What’s behind Wolves decline? Five things learned from Wolves 2-3 Spurs

in , , , , , , ,

Tottenham Hotspur held off a late comeback to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2.

After a tense opening 25 minutes, Tottenham scored two goals in quick succession to take control of the match with Erik Lamela and Lucas finding the net.

Harry Kane then scored a third for Spurs after half-time but the away side’s lead was cut back to two after Ruben Neves scored a penalty.

Raul Jimenez pulled another goal back for Wolves, again from the spot, but the home side could not find an equaliser.

Here are five things we learned from an exciting match at Molineux.

1. Lucas reminds fans of his abilities

Lucas Moura had a good start to his first full season with Tottenham, scoring three goals in his first three games this campaign – including a brace against Manchester United.

But the Brazilian had been under par since then, failing to directly contribute to a goal in his next seven Premier League fixtures. That was until Spurs made the trip to Molineux.

Being taken off with 10 minutes to go as Spurs saw their three-goal lead reduced to one, no player created more chances than Moura (four) during his time on the pitch while also completing the joint-most take-ons (two).

Then there was his goal to put Spurs 2-0 up in the first half. Lucas isn’t the tallest man on the pitch, but he had the attacking knowledge of where to place himself between Conor Coady and Ryan Bennett so all he would need to do was flex his neck muscles to convert Trippier’s cross.

Spurs needed a different attacking influence to get them past Wolves, and Lucas was exactly that.

2. Wolves’ positivity proves their downfall

Following their promotion from the Championship at the end of last season, one question on everyone’s lips was whether Wolves would continue with their positive style of football under Nuno Espirito Santo.

And, as they did against Manchester City and Manchester United, Wolves tried to go toe-to-toe with Tottenham at Molineux. However, unlikely against the Manchester pair, Espirito Santo’s men paid for their positivity.

After an impressive start from the home side, Spurs took easy control of the game with their attacking midfielders exploiting the defensive weaknesses of Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves who had initially looked to trouble their opponents.

Conceding two goals in just three minutes, Wolves had a huge mountain to climb against a Tottenham side growing in confidence and testing their luck from various positions.

Espirito Santo’s men did score twice in the second half, both from the penalty spot, but by then the damage had already been done with Wolves having given Spurs a three-goal head-start.

Wolves will claim some more scalps this season, but they do need balance in their wishes are to stay in the Premier League.

3. Kieran Trippier finds his attacking magic once more

During the summer Trippier played his way into the hearts of an entire nation as an integral part of the England squad which reached the World Cup semi-finals. But for Spurs the right-back was slightly subdued at the start of the season, contributing to just one goal in his past seven games after two in his first two (one goal, one assist).

Against Wolves on Saturday night, Trippier provided a throwback to the summer with a brilliant delivery to set up Lucas’ goal. Picking the ball up on right flank, the Englishman was afforded time and space to whip in a cross over the Wolves defence, between Conor Coady and Ryan Bennett onto the head of Lucas, one of the smallest players on the pitch.

4. VAR can’t come soon enough

This is getting boring, but the Premier League need to get VAR. On Saturday alone there were at least three instances in which VAR would have changed a refereeing decision.

The first came at the Cardiff City Stadium in which Lee Probert failed to spot a handball on the line from Sol Bamba against Leicester which should have resulted in a penalty and red card. The second saw Sadio Mane have a perfectly good goal ruled out for offside, something VAR would have overturned.

And Wolves also had a legitimate goal chalked off by the flag as Raul Jimenez was adjudged to have been offside in putting away Moutinho’s good ball into the box. Another VAR would have overturned.

We often talk about decisions changing games with regards to goals being given and it is, more often than not, purely theoretical. But going in 2-1 at half-time would have been much more positive for the Wolves players than 2-0, changing the team talks and tactics of both managers.

So, come on Premier League, it’s time to let VAR in.

5. Tottenham’s defensive frailties peek through again

Trippier may have been impressive going forward but the Bury Beckham had a moment to forget with 20 minutes to go.

Spurs were cruising by this time, 3-0 up and on their way to three points, with the players clearly high on confidence.

So high Trippier deciding to try and nutmeg Leo Bonatini near the edge of the Tottenham area, resulting in the Englishman being tackled and Wolves moving into the box.

Jimenez picked the ball up and was clipped by young Juan Foyth inside the area, giving the referee the easy decision of pointing to the penalty spot. Neves converted and Spurs’ lead was reduced to two once more.

Foyth was once again penalised with less than 15 minutes to go for pulling down Jonny inside the box, with Jimenez converting.

And it was not just the penalty incidents. At 2-0 up Spurs showed signs of complacency in the second half, with defenders letting Wolves players run behind them, depending on either poor finishes or Hugo Lloris to save their blushes.

Spurs may have won the match, but better teams will punish these lapses in concentration at the back.

The post What’s behind Wolves decline? Five things learned from Wolves 2-3 Spurs appeared first on Squawka News.



From Squawka NewsSquawka News https://ift.tt/2OoVb0f
Labels: , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)