Tottenham’s Unbeaten Streak Intact Through Another Draw

Jul 29, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli (20) plays the ball while defended by MLS All Stars defender Drew Moor (3) of the Colorado Rapids during the second half of the 2015 MLS All Star Game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. MLS All Stars defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 29, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli (20) plays the ball while defended by MLS All Stars defender Drew Moor (3) of the Colorado Rapids during the second half of the 2015 MLS All Star Game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. MLS All Stars defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tottenham Hotspur maintain their unbeaten run and push it to 14 consecutive games after drawing against West Bromwich Albion.

Prior to kickoff, today’s game against West Brom was what Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham needed after a hectic November where Spurs played six games in 28 days in all competitions. A month that included three London derbies: Arsenal, West Ham and Chelsea and a 5,000 mile round trip flight to Baku, Azerbaijan. Another good news for Pochettino was the fact that Dele Alli and Érik Lamela would return to the starting lineup for Tottenham’s match against Tony Pulis and West Brom.

But after everything seemed to line up perfectly for Tottenham to take the three points, especially after Dele Alli got the opening goal in the 15th minute. Spurs’ lead wouldn’t last that long with West Brom equalizing in the 39th minute off of a James McClean heaader. With two goals coming in the first half, and heading into halftime level at one-all. The real action would pick up in the second half and become a wide open game for both teams.

RELATED: Key Battles: West Brom v Tottenham

Tottenham would once again dominate possession 65 percent to the Baggies’ 35 percent, but it was skewed a bit in the second half with the amount of passing between each other due to West Bromwich Albion’s defense remaining steadfast and keeping the ball in front of them at all times.

It looked as if Pulis instructed his team to park the bus, a defensive tactic that José Mourinho Chelsea were more than happy to deploy almost the entire game last Sunday for a 0-0 draw against Tottenham. But the main difference this afternoon was West Brom’s ability to transition upfield and put immense pressure on Spurs and out shoot them 11 to nine with four shots on target compared to the Lilywhites’ three.

If Mauricio Pochettino’s team were disappointed to get a draw against Chelsea then they’ll be happy with today’s 1-1 scoreline. Tottenham may have gotten the opening goal but in the second half, after conceding before halftime, Spurs were reeling.

Despite having three fewer fouls than West Brom — 10 to the Baggies’ 13 — there were enough fouls happening around Tottenham’s own penalty box which set up dangerous free kicks. It was a sign that Pochettino’s defense, for the first team in a long time, didn’t look particularly like itself this season: solid, determined and composed throughout the entire game.

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Instead, during the second half against West Brom, Spurs’ back-line resembled last year’s state of mind. Where a late goal would happen after remaining level throughout a majority of the game. The defense were lucky to not concede a goal from all of the Baggies’ set pieces via bad fouls, free kicks and corners, not to mention Salomón Rondón’s presence growing as the game wore on.

After today’s 1-1 draw, there’s something that Mauricio Pochettino could fine-tune even more and that’s the defense. The players are in place, but at times they lose their concentration for parts of the game.

Perhaps with today’s performance, especially during the closing 10-15 minutes of the match, it’s something that will be addressed ahead of Tottenham’s Europa League fixture against AS Monaco. When Stephen El Shaarawy happened to score a late equalizer near the end of the game in both club’s first meeting on October 1st.

With today’s match in the books, every team has now played 15 games except Newcastle United/Liverpool and Everton/Crystal Palace who play on Sunday afternoon and Monday night respectively.

Next: Matchday: West Brom 1-1 Tottenham

Right now, Tottenham still remain in fifth place but they’re fortunate that both Manchester clubs failed to distance themselves from Spurs after Man City lost 2-0 to Stoke City while Man United and West Ham were held to a 0-0 draw.

Spurs next match will be against Newcastle United and with points slipping these past two games (Chelsea and now West Brom), a win is a must. Especially considering that right now, Newcastle are 19th in the Premier League table before they play tomorrow against Liverpool. A third consecutive draw will stunt Tottenham’s climb to the top four with Manchester City and Manchester United ahead by three crucial points and unlikely to drop another game in consecutive weeks.