Three Questions for Tottenham Ahead of Wolfsberger in Europa League

There have been more questions than answers this season with  Tottenham Hotspur who prepare to participate in the Round of 32 in Europa League against Wolfsberger Thursday in Hungary. If Tottenham are going to win the match and are going to get the season straightened out, a few lingering questions are going to need to be answered Thursday evening.

Can Tottenham Rebound?

When I say rebound, I am not talking about basketball and grabbing the ball off the backboard, rather I am talking about the ideal of resiliency. Resiliency is that ability to pick yourself up and keep going even when things are not going your way. Resiliency is that little annoying Steve Rodgers bloodied from a beating saying “I can do this all day”.

Right now, Tottenham have taken a bit of a beating. Whether it was the 4-5 defeat to Everton, the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, or the defeatist attitude of much of the media believing José Mourinho has lost the team; Tottenham need to respond. Now is the time when real winners and champions are able to pick themselves up off the ground, dust themselves off, and go back to the work of winning.  That rebound and resiliency needs to start Thursday in Hungary.

Do Gareth Bale and Dele Alli have a part to play this season or not?

Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention or is it desperate times seek desperate measures. Whatever saying you want to go too, José Mourinho and Tottenham need two stars who have not been performing this season to start doing so.

Giovani Lo Celso is not coming back anytime soon and Erik Lamela can only last so long. If Tottenham are going to make hay this season, they need someone else to step up and Gareth Bale and Dele Alli are the two players who have actually shown in the past that they can do it. While we have seen flashes from Lucas Moura and moments from Steven Bergwijn, however both Dele Alli and Gareth Bale are proven game winners who have individually carried their teams at different points in their careers.

Tottenham do not need Dele or Bale to be at their career best but they do need them playing solid football for the entirety of their outings, whether for 10 minutes or 90. Tottenham need players to step up and lots of them have been given a chance, Dele Alli and Gareth Bale have both earned the right to get another chance to show they have a part to play. Thursday may be one of their last opportunities to prove something, particularly if neither shine.

Does José Mourinho still have some magic?

As players begin to come out defending their coach, most have to simply point to José Mourinho’s personal trophy collection to realize, this is a man that can coach. Of course, many of Mourinho’s teams have been very strong to begin with and most of his stays have ended in less than wonderful terms – something many Spurs fans and pundits seem to strangely desire.

However, like the players at this point the proof is in the pudding in terms of Mourinho has the trophies and rings and no one around really does, so he is the one we should be listening too. Of course, l that past glory only means so much when a team has won only once in six matches in all competitions.

This brings us to Thursday and the latest opportunity for José Mourinho to show he still is the special one who has some magic and can lead Spurs to some glory. The players are saying the right things,, however, it is about going out and showing the right things. What kind of team do we see and get. Do we get a scared team afraid to make mistakes or a confident team that knows giving up one goal will not be the end of them.

I want to believe José Mourinho still has that magic and can lead Spurs to where they want to go. However, right now, Tottenham and José Mourinho just need a convincing win. After al, there is no better tonic for team issues than winning, which is why Mourinho was brought in to begin with. Let’s just all hope he still has it.