Three Takeaways from Tottenham Hotspur Win over West Bromwich Albion

Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways on Sunday afternoon in north London as Spurs were mostly dominant in a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion. While the victory helps to temper the ill feelings growing around the team one match is not a cure all. Only more wins will continue to bring the confidence in and about the team everyone needs. Here are three things we can takeaway from the Tottenham Hotspur win over West Bromwich Albion that we will hopefully see in the next match from Spurs, if the wins are to continue.

Tottenham are Better with the Ball

Much has been made of the defensive errors for Tottenham this season and rightfully so. Most of the campaign the team has defended well and individual errors have cost the team at critical moments. Even giving away five penalty kicks already has not been because the defense has been great. While only so many changes can be made to the personnel, shape, or formation – lots can be changed in the way Tottenham approach matches.

The best defense for Tottenham starts with a strong offense.

One of the biggest issues over the last few months as Spurs have struggled has been the constant pressure the defense has been under as Tottenham have struggled in possession. Because of those struggles in possession, Spurs have been giving up a TON of chances. Coming into the match Tottenham were 16th in the Premier League in shots against, giving up nearly 14 per match.

Tottenham were able to limit West Brom to less than a third of the normal shots allowed giving up only four shots officially on the day and of those four only one was on target. Yes, Lloris had to come up big on that play, but having him come up big once is better than seeing him make the nearly four saves per match he averages.

Having an Attacking Midfielder Helps

One of the big differences in this match was the presence of Erik Lamela helping in concert with Harry Kane picking up possession in the middle of the pitch. Lucas Moura did some of this too, but it was typically Kane or Lamela getting the ball.

Tanguy Ndombele can do the job, but is proving to be the partner Pierre Højbjerg has long needed this season.  Lamela tends to move faster than does Ndombele and is almost always looking to go forward. Whereas Ndombele is more of a true midfielder Lamela is more of a true attacker and that is what Tottenham needs in that attacking midfield role and attacker.

Seeing Lamela play okay makes you realize how much Spurs have missed an attacker this season.

If everyone on the team is healthy and in form, Erik Lamela might be the second or even third choice at attacking midfield for Tottenham. However, in the current iteration of Spurs Erik Lamela is the only of three primary attacking midfielders fit and available. Even then Lamela is just returning from a layoff of over two months.

Besides Lamela, fellow Argentine and attacking midfielder Giovani Lo Celso has missed larger portions of the the season with injury as well. Add in Dele Alli missing out on an opportunity with both those players out by either not being able to or simply deciding not to train. We think he was hurt and hope that is the case, but just want to see him available.

Ultimately, Spurs have been missing all three of those players most of the season and it has been hurting the team offensively. Besides lacking in the creativity that comes with any of those three with the ball, all three have the penchant to score, and maybe most importantly help take some of the burden off Harry Kane. The absence of three players does not excuse the performances over the last two months, however seeing just one of the three back in the line-up shows just how sorely the presence of any one of Spurs attacking midfielders has been missed.

It was One Game Against West Brom

It was great to get back into the win column and head into a very big week with the return of Harry Kane. However, one win against a relegation battling side looking for an identity is nothing to write home about. Tottenham Hotspur were good on Sunday but it is very important that we maintain some perspective.

There was a lot Tottenham can still do better.

Like any game, nothing was perfect for Spurs and there is room for Tottenham to improve from Sunday’s shutout victory. Two goals was nice, however West Brom was conceding 2.8 per match on the road coming in, so Spurs probably should have had three if we look at statistics. Additionally, the four shots against and only one on target discounts the two times the ball went into the back of the net only to be flagged for offside. In other words, there is still things to work on.

Offensively, Tottenham get almost zero width even against week teams. Spurs are not Liverpool and you do not expect 35 crosses per match, but to manage only 20 crosses with eight of those being corner kicks is not enough. Crosses are about more than just hitting the striker, as we have seen with Liverpool sometimes a cross is the equivalent of an ice hockey player taking a long shot they know is coming back off the glass. It is simply about creating an opportunity.

Tottenham do not need to become cross crazy but they do need to ping more into the box and get more effective play from wide – preferably from the wingers NOT the fullbacks. If that winger is named Heung-Min Son and he starts to find his form again all the better.

Spurs continue to spurn set piece situations.

Further examining the offense, to get eight corners and not produce any real moments was sufficient against West Brom but will not cut it against Everton and Manchester City this week. Spurs will be lucky to get eight corners from the two matches combined, so being wasteful cannot continue.

We understand James Ward Prowse does not play for Tottenham and no one is going to consistently step up and hit free kicks, however, good teams find ways to score from set pieces and Tottenham want to be a good team. We have been waiting all year for some kind of real effectiveness with set pieces but continue to be disappointed. Spurs need to manufacture and leverage chances and a good set piece can be a difference maker.

As for the defense almost conceding a couple, HotspurHQ has already outlined our needs there.  As for this week and moving forward controlling the ball, having an attacking midfielder, and working to keep getting better as a team in the areas that are weak are the things that can push this team to success.