis' game plan—at least beyond the long, defence-bypassing Toby Alderweireld ball that set up Alli's goal
It would do a disservice to West Brom and also undermines the resilience the north Londoners did show in avoiding defeat. A quality you certainly would not have used to describe the more flaky team of September '14.
However, there was no denying this was not the side who had performed so effectively amid a demanding, derby-heavy schedule of recent weeks.
Going by their actions they were not so well prepared for the width of McClean and Stephane Sessegnon or the timely penetration of Fletcher and James Morrison from midfield. With a week to prepare Pochettino and his coaching staff might have provided relevant information but it obviously did not fully hit home (or at least not as effectively as their counterpart's did).
The Spurs attack and midfield persistently probed and prodded the Baggies defence, occasionally finding a way through—set up by a lofted Alli through ball, Kane went close to snatching a second-half lead—but mostly toiling in frustration at their stubborn opponents' refusal to yield.
In both their general effort and their tactical thinking (utilising aggressive movement and pressing is not going to always pay off as well as it has of late), Tottenham have been reminded they cannot afford to rest on their laurels.
There is plenty to be excited about the work Pochettino is doing with this predominantly young squad. Alli was again one of Spurs' most invigorating performers while, despite having a tough day, their defence still ranks as the top-flight's second meanest. But as they seek to press home the early gains made this season, the still fifth-place side must not stop striving to improve.
As West Brom and others in the Premier League showed this weekend (most notably a brilliant Stoke City, dominating Man City in a 2-0 win), this is not a year in which anyone is going to be given anything on a plate.
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