Tottenham v Wolves: Marching back down Wembley Way
Wolves made their last trip to Wembley 30 years ago – and if tomorrow’s clash with Tottenham is anything like that, the travelling fans are in for a treat.
On May 29, 1988, Wolves beat Burnley 2-0 to win the Sherpa Van Trophy final, in front of an 80,841-strong crowd.
Andy Mutch and Robbie Dennison got the goals on a day which ranks among the best in the club’s history, and Nuno Espirito Santo is hoping to create more happy memories at the national stadium.
But Wolves will have to be at their best – and make the most of the possession they have, unlike at Fulham – to get something against a Tottenham team fresh off a five-goal demolition job on Bournemouth.
Nuno will be looking for a similar display he got at Arsenal in November, when Ivan Cavaleiro finished off a fine counter-attack before Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s fortunate equaliser for the Gunners.
Spurs have scored 11 times in their last two matches, but the old gold chief has no intention of parking the bus.
“We’ve played already many games against top teams where we have shown that we don’t change our identity,” said Nuno.
“We are trying to build something, so when you try to build you do not look at the game like, ‘What is the best way to get a result?’
“No, it’s what is the best way for you to compete against these teams?
“If you have to defend and have less of the ball it does not mean that you are not trying to win the game.
“We’ve shown in previous games that we attack, we have shots on goals against heavy teams, even so, the building process goes this way so the way we approach against Tottenham is going to be the same.
“We’re going to look at Tottenham and see the best we can do in the game.”
Nuno could go with a very similar XI to the one which started at the Emirates and go back to his tried and trusted 3-4-3 formation.
But there may well be one change to that team – Romain Saiss, who got the equaliser at Fulham on Boxing Day, keeping his place in midfield ahead of Ruben Neves.
Saiss, who struggled for game time in the early stages of the season, has been one of the standout performers in recent weeks for Nuno.
His composure in possession and tenacity when without the ball have proved a vital cog in Wolves’ play, so him being on the bench would come as a surprise.
On his last few performances, Saiss said: “I know my capacity. I can run a lot. I try to help the team without the ball, in defence.
“I try to cover my team-mates and recover the ball.
“And when we recover the ball, I try to help the team in front.
“When I touch the ball more, I feel more confident on the pitch.
“It’s not just running to run a lot, it’s running to help the team.”
And on his first Premier League goal, Saiss added: “I’m happy to score because it was a tough game.
“It was very hard, against a team who are at the bottom.
“We tried to find the solution, to score. We played better in the second half because we were more patient.
“I think we deserved the point, even though I think we can be a little bit more frustrated. It’s better to draw than to lose, so we’ll try to find the solutions.”
Diogo Jota (hamstring), Leander Dendoncker (illness) and Kortney Hause (illness) are doubts for Wolves.
