Wolves v Spurs: Inside track on Jose Mourinho's side

We spoke with Dustin George-Miller from Cartilage Free Captain, to get a proper take on the Londoners.

See what he had to say here...

How has the season treated Spurs so far, it seemed to be a great start which has recently tailed off a bit?

It’s been a bit up and down.

An opening week loss to Everton was followed by a stretch of 11 matches unbeaten that saw Spurs rocket up to the top of the league for three weeks.

It’s prompted the usual questions as to whether Spurs are truly a title contender this season, but things have quickly plummeted back to earth after back-to-back losses to Liverpool and Leicester City.

What kind of football are we seeing from Mourinho's side this season?

Jose Mourinho has a distinct style of football and we’re seeing it play out pretty much the way everyone thought.

Spurs are now a Jose Mourinho team — generally speaking they play with a mid to low defensive block, prefer to cede possession to their opponents (especially against the top sides) and like to hit back on the counter-attack whenever possible.

The counter-attacking can be incredibly fun to watch as it runs through Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane, two of the most exciting players in the league. However, the flip side of that coin is that watching Spurs when they aren’t countering can be pure drudgery — Mourinho is more than content to sit back and defend a narrow lead, and that’s come back to bite them several times already this season.

Spurs sometimes don’t look like they have a plan of what to do if they concede early.

What would you say are the expectations around the club this year?

Spurs fans are down right now, but that’s only in contrast to the highs they were on a week ago.

Plummeting from first to sixth over the span of a week is disheartening to say the least, but it speaks to the parity in the Premier League this season that there are so many good teams that are clustered at the top of the table.

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle of the two extremes — Spurs look like contenders for top four and clearly have the talent to compete at the top of the table, but talks of a title were and remain premature.

Are there any injury/covid worries heading into the game?

Thankfully, Spurs have avoided the COVID-19 positives that have hit other clubs in the league.

There were a couple of positive results early in the season, and Matt Doherty notably tested positive during the last international break, but Spurs have been fortunate in that regard.

They’ve also stayed mostly healthy — Giovani Lo Celso came off limping against Leicester City and his status is unknown at the moment, and Erik Lamela continues to recuperate from an injury that’s had him out for a month and counting.

Otherwise, Spurs should be able to put forward a first choice lineup.

What would be your predicted XI for the game?

We have enough evidence by now to know what Mourinho’s first choice XI is, and considering Spurs will probably be fielding a rotated side in the mid-week Carabao Cup quarter-final against Stoke I expect we’ll see something close to a first choice side against Wolves.

Lloris; Aurier, Alderweireld, Dier, Reguilon; Hojbjerg, Sissoko; Bergwijn, Ndombele, Son; Kane

Who are the biggest threats Wolves will need be wary of in this fixture, and why?

I think it’s obvious that Spurs’ two biggest threats are Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min.

The two have combined for 20 goals this season, have been compared to the Shearer and Sheringham partnership, and enjoy setting each other up as much as they enjoy scoring.

Kane already has 10 assists this season — the Premier League record is 20 — and Son has four of his own. When they are playing well they are devastating.

However, they can be stymied against teams that clog the midfield or who sit deep and absorb pressure; the recent draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park is a good example.

The key for Wolves will be to defend their flanks, as Serge Aurier and Sergio Reguilon are both speedy and can exploit areas behind.

If they stay compact at the back and try to blow up midfield to prevent Son and Kane from exploiting space, it could be another long day for Tottenham.

What have you made of Wolves from afar, how do you think they'll do this season?

Wolves have been a bit of an enigma this season.

The results haven’t been as forthcoming as what I would’ve expected, and it makes me wonder if they miss Diogo Jota at Matt Doherty more than they anticipated.

I don’t have stats to back it up, but my feeling is that Wolves are better than what they are showing at the moment. I certainly consider them a dangerous team that Tottenham should underestimate at their own peril.

Your match prediction?

It really depends on how Wolves set up against Tottenham, and if Spurs can find space behind their back line.

If Kane and Son are off their game, Spurs haven’t proven that they have others to pick up the scoring slack.

I think this is a match in which Spurs can bounce back after two disappointing defeats, though with Mourinho being Mourinho, I’ll go with a nervy 1-0 Spurs win.

It could easily end up a draw or worse.

You can follow Dustin on Twitter here. You can see Cartilage Free Captain here.