adminChris Sutton backs Tottenham to kickstart revival with Wolves win amid Thomas Frank lament
According to Chris Sutton, Tottenham Hotspur will finally break their winless streak when they face Wolves—but he also argues that much of the current crisis could have been avoided if the club had simply kept faith with Thomas Frank.
As Tottenham prepare for a must-win clash against Wolves on Saturday, they know that anything less than three points could be fatal to their Premier League survival hopes.
Back in late September, Spurs managed a 1-1 draw at home against the same Midlands side, when Frank was still at the helm. But now, under Roberto De Zerbi, Tottenham head to Molineux with no room for further mistakes.
With Wolves and Burnley already relegated, Spurs are fighting to avoid becoming the third team to drop into the Championship. They currently sit two points behind 17th-placed West Ham, who host Everton on Saturday.
Sutton believes Tottenham can beat Wolves—a prediction he himself calls “ridiculous”—but warns that if they don’t, relegation is all but certain.
All the pressure is on Tottenham
Despite Spurs fans viewing this as a likely three points, Wolves are unbeaten in their last six Premier League meetings with Tottenham, winning four and drawing two. What’s more, Spurs have lost their last three league visits to Molineux—as many defeats as they suffered in their previous 16 trips there (which yielded 10 wins and three draws).
As Sutton notes, Tottenham are on a 15-match winless run and haven’t won a Premier League game since December 28. There were brief signs of life in the 2-2 draw with Brighton, but familiar flaws resurfaced at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
While it may pain Spurs supporters hoping for an attacking lineup at Molineux, Sutton argues that Tottenham wouldn’t be in such dire straits if they hadn’t sacked Frank and then endured a short, ill-fated stint with Igor Tudor.
Predicting a 1-0 away win, Sutton wrote in his BBC Sport column: “Tottenham couldn’t beat Wolves at home earlier this season—they needed a 94th-minute equalizer in September—but this time they simply have to win. Can De Zerbi’s side win three of their last five games and save themselves? Of course they can, but it has to start here. Imagine the psychological damage to the players and fans if they don’t win. Wolves are already down, but we’ve known that for a while.
“The pressure is all on Spurs to find a way to win. If Thomas Frank had stayed and maintained his 1.12 points per game, Spurs would currently have 37 points and sit 16th. Instead, they’re in the relegation zone, worrying about other results while struggling to pick up points themselves. Nothing about their play suggests they’ll win after 15 league games without one. They also haven’t kept a clean sheet in 14 games, so why would that change now? But I’m going against the grain. Spurs absolutely must win, so I’ll say they will—and that Wolves won’t score. I know it’s ridiculous, and I don’t even really believe it, but nothing about Spurs’ season makes sense.”
‘Tottenham need a fast start’—but that’s a cliché
Under Frank, Spurs won seven of their first eight league games this season when scoring first, conceding just three goals in those matches. Since then, however, they’ve failed to win any of their last five games after taking the lead (three draws, two losses), shipping 11 goals.
Given how fragile Tottenham look, grabbing a two-goal cushion might provide the confidence boost they desperately need. Coming from behind, on the other hand, seems unlikely to be their path to success. Interestingly, over the past two seasons, Wolves and Spurs have collected just 59 and 69 points respectively, suffering 42 and 38 defeats along the way.
For Tottenham, it’s do or die.
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