Wolves Vs Tottenham Preview

As others have noted, it was good that Julen Loptegui didn’t hide away from acknowledging Wednesday’s dismal performance.

Some managers might have tried to deflect on the basis we kept them out for the majority of the contest, but he was quick to point out we should be doing better.

Standards are important and that was probably the worst performance – with the ball at least – of his time in charge.

One thing that continues to concern me is that this team seem to go through two distinct phases in games – sustained possession without creating followed by another period in which they can’t find even one good pass.

We’ve got to sustain a higher level of performance for longer and take more chances in attack.

Spurs

Losing to Sheff Utd the other night almost certainly means another season without a trophy for Tottenham.

They’re still in the Champions League but have a 1-0 deficit to overturn against AC Milan in the second leg and even if they were to progress, they don’t give you the feeling they’re capable of going all the way in that competition.

In the Premier League, getting that top-four finish is a realistic aspiration. They currently occupy the final spot and have a good run of games coming up against teams at the bottom.

That doesn’t always count for much, but they possess attacking players that can punish weak defences, so they’ll be hoping for a strong return in March and early April to bolster their position.

Lloris and Bentancour are both out, the latter for the remainder of the season.

An away record of won 5, drawn 3, lost 4, scored 20 and conceded 20 isn’t brilliant and coupled with that mini-upset in the cup the other night, shows they can be vulnerable on their travels.

Harry Kane (20 goals already this season) and Richarlison are both serial scorers against Wolves and the latter is still waiting for his first Premier League goal for Tottenham. I hope that doesn’t follow a predictable script.

Wolves

If Cunha is fit, I think Julen has to look at fielding the same attacking lineup that performed well for the first hour at Fulham.

Hugo Bueno is probably ruled out by what looked like a hamstring injury he picked up at Liverpool, so Ait-Nouri will be back in the side.

I’ll be disappointed if I see Moutinho deployed in that advanced attacking midfield role again. He works hard and is always neat in possession but we need another player that carries a direct threat in those spaces.

I wouldn’t be overly upset to see Nunes dropped, possibly for Gomes if that might free Ruben to get further forward. Matheus teases quality but I don’t feel is giving enough to the team in terms of effort or output to be an automatic pick.

Predictions

Well done to Ash k, Wokywolf, Steppenwolfe and Desert Wolf who got the scoreline spot on at Anfield.

Rich now has a five-point lead at the top of the overall table at the end of Gameweek 25.

As always, if you’d like to join in with the Prediction League this season, it’s simple – just leave your prediction in the comment section below using the boxes provided. Then repeat for every preview article throughout the season, making sure you always use the same email address to make your prediction. Your email is what ties you to your overall score.

You can read my prediction for the game in the comment section below.

Up The Wolves!