We’ll find out in the coming weeks if ‘Angeball’ in its purest form has started to show a crack or two, but those who watch the team regularly know this defeat is coming.
Brentford and Brighton had already shown that opportunity had struck Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs and Wolves, unbeaten away from home this year, were the perfect team to take full advantage of.
“I’m not a magician,” Postecoglou warned later when asked if he had any tricks to help his team make the most of the enforced two-week break, but Spurs need to find a way to stop giving their opponents the advantage. lots of luck.
In both competitions, although not in Europe, Tottenham have a huge advantage over rivals Aston Villa and Manchester United in the Champions League qualification race, and it would be a huge disappointment if Postecoglou’s side were somehow defeated.
Postecoglou will have two weeks to recharge his players before they face Crystal Palace on Saturday, whose interim manager Oliver Glasner is among the Tottenham fans.
“There’s no cheating, it’s a tough job,” Postecoglou said. “I am not a magician, I am a football manager. As a result of hard work, we have reached a good point and we will continue to do so.”
Tottenham are undoubtedly missing full-backs Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie who were injured against Wolves, but Postecoglou refused to use that as an excuse, saying: “We’ve had a lot of injuries and we’ve done better than that. “The performance wasn’t where it needed to be.”
It was right for Postecoglou to point out that this was just one defeat and that his side struggled to beat Brentford and Brighton after falling behind, but it is equally relevant to point out that Tottenham cannot continue to escape this, as Wolves have proven.
Joao Gomes scored his first goal of the season to help the visitors seal the league double against 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; Hwang Hee-chan missed a sitter and Pablo Sarabia should have scored.
Postecoglou likes to send his team to attack, attack, attack but this plan becomes vulnerable if Tottenham’s attackers have an off day, as Richarlison, James Maddison and Son Heung-min did against Wolves.
Dejan Kulusevski got on the scoresheet and forced Jose Sa to make a good save, but there wasn’t much for Tottenham to be excited about despite Postecoglou throwing to Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson in search of more late goals.
“It was similar to the last few games, we didn’t start well, the first half wasn’t great, we controlled the game but it wasn’t threatening enough,” Postecoglou said. “We couldn’t take advantage of the moments we had and our pressure was not at the usual level.
“They are very good at counter-attacking. In the second half, we set up camp in their half, sometimes in the penalty area, and created opportunities, but we conceded the second goal and chased the game, but we could not overcome it.”
Tottenham have not conceded a goal in the league since December 15, but Postecoglou rejected claims that his team missed too many chances due to their attacking philosophy.
“A lot of our defensive work was outstanding,” he said. “This is one of our strengths and we are trying to improve in every area. There’s no point in feeling sorry for ourselves. We will take the hits and move on and we have to be ready. “We have two weeks and this will be a different development.”
Wolves made it back-to-back wins in London by beating Spurs for the second time this season, just two weeks after completing the league double against Chelsea.
O’Neil’s side are now just two points off seventh place, which would guarantee a place in the Europa Conference League. He has refused to set a target for his players to qualify for Europe but is happy for Wolves fans to dream big.
“I like fans to dream,” O’Neil said. “One of my favorite parts of the job is that I’m not allowed to get carried away, but I love that they can think about it.
“If we were at 22 points they would be worried. But the fact that he’s 35 now is all I care, they can talk about the title fee! “It’s really special and you can see the connection.”
Gomes kissed Pedro Neto’s boot for the assist on the midfielder’s second goal, before the winger raced down the right before controlling again to catch Emerson Royal and producing an excellent pass.
Neto’s stock will continue to rise and O’Neil said: “His strengths are incredibly strong, his athleticism and speed, quality of the ball and passing are excellent.
“We are working hard to improve the areas that need improvement. He knows that. How much can he do for the team without having the ball, controlling the ball? It would be lazy to say ‘Oh, he’s great’ and let him get on with it.”