after yet another comeback.
Wolves have gained the most points from a losing position of any team in the league, even before they came from behind twice to beat Jose’s Spurs.
After last week’s defeat Jose said his Spurs side were tired, well they had over a week off while Wolves had travelled to Barcelona for a game on Thursday. So there’s that excuse gone.
The similarities between the way both teams set up was the only similarity, as Spurs again changed formation and personnel for their visitors, while Wolves stick with the same formation and pretty much the same starting XI their manager plays every week, no matter who they’re facing.
I know Jose is trying to find out which players he can trust, who he can use and keep, after coming in halfway through the season but the constant chopping and changing, players and formation, is helping no one. It also happened under Poch more than it should.
As under Poch, when it’s not going right Jose changes the formation, as happened in this defeat. Subs made and formation changes with three defenders coming off, two midfielders and a striker coming on. Though the striker came on very late leaving Spurs with pretty much seven midfielders on the pitch with no target to find. Wolves, though behind twice, didn’t panic, kept the same formation and only changed players who were injured or after they were in the lead.
Apparently Jenas was saying this on MotD2 – the ubiquitous Jenas – also saying that Toby was the best centre-half for the last three/fours years or sommat like that and was stunned he and Jan were on the bench while Dier played and couldn’t understand Jose’s praise of Dier. Now Jenas, as said, is ubiquitous, I don’t know when the last time I tuned into a match and he wasn’t there. Yet he seems to have not actually watched any of the games or he’d have seen Toby being the worst he’s been in a Spurs shirt, this season. His abject performance against Bayern. Or that Jan is gone.
I know this sounds utterly ridiculous but… apart from the goals, Dier played well. He did what he used to do when covering from midfield. I get fully why Jose played the back three he did, Dier as a sweeper and the two pacey players either side – something you can’t accuse Jan or Toby of now.
He also played Aurier at wing-back, which is his best position. Where he should have been for the Chelsea game when he went back three. He gets forward, which Tanganga being a young, centre-back isn’t as quick to do. And you saw Aurier contributing with a cross for the opening goal and with Spurs’ second.
Well, they say Wolves started slowly, their manager said it but they had early chances before Spurs took the lead 13 minutes in. Lo Cleso onto Aurier and his cross is hit goal-ward by Dele, who should have scored, luckily – unlike the rest of the game – the chance wasn’t completely fluffed, as Bergwijn was there to slam in his second goal for the club.
The lead didn’t last that long and what followed was the usual omniclusterfuckshambles defending that’s just so Spurs. Sanchez sold himself easily, nearer the halfway line than his area, Aurier was never really in the race to cut off the cross, which Dier missed and Tanganga fluffed, leaving Davies with two to mark, one of which scored, as the ball sat up nicely for Doherty.
Spurs regained the lead on the cusp of half-time. Dele played the ball out wide to Aurier who cut back inside and curled a lovely one in with his left foot. That’s why you play in in a wing-back formation.
Both teams were having chances. Good chances were fluffed easily. They both ended up with roughly the same number of shots and shots on target. Spurs one more of the latter, Wolves one more of the former. Dele can’t seem to score these days. He ghosted in perfectly for a header, which he somehow put put wide. One goal and you think he’ll be back on it. just one.
The Wolves equaliser was down to direct play. No I don’t mean route one. But just running forward. Traore bouncing off Tanganga but getting straight up and charging forward, past the lung of Davies. pass to one Jimenez, he plays on, Doherty crosses and it’s a tap-in for Jota.
Wolves are never out of a game. They don’t panic because this ain’t their first rodeo. As said before the most points from a losing position, it’s 21 now. And even though those shots stats were similar, it looked like Wolves would score the winner more than it looked like Spurs would. They had the seven midfielders on now, the formation had shifted and Gedson was playing right back.
The winner came from another counter attack. Now Jose decided that his captain for the day should be Winks. Winks had been in the media this week comparing himself to Carrick and Scholes. Winks is no Carrick or Scholes. Scholes could score and assist. Winks doesn’t. Carrick was England’s Pirlo. He could quarterback a game, picking out passes that led to scoring. Winks doesn’t. Winks is Scrappy Doo. Running about and being there first to celebrate with the goal scorer, when he contributed nothing to the goal.
For Wolves second and third goal Winks was absent. As Jota bamboozled Moura, then ran forward, as the Wolves player passes to Jimenez, halfway inside the Spurs half, you can just see Winks on the edge of the picture, about the halfway line slowly jogging back. The “he’s one of our own” mob were unavailable for comment. Once Jimenez had the ball in the box, no one expected anything but the eventual result.
There as 17 minutes of normal time left for Spurs to get back into this. As seven midfielders aimlessly didn’t know what to do, Jose waited 18 minutes before bringing on a striker. Parrott’s Alive! For the three minutes he was on the pitch, he didn’t touch the ball.
Nuno Espirito Santo is a good manager. He has his plan, he sticks to it, his team has played more than anyone, they’re not tired and Wolves are never out of a game… just saying…