Spurs are Surviving — And for Now, That’s Enough
Tottenham and Winning In Spite of Yourself. Name a more iconic duo.
Human brains are dumb as hell.
Often, the loading times for brains more closely resemble a late-90s Gameboy Color than an analytical supercomputer. Need proof? Look no further than this Sunday’s Tottenham Hotspur win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Having just rifled in a stunning header to pull his club 3 points back of Chelsea for 4th in the league, Jan Vertonghen’s brain had absolutely no clue what to do.
To start, he takes several sprinting steps in no particular direction. Then, he waves his hands like he’s just torched his fingers on a hot stove. You can practically see his brain tell him “run at the corner flag like every other soccer player ever, you big dummy.” But not before reminding him that the goal means nothing if he doesn’t do his “SuperJan” celebration along the way.
It was a small, funny moment in a game full of them, but it was arguably the most relatable. As the match unfolded, the only thing more surprising than Vertonghen getting the winning goal was Spurs winning at all. Spurs fans had no idea how to react.
For a moment, Jan’s brain and ours were one.
In some ways, this matchup in the West Midlands made sense tactically. Spurs started a familiar lineup: Harry Kane up top, Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura on the wings, Dele Alli at #10, Moussa Sissoko and Eric Dier in midfield, Serge Aurier at right wingback, Vertonghen at leftback, and Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sánchez at centerback. It was the same XI as in their 5-0 whipping of Burnley the previous weekend, but it matched up much differently against Wolves.
For one, Wolves have an actual, honest-to-god midfield. Their Portuguese duo of Rúben Neves and João Moutinho were largely brilliant on the day, spraying balls to the wings to test Spurs’ fullbacks 1-on-1. But thanks to Dier’s fortitude in the middle of the pitch, they were largely unable to unlock striker Raúl Jiménez. With the exception of a first-half shot he dragged wide right, Jiménez had a tough time getting touches in the penalty area.
Spurs just had to close down the wings to stifle the Wolves attack. And they, um, didn’t.
Fullbacks have been a problem for Tottenham ever since Kyle Walker’s selling and Danny Rose’s injury in 2017. And at times this season, Spurs feel like the world’s worst Legend of Zelda boss, with two giant, glowing eyes begging to be stabbed. The combination of Aurier and Vertonghen at fullback has been far from Spurs’ worst pairing on the season, but it presented a unique challenge against Wolves.
Namely: Diogo Jota and Adama Traoré were fucking awesome.
Wolves’ wingers largely ruled this match. With Aurier pushed up, Jota had plenty of space in behind to attack. And while Sánchez covered some of that space in theory, Jota still beat him 1-on-1 on several occasions. On the other side, Traoré had a field day running into the space vacated by a pinned-back Vertonghen, playing the role of a one-man counterattack for much of the game.
Fortunately for Spurs, Wolves love crossing. They just cannot get enough of it. And with certified Big Boys like Sanchez, Alderweireld, Dier, and Vertonghen clogging the box, Wolves had little success in the penalty area. So while the West Midlanders had a notable edge in possession, shots, passes, and corners, they were never able to generate quality attempts.
They relied on lofted ball after lofted ball, dying in a sea of beef.
“But Trayton,” you may be asking, “what did Spurs do ON the ball?”
My dear reader, there’s a reason why I’ve written 579 words before I got to that part.
On the day, Spurs looked slower than Wolves in almost every way. And while they managed to create some decent chances, they were tactically overmatched for much of the game.
Take midfield for example. Sissoko and Dier, while a reasonable defensive pairing, provide very little ball progression. So under most circumstances, that leaves three avenues for possession: attacking the wings, using long balls, and relying on quick-strike counters.
While Spurs had sporadic success with all three, there were many glitches along the way. With Moutinho and Neves playing fundamentally sound in midfield, there were few avenues to consistently turn the ball over in defense. That meant Spurs’ counterattacks were inconsistent throughout the match, with long possession droughts.
And because of Wolves’ energetic pressing, Son, Dele, and Lucas had trouble maintaining and advancing possession up the field. Spurs were largely pinned back against waves of Wolves attacks.
What counterattacks there were, though, proved fruitful. 8 minutes in, Son exploited space on Wolves’ right wing and fired a driven shot into Rui Patrício’s gloves, sending the ball flying into midfield. It was then picked up by Moura, who swiftly cut through Wolves’ unsettled defense. While he looked to be out of room on the touchline, Moura unleashed an impossible strike into the top of the goal netting. The Brazilian could barely believe his own skill. Spurs led, amazingly, 1-0.
Wolves continued to press on Spurs throughout the half, with Jota and Traoré making playing fullback look like the worst thing a person could possibly do. But Spurs, somehow, were the ones who had the best chance during the remainder of the first half. Swift combination play between Alli and Dier led to a shot that blasted off Patrício’s post just before the whistle. Spurs didn’t have a ton of quality in the first 45’, but it all came in the final third.
The second half followed a similar script until 67’, when Traoré pinched inside Vertonghen just outside the penalty area. Multiple Spurs defenders seemed content with Traoré taking a low-percentage long shot instead of playing a dangerous throughball. The Wolves winger obliged and uncorked a rocket just inside Paulo Gazzaniga’s post. The home team finally had their breakthrough. 1-1.
Spurs and Wolves traded frantic counters with little end product for much of the rest of the game. The first substitute of the match came just inside the 90’ mark, when Christian Eriksen replaced Moura. With his first touch of the match, the Dane launched a swinging free kick into the penalty area that was cleared for a corner. With his second, he found Vertonghen unmarked for the game-winning header.
Immediately following the celebrations, José Mourinho subbed off attackers Alli and Son for midfielder Harry Winks and defender Juan Foyth. All of a sudden, Spurs looked like a box of Oops! All Centerbacks Cap’n Crunch.
A few inconsequential Wolves attacks later, the whistle blew. Spurs had their win. As the spent combatants squished their way off the pitch, rain continued to pound the boggy turf of the Molineux. God was pissed, and Spurs didn’t care.
This season has been, in a word, exhausting.
It feels impossible that Tottenham Hotspur Football Club have played only 17 Premier League matches this season. Somehow, Mauricio Pochettino was fired just 27 days ago, not a year or a decade or a lifetime ago. But for as controversial as Mourinho’s appointment was, at least I’ll give it this: in Pochettino’s last games as manager, the players would often kick into fight-or-flight the second something went wrong.
This time, they’re choosing “fight” — and it’s keeping them alive.