From Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – Starting this week, Spurs will be very confident that they will be in the top four of the Premier League in May. Manchester United and Arsenal had flattered to deceive their opponents on the day of the international competition, and they had already won several games against their opponents. After the FA Cup victory over Brighton, Tottenham fans entered the week with optimism that they could further compete for a Place in the Champions League. Brighton are known for their nitpicking of England's biggest and best teams.
Then Tottenham happened. In Wednesday's 3-2 home loss to Southampton, Antonio Conte's players were like bewildered deer, giving up the lead and giving the Saints a goal each. Ralph Hasennewt discovered Tottenham's weakness and overtook Conte to win a win and overpower the Italian tactician after a frantic battle for the sidelines with the hosts dominant.
In the game against Wolves, Spurs desperately need to respond. Wolves lost 1-0 to Arsenal of 10ers on Thursday and their performances were incredibly outspoken. In less than six minutes, club captain Hugo Lloris scored the first goal for Raul Jimenez. By the 18th minute, he and Ben Davis conspired to pull Leandden Dendenkel's hand for a second. The Frenchman is back to his best form of the season, dominating around the club and he broke through the foundations That Tottenham needs to bounce back. Since then, they have faced an unpleasant task of trying to break the Premier League's second worst defence. Spurs lack the confidence, strength and overall quality to keep Wolves open at any one time and they should be at a disadvantage in the top four.
Conte, who has lost three consecutive league games for the first time since 2009, is not blameless in this regard, as his players have gone insane this week. It all started and ended with him, and while Tottenham has clearly improved since his arrival, the defence remains unstable anyway.
You could take a step back and say that he only worked for four months and that his defenders were far below par — and those reasons alone were enough to relieve him of most of the responsibility. But from every angle, especially tactically, Tottenham last week was a failure for all involved. Next up is a trip to Manchester City, where if Tottenham fail again, then they can say goodbye to the hopes of the top four forever.