London. It is positive to play cards with good results, dominating the midfield and starting elevens style with the stars shining.
But in the end, one thing is more important than anything else.
Having (at least) one player up front with a nose for the goal.
Ronaldo (the oldest) looked moderately amused as he sat at the Tottenham Stadium on a balmy Saturday afternoon.
There is certainly great doubts as to whether the 45-year-old will be able to complete the top speed these days, but Wolves have needed the qualities of a striker nearly twenty years ago. At least the team didn’t have to worry about potential connectivity issues.
Wolverhampton – who has always been called the Portuguese Midlands – may have been more Portuguese than ever against Spurs. Only three players in the starting lineup, all in the back line, have roots elsewhere. The entire Iberian Peninsula is included in number two (Nathan Collins and Max Kellman).
Says a lot about PL
Matthews Luis Nunes was born in Brazil but moved when he was 12 to Ericeira, about five miles northwest of Lisbon. On the radio before today’s meeting, there was unusually little talk about Harry Kane and even more about the 23-year-old Portugal national team player. For the club’s record sum of 530 million Swedish kronor, Nunes agreed to leave Sporting Lisbon and even more surprised by signing with Wolves.
Moving says a lot Premier Leagues Attractive, middle team included. It’s hard to tell whether wolves are good or a little bad given their conditions. Last season, Bruno Lagg’s side held close as a top team at the back, but they were at the bottom of the rankings in terms of the number of goals scored up front.
Lage took control at first
If Nunes is the final piece of the puzzle in midfield – which overshadowed Spurs in the first half – there is often a huge void up front. The team’s decision to switch to a four-line defense (a change that forced Captain Conor Coady) only applies when Wolves are in possession. Defensively, opponents must outpace a pentagonal line of defense when winger Pedro and shield fall in front of him, Ruben Neves.
Spurs rarely managed to do that in the first 45. Wolves’ ability to dribble through goalkeeper Jose Sa’s cards and move forward with so much ease overshadowed the home side. Lag’s problem with this chess match, which he often dominated, was the end product itself. The expected number of goals (xG) fell to a modest 0.39 in the first half, despite the strong advantage in front of Tottenham 0.04.
The son is hopelessly stunned
Instead, it looks like Antonio Conte has finally shaped Spurs into a team that can pull off victories in difficult circumstances. The second half against Wolves was more of a straight line compared to the one played at Stamford Bridge last time, but the goal must be scored.
Ivan Perisic, on his first start, nodded a corner kick by Harry Kane softly behind SA. The Englishman has so far scored 185 goals in the Premier League, more than Sergio Aguero. Ken’s continued progression is especially important when teammate Heung Min Soon looks hopelessly sad in crucial situations. Dejan Kulusevski, for example, has been blinking noticeably more often during the start of the season, even today.
Bruno Lage clearly noticed that he was losing his grip on the game and, among other things, replaced the front line. Raul Jimenez, who has just come back from injury, was involved, but he also failed to shake off the character of Wolves’ incompetence in front of goal. You don’t need a higher IQ to know what club management will be looking for during the final weeks of the transfer window.
Richarlison froze in front of the idol
I collected seven points in three matches after meetings with Southampton at home, Chelsea away from home and Wolves at home. This number is seven times more than what Tottenham scored together against these competitions in the same stadiums last season, which shows progress arguably.
Richarlison, who is making a welcome bid for Conte’s team, doesn’t seem to be protesting audibly yet about having to start on the bench. Brasen could have made the final 2-0 in the last minutes, but the end went too far from the goalkeeper’s right post.
Richarlison probably knew his biggest idol was sitting in the stands and “frozen” like he did the first time they met at a press event two years earlier. Ronaldo may not be relevant for a while but today’s topic was definitely the strikers.
