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In just two minutes, Tottenham Hotspur calmed any concerns that their weakened defense could hinder their performance as a team, after their chaotic loss to Chelsea in their previous match. While it wasn’t a complete resolution, it did give Spurs some early encouragement and motivation to strive for.
In just 88 minutes, Ange Postecoglou was able to see and understand that, despite the strong effort, determination, and willingness of his makeshift team, they lacked the necessary unity and stability to defend against the top teams in the Premier League. And this was all before Wolverhampton Wanderers’ late comeback.
In the game, it was Brennan Johnson who scored the first goal by tapping in a quick and smooth play from the right side. However, Tottenham did not pose much threat after that and their performance changed significantly for most of the game. Despite this, they still held the lead until the final moments when Pablo Sarabia’s impressive first touch and volley equalized the score. And in a last-minute surprise, Mario Lemina slid in to score the winning goal, causing the home fans to erupt in excitement. The final score was Wolves 2-1 Tottenham.
During this period, there were significant events that gave Postecoglou reasons to be hopeful and also made him stop and think.
Although the defense underwent significant changes, the offense remained largely the same, with a few key differences: James Maddison’s absence due to injury resulted in Pape Sarr taking on a more advanced role, using his speed to run into open spaces and still fulfilling his duties in deeper areas. However, without Maddison as the link and without the attacking support from full-back Destiny Udogie, Tottenham struggled to break out of their defensive formation and maintain possession in the opponent’s half.
Their occasional danger, when it occurred, was in the form of counterattacks, primarily led by Dejan Kulusevski’s ball-carrying skills and rarely with enough players to make a significant impact in the end.
The true narrative unfolded at the opposite side of the field, where Postecoglou’s valuable takeaways from the game were revealed.
Eric Dier made his first appearance as a starter in the league this season, being chosen as a centre-back alongside Ben Davies – who was also only making his second start. Both players performed well, which is the main point of evaluation. However, the problem lies in the fact that they played well individually. They were able to make successful tackles, clear the ball at the last minute, and intercept low crosses and cut-backs. But given their limited playing time this season, it is not surprising that there was a lack of cohesion, understanding, and partnership between them. This has been a major strength for Tottenham Hotspur’s defense this season, with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven seamlessly filling in for each other, complementing each other’s abilities, and handling attacks together.
In this scenario, with the addition of Emerson Royal taking up a left-back position, the focus was on each defender’s efforts to be the last line of defense, make crucial touches, and block any attempts to preserve their narrow lead.
There shouldn’t be any blame headed to Dier or Davies for that, as both reasonably did as much as they could, but Spurs’ lack of cohesion saw them exposed and exploited time after time by a very progressive – and very wasteful – Wolves attack.
The hosts had an average of less than 12 shots per game in the current Premier League season. However, in this particular match, they had already exceeded that number well before the one-hour mark. Despite their efforts, with a mix of missed shots, defensive blocks, and questionable decision-making, Guglielmo Vicario did not face as many challenges as expected.
In the final outcome, it required 16 and 17 attempts to defeat the Italian and defeat Spurs.
Pablo Sarabia netted a stunning equalizing goal, but Wolves ultimately secured a late victory.
Although the result may seem disappointing, the reality is that a more efficient and high-scoring team, who typically scores more than 1.3 goals per game like Wolves this season, would have secured the win much earlier.
Reworded: Postecoglou can find comfort in the team’s determination and heart, as well as the fact that one third of Romero’s suspension has already passed, and Udogie’s has been served in full. However, if Tottenham had managed to hold on for the win, it would not have changed the game’s outcome for the manager – they would simply have earned more points.
Van de Ven in defence and Maddison in attack have been core components of both recovery and intricacy in Spurs’ play this season, and neither have obvious replacements. Work lies ahead over the international break to ensure Tottenham’s early season promise doesn’t fade away entirely in the aftermath of that damaging defeat to Chelsea.
Source: independent.co.uk
