Wolves v Spurs: The low-down on the Londoners

We spoke with Dustin Menno, managing editor of Cartilage Free Captain, Steven Jennings, football writer for TottenhamBlog, and Alan Fisher, writer for Tottenham On My Mind, to get an inside take on Mauricio Pochettino's side.

See what they had to say here...

How have Spurs got on to begin this season? There’s been a lot of national chatter about their ability to challenge for the title.

DM: It’s a bit odd — heading into Spurs’ match at Manchester City on Monday, Tottenham’s 21 points from 9 matches was their best ever start in the Premier League, but it hasn’t felt that way.

Spurs’ league losses have come at Watford and home to Liverpool and now City, and they’ve obviously flopped in the Champions League campaign. That’s led to a sense that things aren’t exactly going according to plan

With the way the clubs around them have improved this summer and the way Spurs… didn’t, I don’t think many really thought Tottenham would make a serious title challenge this season.

There’s just too much instability with the new stadium delays, some injuries to key players, a collective World Cup hangover, and two clubs in City and Liverpool that look dominant.

As always, top four is the goal, though it would be lovely to win a cup this season.

SJ: Spurs have lost three of their ten league games and all three defeats have been concerning, particularly with two of them coming at home against the sides they are supposed to be challenging for the title.

That said, this is the club's best ever Premier League start. They've beaten most opponents without really playing well, and there's a feeling they could go up a gear once the current injury crisis and the ongoing stadium situation subside.

The Champions League has been a disaster. However, Tottenham's bad form in Europe has seen them repeatedly bounce back from poor midweek results by winning Premier League matches.

AF: Until Monday’s defeat by Manchester City, this has been our best ever Premier League start in terms of points but it doesn’t look that way in terms of performances. Something’s missing compared with the last couple of seasons. There are flashes of brilliance but no spark. Our football isn’t flowing smoothly. Individual errors cost us dearly in the league and in Europe.

Spurs fans are justifiably proud of how well our international players did in the World Cup. It’s just that now, they look mentally and physically jaded, not only from the summer but also from a hard season when it was difficult to rotate them because of the lack of suitable cover in the squad.

Harry Kane has not looked razor sharp since he was rushed back after an injury, but he remains a hero in our eyes.

The new ground will be a magnificent place to watch football but the delay has left fans frustrated.

Unforeseen delays in the biggest private stadium build in Europe we understand. Much harder to grasp is the lack of communication and the club’s apparent indifference to 41,000 season ticket holders who paid astronomic prices in May for seats we were told we’d occupy in September.

Wembley is soulless and bleak. There’s still no news about the opening and the uncertainty isn’t helping the team.

On the plus side, Lucas Moura is quick and dangerous up front, terrific running at defenders, and Erik Lamela has contributed goals from a more advanced midfield role.

At the back, Toby Alderweireld eventually stayed when it looked like he would be sold in the summer, partnered by the highly promising Davinson Sanchez.

In front of them, Harry Winks is a real prospect – busy, always available and looks to get the ball forward from a deep midfield position.

Hopefully, performances will pick up now that that Dele and Eriksen are fit again. Both are top class footballers.

The title is beyond us, so push hard for a top four finish and hope Pochettino values cup success more highly than he has in the past.

Obviously Spurs didn’t bring anyone in over the summer - has that worked in their favour in terms of having some real continuity? Or do you think they needed to strengthen?

DM: It’s been a double-edged sword. Locking down Mauricio Pochettino to a new contract along with Harry Kane, Davinson Sanchez, Son Heung-Min, Erik Lamela, Harry Winks, and now Dele Alli has been massive for continuity and represents a real show of faith from Spurs’ existing team.

However, there are real holes in the squad, especially in midfield as Mousa Dembele gets older and looks likely to leave Spurs soon, and there are questions about Spurs’ squad depth as well.

Not signing a single player in the summer transfer window is without a doubt embarrassing, and the early season injuries have exposed how fragile Spurs’ depth is at the moment without reinforcements.

However, there’s something to be said for not signing players for the sake of signing players — Pochettino has said on a number of occasions that he would rather not sign anyone than make the wrong signing.

A healthy first choice Spurs starting XI can compete with any team in the Premier League, including Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea.

It’s hard not to think, however, that if Spurs had made at least one key signing they’d be in a better position to not just finish top four, but punch even higher.

SJ: After the 3-0 victory at Manchester United in August, many onlookers deemed Tottenham's lack of transfer business a clever tactic.

That line of thinking has since been put to bed.

In part, Spurs didn't sign anybody because the players who were expected to leave – Toby Alderweield, Danny Rose and Mousa Dembele – stuck around. But mounting stadium costs surely played an additional part.

For the last three summers, the Londoners have been crying out for one prestige signing to take them to the next level.

