Wolves away was another clean sheet despite Tottenham’s best endeavours, which became a recurring theme when digging into the numbers of the Spurs players involved.
Tottenham gave the ball away endlessly against opposition one struggles to believe will finish in the upper echelons of the Premier League.
I’m no fan of possession stats. ‘Bossing the possession’ is apologist speak for losing. I’m not interested in losing or apologists.
Wolves had 61.05% of the ball, with which they managed to peel off 22 shots, yet only 5 were on target. Spurs gave the still slumbering Manchester City 61.85% of the ball on the opening day of the season.
So suspend your disbelief and imagine what an actual on-song side might achieve with that time and space?
Let’s have a dig, eh?
Just one week ago, Japhet Tanganga was immense against City. A passing accuracy rate of 91%, and against Nuno’s old side, that fell to 64%.
In real terms, Japhet managed just 18 accurate passes in his 99 minutes on the park.
An antidote to this was on hand from Davinson Sanchez who was superbly reliable. A passing accuracy of 94%, with just one weak spot…
Six out of 15 against a side like Wolves isn’t good enough, but otherwise, Nuno’s getting a tune out of the boy. Which is superb.
Dele Alli did well, he’s clearly pushing to win back credibility. Nice move for the pen, excellent conversion. That said, we all need greater evidence that to separate the apologists from the realists. You do understand there ought to be any distance between the two, don’t you?
Oliver Skipp had an okay game, in truth. The broad, at a glance discipline of ‘Total Actions’, showed that Skipp has a sub-par game – against his own numbers.
Steven Bergjiwn was a busy bee, but he was lacking that final touch in virtually every discipline.
Lucas Moura didn’t have his best 77minutes for Spurs against Wolves, that’s for sure/ 14 times he gave away possession. On 7 occasions in OUR half…
Sonny‘s heat map looked like a lawn that needed another few weeks before firing up the petrol mower. The South Korean’s mean average was 83.3%, against Wolves it was 67%.
Clean Sheets FC needs to up their game, before blood is let.
Welcome back!
Yes they dominated us, but lets not underestimate the influence of the hostile away crowd.
The game had “last 10 minute collapse” written all over it, so maybe this is progress?
Agreed not played well but cannot argue with points tally
Gotta agree with some of the previous comments. We’ve got six points and won twice. Possibly Nuno has got the defense more solid than Jose, yet… we rode our luck a lot too. Wolves could easily have won by three goals. That luck will go against us and we will be complaining bitterly if the defense is not strengthened further. We need another CB and probably a RB (Tanga does well, but he’s good squad player level – not first team pick).
The result was pleasing but the performance was far from acceptable, although I am noticing we look fitter (or is that because Ndom isn’t seen trudging around?). Stating that, the performances are what I am expecting at present, as we have started the last 2 league games with the same set of players we had last season bar the top scorer and assist provider in the league. The disaster in Europe was on the cards as soon as I saw the team. Of course we were going to struggle to score, there is only Son who knows where the goal is. However, seeing Wolves create so many chances is worrying. It isn’t excellent defending causing the clean sheets. Eventually we will let in goals because not all teams refuse to play with a striker (City), someone will shoot at Lloris’s near post, we still have Dier and Sanchez and Traore only plays for Wolves! He is frighteningly quick but has the same instinct in front of goal as Ade Akinbiyi.
Things have to get better. Don’t they? Please tell me they will. I don’t know what I expected Paratici to do, but I was expecting more than than what has been delivered so far. It is obvious that what I wanted, to have rid of the deadwood and have a clean slate is not going to happen. I am bemused that Lamela is the only one who has left out of Spurs’ own version of the Crazy 88. At least he ran round as though he cared. I know you cannot force a player to leave (Phil Jones at Utd is testament to that) but we will not move forward as a club with Sissoko, Winks, Aurier, Ndom, Doherty and half the team that started on Sunday, no matter how hard some are trying to resurrect their careers and impress NES.
Why can we never get a settled squad before the season starts? We were hardly in a stellar position to begin with so from my point of view I wanted a little more action from the Italian Steve Hitchen! I am not quite sure why Romero cannot start, unless I have missed something. He was fine to start against the Portuguese but not against Wolves! He won the Serie A defender of the year award and has a Copa America winner’s medal. He is either good enough or we are trying to still sell Sanchez and Dier by putting them in the shop window.
If we are expecting Moura, Bergwijn and Alli to light up the league this season I won’t be holding my breath. All 3 have their moments but they are hardly consistent week in week out. Being in the European Conference does not help our cause to add quality replacements and so I can feel Paratici’s pain somewhat, but there are players out there, West Ham’s recruitment has demonstrated that. Whether we get them on loans or BOGOF I do not care as long as the deadwood are ostracised and do not see light of day again for us, a la Phil Jones at Utd and the players we get can keep the ball instead of incessantly giving it away.
Welcome back!
6 points out of 6 is brilliant, but the way Wolves dominated us makes me worried. We were very poor in possession. How many points did we drop playing just like this against average teams away from home last season? Luckily, Adama Traore couldn’t finish his dinner.
Dier made important interceptions but had that moment of madness, which could have cost us two points (or even three, as them getting a goal back could have galvanised the players and crowd to get a winner), and I’m afraid I can’t look past that.
You either have to kill these games – and we had decent chances via Kane, Bergwijn, and Son – or be imperious in defence. Giving away possession constantly and making stupid mistakes will only lead us the same way we went last season.
I know it was a sub standard team we put out in the conference but they must still be coached and the way they cut us apart for the goal still makes me shudder.
We are only 1 brain freeze away from Dire or Sanchez doing that in the Prem.
(As for Traore muscly show pony springs to mind).
Passing stats for defenders can be deceptive, 100 per cent accurate. But every pass five yards and sideways or backwards.
Was the pass forward, did it take out the opposition, did it lead to a shot on target or goal. Winks I’m sure pads his passing stats every game.
What is the influence of Paratici and Hitchen on team selection and so on , because they appear to be sharing their views on the touchline a little too much as I see it .
Keep the wins coming tottenham by any means necessary.
Welcome back Harry.The Eddie and Bruce articles are okay… but they can feel like re-hashes of news rather than opinionated, fan-based, analysis.
Was always going to be a tough game against a very physical wolves team. I would like to think Nuno has it in his locker to grind out these sort of games that in all honesty we would have lost in previous years.
Time will tell.
I like his humility, and the way he handles himself with the media but let’s not let that detract from his real job he has to do…… getting a tune out of a one string banjo. 🥸
Welcome back Harry and very much missed and whilst you was on hols or whatever no comments option which is what of us enjoy.
Tougher game for our lot than i was expecting thats for sure, we just couldnt keep hold of it and lack a bit of creativity in midfield [since eriksen really].
Sneaked a goal and with a bit of hard work and plenty luck or lack of class got the 3 points .
Still need a few more through the door and to keep Kane .
Am I being moderated?
Welcome back, was starting to worry I was being diverted to HITC.
Wasn’t a pretty performance but maybe that’s all we can expect with this group of players. Most have underperformed for 3 bosses.
Can’t believe that we’ve kept two clean sheets in a row with Dier and Sanchez at the heart of our defence. Perhaps Nuno is doing better than we hoped? So far anyway…
Welcome back HH.
Wolves’ “magic” was hard graft & physicality, sort of the opposite of magic.
All good with Alli so far under Nuno – leading the ‘hard work’ stats.
We’ll know if his attitude shifts if those same stats dip I guess?
Welcome back! I thought Jose was back in charge for the Wolves game. I hope we’re not going to play like that all season.