adminRoberto De Zerbi faces inescapable issue as Tottenham dodge unwanted history
Tottenham Hotspur finally ended their 15-match winless run, but the victory over Wolves did little to mask their ongoing struggles in attack.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side looked set to climb out of the relegation zone when Joao Palhinha put Spurs ahead with just eight minutes remaining. However, a stoppage-time winner from Callum Wilson secured a 1-0 win for West Ham, keeping the Hammers—Tottenham’s London rivals—in 17th place.
Though Spurs earned a crucial 1-0 win at Molineux on Saturday, the match came at a cost, with Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simons both forced off due to injury. And while it marked their first Premier League victory since December 28, Tottenham still face a long road ahead to secure survival.
A small step forward, but a steep climb remains
For Tottenham on Saturday, the only thing that mattered was getting three points—by any means necessary. They needed a win to keep their survival hopes alive, and despite a largely uninspiring performance, they delivered when it counted.
Still, that victory came against an already-relegated Wolves side. While Spurs can draw some confidence from the result, it’s unlikely they would have beaten most other opponents. The first half was particularly lackluster.
According to Opta, neither team managed a single shot on target—a stat that has occurred only nine other times across the entire Premier League this season.
There was a clear lack of creativity and quality in the final third, as Tottenham struggled to handle the pressure of a tense encounter.
Goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky actually had more saves to make than Wolves’ Jose Sa (two to one), both teams had five corners apiece, and despite enjoying plenty of possession, Spurs failed to do much with it.
While their passing accuracy sat at a respectable 85.7 percent with 467 passes completed, Wolves appeared content to let Tottenham keep the ball.
Though Spurs avoided matching the club’s longest winless run—16 games set back in 1935—they came uncomfortably close. They also didn’t record a single shot on target until the 69th minute, scraping together a nervy win.
Tottenham are one of only six clubs to have been ever-present in the Premier League since its founding in 1992. If they wish to extend that streak, they will need to improve significantly.
A vital win for Tottenham’s mentality
In his third match in charge of Tottenham, De Zerbi secured his first win, following a loss to Sunderland and a draw with Brighton. After the defeat to the Black Cats, the Italian had emphasized that his players needed a stronger mental attitude above all else to fight off relegation to the Championship.
Speaking after the Wolves victory, De Zerbi said the result was far more important than the performance. He told BBC Sport: “We were working for a win. We played 30 to 35 minutes very well in the first half. We didn’t create many chances, but we had control.
“In the second half, maybe the pressure of needing to win this game meant we didn’t play well, but today the three points were very important. Now we can prepare for the next four games.
“We have to play—we can’t lose our style or lose our order on the pitch. We can’t show the quality of the players if we play like we did in the second half, but in terms of attitude and spirit, it was a great 90 minutes.
“Without the ball, we can’t win. These players are good enough to win with the ball. We can play much better than the second half.”
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