That's unlikely to happen under Daniel Levy's watch, so Mauricio Pochettino must make do with what he has.

If any manager can work with the tools at his disposal, it's Pochettino. But the club won't properly challenge unless Levy suddenly changes his well-worn transfer strategy.

More worryingly, Pochettino may soon tire of that.

AF: It’s fair to say that fans are split over this.

Spurs’ net spend and salary bill are way, way lower that our competitors. To balance this, Pochettino has improved every player and instilled a club ethos based on loyalty, fitness and teamwork. Continuity is therefore a huge asset.

I admire him enormously for this and we’ve seen wonderful football since he arrived.

However, in my view chairman Daniel Levy’s refusal to invest this summer has stalled momentum when the time was right to buy a couple of high-quality players to take us forward.

It feels like a missed opportunity when other top six sides have spent a lot of money, and judging from Pochettino’s recent comments, he feels promises have been broken.

Harry Kane is obviously a huge threat - will he be the biggest influence on this game from a Spurs perspective, if so, why?

DM: Harry Kane is Tottenham’s most potent goal scoring threat, but the wonderful thing about Kane is that he does so much more for Spurs’ offense than just live off the back shoulder of defenders and score goals.

He’s an excellent passer and is known to drop deep into midfield and play in his teammates like Erik Lamela, Son Heung-Min, and Lucas Moura.

Like any striker he’s better when he has creative midfielders behind him that can provide him service, but he’s not a one trick pony and can create his own magic.

Wolves will need to be equally wary of Spurs’ non-Kane attackers, including Lucas, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, and Lamela who can punish defenses, and also right back Kieran Trippier who has deadly set piece and crossing delivery.

But clearly, Kane is the biggest horse in the stable, even if he hasn’t scored in his last three league matches.

SJ: Kane is a goal threat even when he's not at his best, which has been the case ever since he returned from an ankle injury in March.

Since the end of last season, he's won the World Cup Golden Boot and scored seven goals across all competitions for Spurs this term.

Tottenham supporters are still waiting for the real Kane to return, but until then he is contributing just enough.

For those reasons, I'm not sure the 25-year-old should be Wolves' biggest concern.

Heung-Min Son finally opened his account for the season with a brace against West Ham in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

With that, he's earned a start and will be confident of adding to his tally on Saturday night.

Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli are also back to full fitness and should provide a threat.

AF: I’ve been watching Spurs for over 50 years.

Harry Kane is already one of the Tottenham greats, truly one of our own.

Not only are his goals important, but also our attacking play revolves around him. He drops deeper or out wide to play in others, looking for bursts from midfield from Lamela, Moura and Dele.

However, Christian Eriksen’s workrate, creativity and eye for a pass makes us a more effective side.

Look out for Harry Winks and his vital role in getting the ball forward quickly from deep positions.

How do you expect Spurs to line-up against Wolves? What formation and line-up can we expect?

DM: With the injury to Jan Vertonghen, Pochettino has mostly used some form of a 4-3-3/4-4-2 diamond formation with fluid midfielders and width provided by the fullbacks.

I’d expect something similar to that against Wolves, and if Eric Dier plays he can frequently drop into the back line to help with Wolves’ counter-attacking threat.

It’s hard to say who will start at Molineux — Spurs are in the midst of a killer run of fixtures, and rotation is not only expected but necessary, especially in midfield.

I would expect Kane, Alli, and Eriksen to all start, but we could see any combination of those players and/or Lucas, Son, or Lamela in the forward attacking band.

The back line is mostly settled, with Ben Davies and Kieran Trippier flanking Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez.

SJ: Pochettino has heavily rotated his team throughout the campaign so far, but I'm expecting to see some continuity from midweek with Son, Eriksen and Alli all keeping their places.

Spurs are likely to line-up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with the following players:

Lloris; Trippier, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Davies; Winks, Dembele; Eriksen, Alli, Son; Kane.

AF: Pochettino tends to make few alterations in terms of tactics and personnel for away games.

I think he will revert to a 4-2-3-1 formation with the emphasis on forward progression. Rose or Davies at left-back, Moura or Son, the latter might get the nod after two goals on Wednesday in the league cup.

It will be interesting to see who makes way for Dele and Eriksen so how about: Lloris, Trippier, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Davies, Dier, Winks, Dele, Eriksen, Son, Kane.

Do Tottenham have any injury worries?

DM: Very much so, though it’s getting better.

Dele and Eriksen are both recently returned from muscle injuries, and a lot of Spurs’ World Cup stars have had minor to serious knocks already.

Jan Vertonghen and Danny Rose are still on the long-term injury list, and players like Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama feel like they’re being held together with twine.

