Tottenham travel to face West Brom at the Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon, as the side from north London look to continue their good start to their Premier League campaign.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side moved to second place in the table with a 2-0 win over league leaders Manchester City last time out. The win also moved Spurs to within a point of Pep Guardiola’s side.
Last season Tottenham were in the fight for the Premier League title for much of the campaign. However, towards the end of the campaign, their form slipped and in the end surprise package Leicester won the title rather comfortably.
The win over City showed everybody just how well Tottenham can play against a title rival. However, it may be games like Sunday that hold the key to Spurs mounting a realistic challenge for the title this season.
In the recent past, Tottenham have had a tendency to slip-up against teams considered inferior to themselves. This occurred a few times last season, including when Pochettino’s side suffered a 2-1 defeat at home against struggling Newcastle.
Spurs are regarded by some as a team that struggles when the going gets tough. They tend to get complacent against smaller teams but can raise their game for the clashes.
A trip to West Brom does not look like a hard one on paper. However, the Baggies are the sort of team that can grind out a result against virtually any team. They will do their best to stifle Spurs attacking play and defend for their lives.
Then there is the added factor of playing against former star Nacer Chadli. The Belgium international has made a decent start to life in the Midlands following his deadline day move from Tottenham.
Tottenham seem to have the quality and character to challenge for the Premier League title, but it is games like Saturday’s which will help determine if they can become champions or not.