WOLVES FANS SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS FOLLOWING A 2-2 DRAW AWAY AT SPURS
GEORGE LAKIN
Vitor has passed his first major test for me, and in the context of our season that’s an outstanding point on the road.
Backs to the wall and seemingly with momentum swinging away from us at the end of the first half.. in the past, games like this have got away from us.
There are so many ways to get results and sometimes you have to revert to a ‘plan B’ of sorts. Effective managers can change the tide of games, and while the second half was shaping up to be a bit of a non-event, don’t overlook the fact that we totally nullified Spurs- the league’s top scorers. Credit is due for that.
First half we weren’t that bad at all, we were trying to dictate play but it just wasn’t quite working. Spurs were growing in confidence. Half time came at the perfect time for us.
Second half, what impressed me most was how we managed to grab hold of the game again.
No outstanding individual performances to bail us out, just settled things down, stayed in the game, and trusted that there was enough quality in this squad (even without Cunha) to pull out a moment of magic; Ait-Nouri and Larsen duly obliged. Massively reassuring.
Bigger picture, injuries for Strand Larsen, Cunha and Andre could be deeply costly. But overall, I actually feel much safer in the knowledge that this manager can adapt and quickly find solutions to adverse situations, which will see us well.
It’s not always pretty and it’s not always perfect. It’s the points you gain when it doesn’t all go to plan that are often the most vital. Professional, workman-like performance and a valuable, valuable point.
BLACKPOOL WOLF
The first half had shades of the Gary O’Neil era. It looked like all the hard defensive work we did against Leicester and United was forgotten. It didn’t help that we were missing Toti and had to play Dawson at left centre, who looked very poor today. Going forward, we looked okay; Hwang had a very good first half for the first time this season. He took his goal well, closed down well, and always wanted to get on the ball. The problem with playing Hwang central up top was that he’s not great in the air, so we hardly won anything in the centre and struggled to hold onto the ball there. He probably needed Bellegarde and Cunha to tuck in more to support him.
The second half was much better defensively with fewer individual errors, but there were still a few mistakes we got away with. This shows we still need some investment in the squad, especially defensively. Guedes and Larsen made a difference when they came on; we held the ball a lot better in the final third. Then, when Carlos Forbs and Rodrigo Gomes came on, we looked much better out wide and started to run at them for the first time in the game.
There’s still a lot to work on, but it was a very good point away at Spurs. Let’s back Vitor in the market and hopefully start pulling away from the relegation battle.
JOHN TARAS
Creditable draw in London after three Christmas games.
Spurs were a stronger opposition than Man United. Helped enormously by some dubious generosity from the officials, with Spurs’ repeated fouling from behind not being given!
Surprisingly, Wolves went ahead from an old Ruben Neves free kick. Cunha and Ait-Nouri lined up on the corner of the 18-yard line, only for the ball to be squared to the on-running Hwang, who curled a first-time shot into Fraser’s goal off the inside of the post.
Wolves didn’t really press on from there, and Spurs began to spray the ball about. Old habits surfaced at a Spurs corner when Bentancur got to the ball first and gave Sa no chance from six yards. Heads dropped in the Wolves end when Andre was accused of tripping Johnson, and Son stepped up for the penalty. But Sa made a great save to his right, pushing the ball away strongly.
My streaming was erratic, and checking the score at 45 minutes, I saw that Johnson had made it 2-1 to Spurs. A lousy time to concede.
Vitor Pereira made two changes at half-time. Cunha went off and sat with an ice pack on an injured shin. Guedes came on for Bellegarde, who had been ineffective in the first half. Wolves began to press more than they had in the first half, forcing Spurs to rely on counter-attacks.
Wolves’ pressure was rewarded when Larsen equalised from an acute angle. The board then showed eight minutes of extra time. Dread on the Wolves fans’ faces. This turned into nearly 12 minutes, but Wolves held out for a deserved draw.
So, seven points from nine—who’d have thought it when we’d lost the previous four winnable games?
Next up, second-place Forest managed by Nuno. Molineux should be rocking. Hopefully, Toti and Cunha, if available, will be fit.
