It’s only November but the chances of Spurs winning the title are already looking extremely slim. The 2-0 loss at Arsenal has left the North Londoners 11 points behind the league leaders and due to the massive gap in goal difference, it’s all but 12. Those losses to Manchester United and Arsenal have put huge question marks on their ability to challenge for the title this season.
Now they a run of five fixtures against sides against sides all below seventh in the Premier League table and they must start piling up the points. The performance at the Emirates was a hugely disappointing one. Harry Kane didn’t look 100 percent fit and you have to go back to October 22 for his last league goal. Dele Alli also put in a sub-par performance and the Irish must wish that Eriksen had played against them as he did the Gunners.
The loss at the Emirates was their third league defeat of the season and that’s just one less than in the whole of last season, so it’s recovery time and this match looks the perfect opportunity for them. Spurs have won their last three home games, add on the win over Real Madrid and that Wembley Hoodoo is just history now. The fact they have a midweek Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund is a bit of a hindrance but the fact they have already qualified for the knock-out stages might mean a week of rest for Kane in particular and if fit, he’ll enjoy facing the West Brom defence.
The big question for Albion is whether they will still have Tony Pulis as their manager when this game takes place. There were loud cries for him to be sacked after West Brom suffered a 4-0 home defeat by Chelsea on Saturday. That left them with just two wins in their last 21 league games and a place in the bottom three seems to be waiting for them if something doesn’t happen and soon.
Albion have conceded in nine of their last ten Premier League games and eight goals in their last three. A form guide for the past ten league matches has them bottom of the table. Just four points out of 30 is enough to get any fan upset about the direction their club is going in.
They have only scored nine league goals this season and to be honest, just looking at their line-up it isn’t an inspiring one. With that being the case, if those players aren’t performing to anywhere near their best, it’s no surprise that they are in desperate trouble. Away form has seen them earn just four points from six games and score just three games conceding eight. They have only won one of their last 15 away league games and failed to score in three of the last four. Albion just seem to have reached that stage where new ideas and an injection of confidence are quickly needed.
Conclusion
Both sides need a win for very different reasons. Tottenham see their title challenge fading away and their only real hopes of winning a trophy lie in the FA Cup and Champions League. The excellent form they were showing a few weeks ago has disappeared and they need to get Kane and Alli back to their best as soon as possible or they might just be left with a bid to finish in the top four. West Brom have been in deep trouble for a while now and just about hit rock bottom when hammered at home by Chelsea last Saturday. Regardless of what happens re who’s in charge, this looks booked to be a home win for Spurs but just how convincing they are in achieving it is highly important.
The Key Stats
Last Five Premier League Results – Most recent first
Tottenham Hotspur – LWLWW
West Brom – LLLLD
Head to Head – Last Five League Meetings
14/01/17 – Tottenham 4 West Brom 0
15/10/16 – WBA 1 Tottenham 1
25/04/16 – Tottenham 1 West Brom 1
05/12/15 – West Brom 1 Tottenham 1
31/01/15 – West Brom 0 Tottenham 3
- Tottenham have won their last three home Premier League games.
- Tottenham have only lost one of their last 25 home league games
- Four of the last five Tottenham home league games have had under 2.5 goals scored in them.
- West Brom have lost their last four league games.
- West Brom have gone five away league games without a win.
- Tottenham are unbeaten in their last five league games against West Brom.
- West Brom have only won one of their last 15 league games against Tottenham.