Tottenham made the decision to give Tim Sherwood a contract as manager and let him have a go at taking charge at White Hart Lane. They head back to White Hart Lane for the first Premier League match since their 0-5 spanking by Liverpool which lead to Andre Villas Boas being relieved of his duties. They did get a crucial win at Southampton on Sunday to keep themselves in the hunt for a Champions League place.
West Brom managed to break a four game losing streak with their 1-1 home draw to Hull City, but they continue to struggle. They are now without a win in the last seven matches in the Premier League and have scored eight goals while giving up 13 in this time, without a clean sheet.
What to expect
In the match against Southampton, Sherwood was continually encouraging Spurs players to attack and move the ball forward more quickly. This could mean an end to the high possession, high pressing, and high defensive line they used under the previous manager – Andre Villas Boas. At least the high defensive line was abandoned which could also be due to the loss of so many key players in the back.
Spurs have mounting injury problems, particularly in midfield, but should have Mousa Dembélé back despite being forced off at Southampton last time out. Paulinho is still suspended but Sandro has a chance of returning. Etienne Capoue could start in the middle in Tim Sherwood’s attacking 4-4-2, alongside Christian Eriksen if Dembélé doesn’t make it. Nabil Bentaleb impressed on debut last time out but may not be thrown in from the start here.
West Brom have no injury worries ahead of a busy Christmas schedule. Claudio Yacob could come back in to strengthen central midfield for a tough trip to Tottenham. Saido Berahino came off the bench at half time and could feature from the start here.
Tottenham are undefeated in their last 8 home matches against West Brom in all competitions, but West Brom have failed to win their last 7 matches in the Premier League.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Match Prediction
West Brom are a team in crisis. They have failed to win any of their last 7 games and only avoided a home loss to Hull with a late equalizer last time out. They need a new manager to inject some new ideas into the squad, and their poor run could be extended here.
Tottenham 2-1 West Bromwich Albion