Spurs have had to be creative lately, especially in midfield, but it has allowed for players like Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko to get quality minutes.

Players seem to be healing up now, which is important as Spurs have a busy November and will need all hands on deck for the holiday fixtures.

SJ: At the time of writing it's unclear whether Danny Rose will be fit enough to return from a groin problem.

Jan Vertonghen is still out, while Eric Dier is a doubt after missing the West Ham game.

Other than that, Spurs have fewer injuries than they've had all season – unless something calamitous happens before Saturday.

AF: Dele, Eriksen and Dembele have suffered muscle injuries, almost certainly caused by wear and tear.

Jan Vertonghen, our best defender, is out but otherwise, everyone is fit again.

What do you make of Mauricio Pochettino and his work at the club, just how realistic is it to think that he’s now at the level of Real Madrid, who have been regularly linked with him?

DM: Tottenham have been especially fortunate to have a manager the calibre of Mauricio Pochettino for five seasons.

Since his arrival he has transformed the mentality of Spurs and has taken a squad of under the radar signings on comparatively mean wages and transformed them into league contenders.

I am not at all surprised that Real Madrid is interested in him.

Pochettino is known as an extremely loyal man and manager, and he is also one with an established system that can take time to implement and requires 100% buy-in from his players.

I can see Pochettino being intrigued by the possibility of managing one of the best clubs in world football — who wouldn’t be? — but I’m not sure he would get the time to implement his system or the patience of the Madrid fans at a post-Ronaldo Madrid.

I’m obviously biased, and if Madrid calls you have to listen, but I don’t know if it would be a good fit, and if he does leave Spurs it wouldn’t be until the off-season.

AF: Pochettino is an outstanding manager. He respects the club’s heritage and wants to play exciting, attacking football.

He coaches the players hard, improving every individual, encouraging creativity and developing team play, coupled with a punishing fitness regime.

Some of our football under him has been dazzling. He and his team have a close bond with supporters.

He’s remained loyal to the club despite being hamstrung by our relatively uncompetitive transfer budget and salary structure.

He’s shrewd, and I reckon he thinks this is not the right time to go to Madrid. Coaching a team of galacticos is very different from bringing players on, which underpinned his success at Southampton and Spurs, let alone rebuild an ageing side.

My fear is that if he feels unsupported by the chairman, he will move on in a year or so. Undermining our biggest asset is potentially a catastrophic error that could set us back years.

What have you made of Wolves from afar? Do you think they can finish comfortably this season? And why?

DM: Wolves have impressed me from what I have seen of them this season.

They are well managed under Nuno Espirito Santo and out of the three promoted sides they seem best positioned to not only stay up but manage a respectable league finish.

Raul Jimenez and Joao Moutinho both seem like very astute signings, and Rui Patricio is looking to my eyes like perhaps the best keeper outside of the top six.

I’m also enamoured with the dribbling ability and speed of Adama Traore and think he could thrive at Wolves with a run of games.

SJ: At the beginning of the season I was surprised to hear some Wolves fans tipping a push for the European places.

It's never as simple as that for newly-promoted teams. But since then I've been really impressed.

Nuno Espirito Santo has a clear way of playing, and in the likes of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho he possesses the high-quality personnel to see his vision through and push for a top-half finish.

After a run of five games without defeat, I wasn't shocked to see Wolves lose their last two matches.

That's simply the reality for promoted sides and frankly most teams outside of the top six; they can only go so many games without losing.

Whether their current form will provoke an improvement or a nervous display on Saturday remains to be seen.

AF: As someone old enough to recall the great Spurs v Wolves battles of the 70s and early 80s, it’s good to see Wolves back in the top division. They have impressed me.

It’s refreshing to see a team come up from the Championship and not just sit back with everyone behind the ball for 90 minutes. The forwards’ pace and skill will pose us problems.

This ability to score goals, plus organisation and a work ethic should see Wolves in mid-table by the season’s end.

Your match prediction?

DM: Wolves are a dangerous side, especially at home, and while Spurs may be favored on paper, this is by no means an easy match for Spurs.

Tottenham would do very well to escape Molineux with a win.

A 2-1 nervy Spurs win.

SJ: With key attacking players returning to fitness and Heung-Min Son rediscovering his scoring touch in midweek, I think Spurs might just have too much for Wolves.

If the visitors manage to win, it will be tight. I'll go with a 2-1 win for Pochettino's men.

AF: 2-1 to Spurs.

You can follow Dustin on Twitter here, and read his work at Cartilage Free Captain. Alan Fisher writes the Spurs blog Tottenham On My Mind and with Martin Cloake is the author of “A People’s History of Tottenham Hotspur – a history of Spurs support and supporters” . You can follow Steve Jennings on Twitter here and read his work at TottenhamBlog.com.