How West Brom Could Frustrate Spurs

Arsenal’s French striker Olivier Giroud (R) lies on the ground as he reacts after missing a chance during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and West Bromwich Albion at the Emirates Stadium in London on April 21, 2016. / AFP / GLYN KIRK / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo credit should read GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)

Monday’s match against West Brom won’t be the trickiest match left on Spurs’ calendar, but it’s far from simple.

It’s tempting to assume from Tony Pulis’ primitive take on the game – defend physically, launch the ball to the big guy up front – that his tactics lack nuance. How much smarts does it take to go route one, after all?

The reality is that Pulis knows what he wants out of his team match to match, makes adjustments based on the strengths of the opposition and generally makes matters more difficult for bigger sides than most. So far this season West Brom have beaten Arsenal and Manchester United, while earning draws against Leicester, West Ham, Southampton and Spurs.

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Pulis’ critics both past and present will say that such results don’t mean much if West Brom (or Stoke City prior) can’t accumulate enough points otherwise to break into the top half of the Premier League table. That slightly misses the point of what Pulis does best: security. Clubs bring him in when they need to survive, when they to avoid the stresses of a late season relegation fight.

Spurs will benefit from West Brom already having reached their desired level for the season, but there’s still good reason to be weary.

When the two sides met in December, Pulis and his squad instrumented a gameplan that neutralized a lot of Spurs’ key strengths. Beyond the obvious – conceding possession, sitting deep, etc – they also implemented a fairly unique routine of keeping the ball aloft when they had it.

Easily intercepted, easily tackled balls passed along the turf are always going to be Spurs bread and butter, while bringing down aerial balls and dealing with their threat are among the sides few weak points. Juggling the ball up the pitch or punting it forward, in contrast, are among West Brom’s strong suits. It only made sense to press their advantage in that way.

That wasn’t enough in December, and it won’t be enough on Monday. Which is why West Brom will also attempt to defend narrowly, thereby not only clogging the area of the pitch Spurs’ attackers prefer to operate, but also inviting the full-backs to loft crosses into the box. Some teams might fight that kind of thing dangerous, but West Brom know they have the height and aerial prowess to defend against that kind of service.

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It’s not that West Brom are uniquely equipped to deal with Spurs. Their lineup contains a few spikes in quality, but overall is very average. What makes them stand out – and what will make them a tricky test – is their willingness to commit to a plan that emphasizes denying the parts of play in which Spurs thrive.