Everyone’s least favorite derby approaches with a stormcloud of negativity. In one corner sits Tottenham Hotspur, winless in four straight and six of the last seven, recently knocked out of the FA Cup and with a manager seemingly fighting for his job. In the other sits West Ham United, a side in serious threat of relegation despite the attempts of Nuno Espirito Santo.
For Spurs, this match probably offers way more negatives than upside. Dropped points continues a worrying trend that will at some point be too much to overcome, especially if this form carries into the Champions League. Meanwhile, a win over 18th place really does not mean much, regardless of how pesky West Ham may be. However, we still hold out hope for some sort of turnaround, which feels pretty impossible if this one ends up short of a victory.
Date: Saturday, January 17
Time: 10:00 am ET, 3:00 pm UK
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
TV: Peacock (US)
Table: Spurs (14th, 27 pts), West Ham (18th, 14 pts)
The first meeting between these sides was scoreless at halftime, but the following 20 minutes were quite eventful. First, Pape Sarr opened the scoring off a corner, then Tomas Soucek got himself sent off with a studs-up tackle on Joao Palhinha. The visitors cruised from there, with Lucas Bergvall adding the second on a nice header and prolific scorer Micky van de Ven making it 3-0 for Tottenham at the London Stadium.
Nothing has come easily for Thomas Frank, especially at the bottom of the table. In four matches against the bottom four, Spurs have taken just seven points, with the aforementioned win over West Ham and the opening day victory at Burnley being the two successes. What stands out more are the failures: a terrible draw at home against Wolves and the embarrassment at Forest last month.
Stylistically, it is valid to worry about a match against this sort of club in North London. Tottenham’s dreadful home form has been well documented, and though the Hammers are pretty awful everywhere, they are versed in conceding possession and buckling down defensively while on the road. Nuno has also opted for a 4-3-2-1 formation against bigger sides (which Spurs may or not be?), which is something to look for on Saturday.
Speaking of Nuno, while Spurs avoided him — and Ange Postecoglou — at the City Ground last month, this will be the second consecutive league fixture for the manager against a previous employer. There is not a ton of emotion positively or negatively towards him at this point given his comically brief stint at Tottenham, though any result he can earn will surely drum up the narratives.
Richarlison, Mohammad Kudus, and Rodrigo Bentancur (and Brennan Johnson – technically, Dejan Kulusevski, and James Maddison) will not be available for Saturday, but Dominic Solanke and Conor Gallagher will. This theoretically gives Frank enough options to populate the six spots ahead of the back four, though the decisions are reaching the point where they nearly make themselves.
Though goals never seem to come easily, this really has to be a match where Tottenham scores. West Ham has allowed the most goals in the league and has the second-worst xGA, surrendering 14 goals in the past six league contests and averaging 2.1 xGA in the past three. The Spurs’ attack is never a given, but there is not much more that could be asked for in an opposing defense.
I am really curious to see what Gallagher could potentially bring to the side. He may not be a creative talent, but he should show more willingness and ability to drive forward than the alternatives in central midfield and at the very least offers a fresh face. The Hammers’ average the fifth-lowest possession in the league so Tottenham will enjoy plenty of time on the ball. Someone will have to show an interest in doing something with it, and the new signing seems as likely as anyone to do so.
