View: Big Sam must learn from 5-0 thrashing – West Brom 29y/o is key to success v Spurs
West Brom face another ‘Big Six’ side this weekend and Sam Allardyce should make a key tactical change as a result.
Tottenham are suffering a dip in form and looked underwhelming against Chelsea in mid-week but they still hold a significant threat.
They will be eager to bounce back, and 6-1 and 7-2 wins against Manchester United and Maccabi Haifa this term show how devastating they can be in attack.
Son Heung-Min is the key danger man with Harry Kane out injured, and that means Kyle Bartley must be used in a specialised role on Sunday.
In our last encounter against a top side – Manchester City – Big Sam started with a back four, and we trailed 4-0 at half-time.
That game ended 5-0, but it would have been more if Bartley was not introduced at the break.
His presence allowed us to operate with three centre-backs, and that system worked well.
It limited the space available to Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden in the second half against City, and it is our best chance of stopping Son and his teammates.
The South Korean operates on the left-flank but likes to cut inside.
He works best when finding space between the right-back and the centre-back, but if Bartley plugs that gap he will not find as much joy.
That is exactly what happened in our previous meeting at The Hawthorns in November and we were able to frusrtae Spurs for large spells.
Their eventual winner was the result of a deep cross floated in for Kane to head in, which means Son was kept relatively quiet.
We do not have to worry about Kane on Sunday, fortunately, so should instead concentrate our efforts on Son.
Bartley is the right man for the job and has made 5.6 clearances and 1.2 interceptions per game this season (WhoScored).
His experience means he should be able to read Son’s movement, too, and that may be key to stopping Spurs on the counter-attack.
Also, we may be boosted by the arrival of Okay Yokuslu, who may make his debut after taking part in training this week.
His defensive mindset will be key to reducing space in and around the box, and he and Bartley can double up on Son.
The forward has scored or assisted 18 times in 21 league matches this term but a run of five games without a goal means he can be stopped.
Big Sam must create a plan for his players to do that, and instructing Bartley to man mark Son will increase our chances of a clean sheet.
In other West Brom news, This is how much money Lai spent on four big West Brom Jan signings – report.