Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham: The Inside Track on the Spurs
5. Who worries you most in the West Ham line-up?
CC: Michail Antonio – he is in fine form right now, probably the best we have ever seen him play and his goalscoring record since the return of football (after the Covid-19 lockdown) has been amazing. And of course, he scored the winner at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April 2019, when West Ham became the first team to beat us at our new home (something we want to forget!)
CW: Pablo Fornals is that little touch of class that you’ve lacked since Lanzini has had all his problems, and I suspect he’ll unlock us once or twice. Rice is obviously a man mountain in midfield, will be interesting to see if he can upset the rhythm Spurs have started to build in that department or if he gets crowded out of the game.
Jared Bowen looks a legend in the making as well, and I can see him finding some space in behind our full-backs if they get a bit carried away. Antonio is alright again? Imagine that!
HL: I don’t think West Ham fans will agree but I have always thought Yarmolenko is one of your most talented players, I accept that he may not be playing so naturally the danger points to Michail Antonio who’s bang on form and loves scoring against us!
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6. What football can west ham fans expect from Jose Mourinho?
CC: These last few games have been highly entertaining, and Spurs have played some fantastic attacking football – in the Newcastle game we should’ve scored a hatful, but the goalkeeper had a great game, the Southampton away win (5-2) Sonny and Kane were on fire, and in our last Premier League game, beating Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford – and we could’ve ad should’ve scored more.
I’m expecting much of the same – good, attacking football from the first minute and trying to get that early goal to set the tone.
CW: It’s always difficult to say with Jose because he will adapt the style to whoever we are playing. But the idea that he’s a park the bus merchant is rubbish. We haven’t seen any evidence of that at all. Spurs will attack the wide channels, try and find space in behind and between the lines. If you sit deep, we’ve got the quality to hit you from range.
To beat us I think you need get in behind us early and pick up a quick goal or two as we will press high and there will be space on our flanks in behind to exploit. Of course, Jose might surprise and sit in a low block, leave Bale and Son up top and look to pick you off on the counter.
HL: Swift counter-attacking football! A 4-3-3 with everybody behind the ball when not in possession, fast patterns breaking the lines especially soon after regaining possession from the opposition.
7. What weaknesses are there in the Tottenham side that West ham can exploit?
CC: Defensively: We have really improved our full-backs, bringing in Doherty and Reguilón – but we needed to improve in the centre-back area. For most of the window, we were linked with Milan Skriniar; sadly it didn’t happen – if it did then it would’ve been ‘the perfect window!’
We haven’t kept a clean sheet in any game this season (4 league games, 3 Europa games and a League Cup game), this worries me as a Spurs fan as defensively at times we have been poor – BUT, when you have our front line, then we know we will score goals up the other end.
CW: At the moment, the balance of our ‘strongest XI’ is very attacking. That’s why Hojbjerg is so important. When going forward, the full-backs will be high, and Hojbjerg will sit in a back three. There will be space if you can counter that with speed and precision, you will get opportunities. We are also still pretty suspect at defending set-pieces, so there will always be an opportunity there.
HL: Our main weakness would be at centre back. Eric Dier has a mistake in him during 90 mins and Davison Sanchez can be rash. Toby Alderweireld seems to have lost every bit of pace he ever did have. Antonio and Haller could be a handful.
8. Many players have played for both Tottenham and West Ham such as Scott Parker, Jermain Defoe and David Bentley, who is your favourite and why?
CC: Jermain Defoe, without doubt, a superb striker who just finished. He has an incredible record at Tottenham, and we all adore him and what he brought to Spurs – as fans we just knew we had a special goalscoring talent we could rely on.
CW: I think it’s great that our two clubs have been able to share some great players down the years. Sorry we nicked Scotty Parker off of you, think us Spurs fans would like to claim that he’s one of our own, but really we know he’s not!
But I’d have to say Defoe is my favourite, he was a weapon for us for so long, and he’s still playing up in Scotland! Legend!
HL: It’s a toss-up between Scott Parker and Jermain Defoe but I gotta go JD for his work outside of football. Not many better human beings than Jermain Defoe!
9. What is your match prediction?
CC: My predicted line-up is: Lloris, Doherty, Reguilón, Dier, Alderweireld, Ndombele, Højbjerg, Lo Celso, Moura, Kane and Son.
A good attacking display from Spurs, get an early goal – Bale on in the second half to seal the win for Tottenham, 3 points (that’s what I’m hoping anyway!.
CW: Really hard to tell because it depends how Jose sets the team up and if I knew what he thought I’d be the one managing Spurs right now! I’d like to think Spurs will win the midfield battle and then it is just a matter of when and by how many.
That’s unlikely to happen, and I think you’re going to give us a real gritty battle. For the neutral’s sake, I hope it’s quite back and forth, and both sides go for it. There’s going to be space on the pitch for both teams; it’ll be about who can exploit it best and who’s the most disciplined in defence.
HL: I am expecting a win but I do also believe that home advantage is not a thing anymore, it’s a derby and that usually means whoever wants it more on the day.
Next. West Ham’s Declan Rice still open to centre-back role. dark
10. Score Prediction?
CC: I’m going to go with a 3-1 Spurs win. The Spurs forward line are having a great time at the moment and are linking up really well, and in the past few games, we have been so clinical and deadly in scoring positions.
Kane and Son are on fire, and the thought of Gareth Bale playing in this game really excites me – I can’t wait to see Kane, Son and Bale all in the same team together.
CW: So hard, it’s always competitive between us. But I’m going to be cocky and say 3-1 Spurs!
HL: I’m going to go with 2-1 Tottenham, with a Gareth Bale freekick in there