What to expect from Tottenham’s trip to Wolves tomorrow
By Gary Pearson
Two in-form teams do battle tomorrow when sixth place Wolves host seventh place Tottenham at Molineux Stadium.
Aside from the match at Old Trafford, this is Jose Mourinho’s most difficult test since taking over in north London. Wolves, since the Premier League started about 30 years ago, have never enjoyed such consistency. Unbeaten in 11 Premier League matches, Nuno Espírito Santo has his team beaming with confidence. They sit one point ahead of Spurs, further emboldening the importance of this contest.
It’s crucial Tottenham start well, which is exactly what they’ve done almost unerringly since Mourinho took the helm. Wolves haven’t played a top four side in two and a half months. Their last match against a top four side saw them defeat Manchester City away 2-0.
Wolves also managed to walk away from the Emirates last month with a share of the spoils. Though the impressive nature of that result has since been diluted by Arsenal’s abject run of form.
While I’m not taking anything away from Wolves’ incredible run, they haven’t faced a side with Tottenham’s numerous attacking prowess since that startling result at the Etihad. It’s incumbent upon the away side to take it Wolves from kickoff, testing out exactly how resilient Santo’s side is. Take the partisan crowd out of the match with an early goal and punish Wolves on the counter thereafter.
Most importantly, Tottenham must be compact defensively and build upon their clean sheet against Burnley last time out. Spurs haven’t kept an away clean sheet in the Premier League since New Year’s Day, when they beat Cardiff 3-0 in Wales.
Make no mistake, this will be a big litmus test for Spurs. It will show how far they’ve come since Mourinho took over. A tough, dogged away test is on the table for Mouriho’s men. Most of Spurs’ side is well rested after their midweek rest, so you’d expect them to come out firing on all cylinders.
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I have a feeling there might only be one goal in this one. Spurs will come away with either a 2-1 or 1-0 win. While slightly more boring, I hope it’s the latter as an away clean sheet will do wonders for the lads’ confidence going into the hectic festive period.