Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings from Draw at Wolves

Midfield Player Ratings

José Mourinho not only had a different formation than usual, but it was also a bit different in terms of personnel as Matt Doherty and Sergio Reguilón were the two starting outside midfielders. Joining Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Harry Winks – making a rare Premier League start – the four were supposed to provide support to and connect with the attack. Unfortunately, that did not happen for much of the match.

Matt Doherty – 6

In theory Matt Doherty may have been playing a different position with the formation but in practice it was the same box-to-box effort we have seen from Doherty for most of the season. Poorly positioned all day as he was too far from Sanchez to provide good passing lanes and support, but too close to Son to create real space for the attack. Made only 1 cross and did nothing with 7 different ball recoveries.  Doherty coasting back and forth with the movement of the ball is a perfect microcosm for the aimless Tottenham possession in the match.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – 6

A big part of the early success of Tottenham Hotspur as well as the current funk is Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. Still one of the most active players on the pitch, Højbjerg led the team in touches, passes attempted, and was one of the more accurate passers on the day. However, Højbjerg did not really have many passes that made the defense uneasy. Further he only had one more ball recovery (3) than he was dispossessed (2). Whether Højbjerg is a bit tired, in a funk, or simply showing his true self, Spurs need to help him find the Pierre-Emile Højbjerg that was dominating matches earlier in the season.

Harry Winks – 5.5

After a nice game midweek, which earned Harry Winks a rare opportunity to start in the Premier League, Winksy kind of blew it. Known for his passing, Harry Winks completed less than 80% of his passes and seemed to struggle to bring the ball under control for much of the day. Attempted the second most passes, but that activity is not good when you are not completing the pass on the other end. Got a card for a professional foul and was bright enough to avoid a second in the second half. Probably should have been the one to come off at 69 minutes instead of Tanguy Ndombele, but it is what it is. After this match, it is unlikely we see Winks a ton more in the midfield during the Premier League as his struggles on the ball were a big reason Spurs struggled on the day.

Sergio Reguilón – 6.5

Sergio Reguilón was the best of a poor group of midfielders on the day and his reward was an early hook at just past the hour mark.  Another strange decision to have Reguilón come off as the Spaniard was one of the few Spurs to get forward. One of only three Spurs to register a shot on goal, also got behind Wolves a couple times, but his final ball never found anyone. Had a header opportunity that went just wide. Was in the right spot a few times but did not have the composure to finish.  That said, it is tough to be critical given the young man is a left back by trade.