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Tottenham vs West Brom: 5 key matchups

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 02: The Tottenham Hotspur players come out of the tunnel to warm up prior to kick off during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City at White Hart Lane on October 2, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 02: The Tottenham Hotspur players come out of the tunnel to warm up prior to kick off during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City at White Hart Lane on October 2, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /
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ENFIELD, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 13: Dele Alli of Tottenham during the Tottenham Hotspur training session at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on October 13, 2016 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
ENFIELD, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 13: Dele Alli of Tottenham during the Tottenham Hotspur training session at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on October 13, 2016 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images) /

5. Dele Alli vs. Claudio Yacob

Tottenham will need to do everything they can to make sure this match doesn’t get bogged down in the middle of the pitch. Dele Alli will need to strike the right balance between trying to take players on and providing quick passes to his teammates out on the wing.

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West Brom will likely deploy Argentine Claudio Yacob in their defensive midfield to try to bog Dele down whenever possible. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Pulis instructs the physical player to try to wind up Tottenham’s precocious starlet.

The big key here will be for Alli to move the ball early and often. It operates slightly against his nature, but he can’t try to dribble into the heart of the Baggies’ defense every time he touches the ball.

If Alli can establish possession, and move the ball out onto the wing it should help Spurs create plenty of chances against Yacob and his defensive mates. Then it will be up to others in the Tottenham attack to finish a few off.

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