by We will find out in the coming weeks if ‘Angeball’, in his pure form, is starting to show a crack or two, but those who watch the team regularly know that this victory was coming.
Brentford and Brighton had already shown peaks of opportunity against Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs, and Wolves – unbeaten away from home this year – were the perfect team to take full advantage.
Postecoglou later warned that “I’m not a magician” when asked if he has any tricks to help his team make the most of a mandatory two-week break, but Spurs must find a way to stop their start add to their opponents and so many chances.
Not in Europe and out of the two cups, Tottenham have a huge advantage over rivals Aston Villa and Manchester United in the race for Champions League qualification, and it will be a huge disappointment if Postecoglou’s side somehow miss out. some.
Postecoglou will have two weeks to recharge his players before they face Crystal Palace, whose manager-in-waiting Oliver Glasner was among the Tottenham crowd on Saturday.
“There’s no trick, it’s hard work,” Postecoglou said. “I’m not a magician, I’m a football manager. We have reached this point which is reasonable because of hard work and that is what we will continue to do.”
Undoubtedly, Tottenham lost injured defenders Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie against Wolves, although Postecoglou refused to use that as an excuse and said: “We’ve had a lot of injuries and we did better than that. The performance was not where it should have been.”
Postecoglou was right to point out that this was just one win and that his side fought back to beat Brentford and Brighton after falling behind, but it is equally relevant to point out that Tottenham cannot keep getting away with it – as Wolves proved.
Joao Gomes scored his first goal of the season to ensure the visitors completed a league double over Spurs, but Gary O’Neil’s side could and should have had more.
Gomes’ goals came from an unmarked header and a counter-attack from a Tottenham corner, while Hwang Hee-chan missed a tackle and Pablo Sarabia should have scored.
Postecoglou loves to send his team out to attack, attack, attack, but that plan becomes fragile if Tottenham’s attacking players suffer an off day, as Richarlison, James Maddison and Son Heung-min did against Wolves.
Dejan Kulusevski got on the scoreboard and forced Jose Sa into a good save, but there was little else for Tottenham to be excited about – even after Postecoglou threw Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson in pursuit of a goal later on .
“It was like the last few games, he didn’t start well, the first half wasn’t great, he controlled the game but didn’t threaten enough,” Postecoglou said. “We didn’t take advantage of the opportunities we had and the pressure wasn’t on us at the usual level.
“They are good on the counter attack. In the second half, we camped in their half, sometimes in their box, they created opportunities but we conceded the second goal and, chasing the game, we couldn’t overcome it.”
Tottenham have not kept a clean sheet in the league since December 15, but Postecoglou rejected any suggestion that his side were conceding too many chances due to their attacking philosophy.
“A lot of our defense work is outstanding,” he said. “It’s one of our strengths and we keep trying to improve in every area. There is no point in feeling sorry for ourselves. We take the blow and move on, and we have to be ready. We’ve got two weeks and it’s going to be another build-up.”
Just two weeks after completing a league double over Chelsea, Wolves made a triumphant return to London by beating Spurs for the second time this season.
O’Neill’s team are now just two points off seventh place, which would clinch a place in the Europa League. He refused to set the target for his players to qualify for Europe, but he is happy that Wolves fans are dreaming big.
“I love the fans dreaming,” said O’Neill. “One of my favorite parts of the job is that I’m not allowed to quit, but I love being able to think about it.
“If we were on 22 points, they would be worried. But the fact that he is now 35, they can talk about a title fee for all I care! It’s really special and you can see the connection.”
Gomes kissed starter Pedro Neto off his assist for the midfielder’s second goal after the winger raced down the right, checked back to find Emerson Royal, and produced a perfect pass.
Neto’s stock will continue to rise and Ó Néill said: “His strengths are extremely strong, athleticism and speed, quality on the ball and excellent passing.
“We are working hard to improve the areas where he needs to improve. He knows about that. How much he can do for the team, out of possession, understanding with the ball. It would be lazy to say ‘Oh it’s great’ and let it get on with it.”
