Three Things to Look for in Tottenham versus West Brom
By Aaron Coe
Tottenham Hotspur travel to West Brom for matchday 8 in the Premier League, what are some keys to the game to be looking for if Spurs are to win?
Tottenham Hotspur can move to the top of the Premier League table, at least temporarily, with a win in the early afternoon game Sunday at the Hawthorns. Although Spurs have not won at West Brom in over five years, Tottenham are the favorites heading into the game on Sunday. What should fans be looking for if Tottenham are to have their best road start to a league season since 2017-18 with a fourth straight win?
When Harry Met Sonny
The Tottenham Hotspur attack begins and ends with the duel threat of winger Heung-Min Son and striker Harry Kane. The duo have always had a solid rapport; however it has mostly been one sided with Son being the provider to Harry Kane historically. However, this season, Kane has turned sender as well as receiver and the results have been electrifying.
Son is first on the team and in the league with 8 goals and has two assists to boot. Kane is first in the league in assists with 8 – a career high for one season – and has six more goals on top of it. Of late Son has now gotten Lo Celso in on the act after assisting a goal in Europe midweek and Kane has partnered with Moura.
The point is, when players realize they can get further by helping each other that is when magic starts to happen. Hopefully that magic continues for both Kane and Son as well as continues to spread across the team. Because a game with few goals does NOT favor Spurs.
Score Lots, Concede Few
Tottenham Hotspur have struggled overall against West Brom in many of their recent matchups. As noted in our preview Tottenham have only won two out of the last ten meetings. Many of the games have seen 2 or fewer goals combined during those matches.
In the two Tottenham wins, however, the combined score was 7-0 in favor of Spurs. In other words, if Tottenham can get out in front of West Brom, unlike West Ham, the Baggies will have a much harder time coming back. The fewer goals scored or the longer the game goes without a goal the more it plays into the hands of West Brom.
Ultimately, if West Brom left with a point in a 0-0 draw they would likely be happy with that result. Expect a team working to keep a clean sheet, but if that goal can be soiled, then things will open up and Spurs have a chance to score some goals and win big. Unless of course Spurs do not score or worse West Brom scores first and then a 1-1 draw or a 1-0 loss could be the result.
Tottenham at Top of the Table
Sure, by the time the matchday is fully complete Tottenham might no longer be at the top of the table. Heck, even with three points, they may be first for only a couple hours. Both Leicester City and Liverpool play after Tottenham and could re-leapfrog Spurs. However, Leicester play Wolves, which is no gimmie and Liverpool play Manchester City, which is a tough matchup for anyone.
The bottom line is, even if just for a little while, or maybe for a couple weeks Tottenham can be on top of the table and that is meaningful. Knowing they can take that step and taking it are two different things and is something Tottenham struggled with in the Mauricio Pochettino era.
If Tottenham is to continue to evolve as a team and become title contenders, they cannot slip up with a chance to go top of the table against a team in the relegation zone. In other words, this win can really build or blow Spurs confidence going into a break. We at HotspurHQ are hoping for confidence building. If Kane and Son can continue their connection and Spurs start on the front foot, it could be a long day for the Baggies and that confidence will be soaring for Tottenham Hotspur.