OPINION
Tottenham Hotspur travel to the London Stadium on Saturday to face West Ham United, with both teams hoping to secure all three points after a mixed start to the season.
The Hammers will want to return to winning ways after their 1-0 defeat to Brighton, while Spurs will want to prove to everybody that they are worthy Premier League top-four contenders.
One man that the Lilywhites will no doubt be incredibly wary of is Irons’ forward Marko Arnautovic, who has been one of the standout players in the team despite the £100 million investment.
Defender Toby Alderweireld waxed lyrical over the Austrian attacker, labelling him as “very good” as well as “quick”.
“Arnautovic is a very good, player. He is quick, smart, strong and he can score,” the Spurs man said, as quoted by the Evening Standard.
“He’s an all-round player so we have to be at our top level to beat them.”
However, the Tottenham mainstay has just made a very grave mistake by singling out the frontman as the only threat – after all, West Ham did not splash out £100 million for nothing did they?
He has failed to recognise the threat that summer recruits Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko pose, as well the strength of the midfield.
Nevertheless, this will only work in West Ham’s favour, as by the looks of things, Spurs are going to be concentrating their efforts on stopping Arnautovic in his tracks.
By doing this, they are allowing West Ham’s other talents to roam free, which could have dire consequences for Mauricio Pochettino.
There are several ways in which Tottenham can hinder the Hammers’ chances, and one of those includes preventing Anderson and Yarmolenko from producing their magic.
Another way is by outplaying the midfield, a threat of West Ham’s that is often underestimated.
By the looks of things, Tottenham do not seem to have recognised the mistake they could be about to make – but they will be the ones that pay the price.