Happy Wolves fan, well done lads.
PAM WELLS
Well, today’s game always promised to be a tough one, and it certainly was. Spurs attacked in good numbers and had plenty of goals in them.
The first half didn’t let us down. Both sides attacked virtually from the off, with Spurs looking the most dangerous.
Hwang put us in front, scoring a great goal from an assist by Rayan Ait Nouri.
Then they scored from a dreaded corner. Bentancur got up way higher than any of our defenders. We still kept our formation and attacked, although I thought Cunha was a little too deep. They then almost scored from another corner.
Just before half-time, Andre gave away a penalty, but Sa dived low to his right and made a great save from Son. Unfortunately, we couldn’t hang on. They made it 2-1 right on half-time after some poor defending, particularly from Dawson, who still seems to be suffering and doesn’t look fit at all.
At the start of the second half, Vitor made two substitutions: Guedes for Bellegarde, who hadn’t made much of an impact, and Larssen for Cunha, which I think surprised most people. He was later seen on the bench with a heavy ice pack on his leg.
Guedes made an immediate impact but without any success up front.
Andre then got injured, and Doyle came on and put in his usual strong performance.
We were still having far more possession without any results when Larssen scored a good goal after another assist from Rayan Ait Nouri.
Could we hang on? Vitor Pereira brought on Rodrigo Gomes and Forbs for Hwang and Dawson.
They came at us very strongly, but we held on, even with an added ten minutes of injury time.
A thoroughly deserved point was earned, and seven points from nine over Christmas is something everyone will be pleased with.
Now we have a decent break for Vitor to spend more time with the lads before we take on Forest, who are flying under Nuno. Come on, lads, we can do it.
My man of the match was between João Gomes and Rayan Ait Nouri, but the latter just edged it for his assists.
Performance rating: 7
KARL WHITEHOUSE
Well, today’s game promised to be tough, and it certainly was. Spurs attacked in good numbers and had plenty of goals in them.
The first half didn’t let us down. Both sides attacked virtually from the off, with Spurs looking the most dangerous.
I thought Cunha was a bit too deep. They nearly scored from another corner, then just before half-time, Andre gave away a penalty. But Sa dived low to his right and made a great save from Son. We couldn’t hang on, and they made it 2-1 right on half-time after some poor defending, particularly from Dawson, who still seems to be struggling and doesn’t look fit at all.
At the start of the second half, Vitor made two substitutions: Guedes for Bellegarde, who hadn’t made much of an impact, and Larsen for Cunha. Guedes made an immediate impact but without any success up front.
We started well in the opening minutes, taking the lead with a set-piece play that could have come from the training ground.
But there was a worry. After scoring first, Tottenham came back into the game from a corner where we should have marked better in the box. Vitor Pereira has an issue, but these will need to be addressed when he has more time with the group.
We got a lucky escape when they missed a penalty, but soon after, we conceded another goal. I thought, “Oh no, not again. We’re going to be in for a hiding.”
We went into the break behind, and for the first time under Pereira, we knew we could do better, and we trusted him to find the solutions.
The second half started as the first did, with us bossing the game. But the loss of Cunha is a worry. How will we cope without him in the starting lineup?
We looked much better and sharper with the substitutions made by VP, playing with more confidence and better ball retention and control.
As we chased the game near the end, VP brought on players with pace to try and get something from this match. Would this help us?
Bringing on Carlos Forbs and Rodrigo Gomes made the difference, giving us the width needed to cause problems.
Rayan Ait Nouri, the player of the match today, got his second assist of the game, setting up Strand Larsen for the equaliser we deserved to keep this unbeaten run going.
At the end of the game, would you have taken seven points from nine before today? I would, as this against a tired-looking Tottenham team was a great achievement in the short time Vitor Pereira has had with this group. It showed unity, togetherness, and discipline, earning us a well-deserved point from a difficult game.
We have defensive frailties that need addressing by VP, but the substitutions made in the second half turned it from a defeat to a draw.
The game plan was partly there, but we are still above the relegation zone. The gap to the team above us is closing, but the next game is tricky. We can get a result at home to boost our chances of survival, so keep the faith.