They are slim but Tottenham Hotspur’s top four hopes remained intact after brushing aside a poor Wolves side at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Sunday May 16.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Top Four Hopes Remain but Only Just
Wolves Win Sees Spurs Cling to Top Four Hope
Anthing but a win for Tottenham meant that their failure to qualify for next seasons Champions League would finally be confirmed and they came close with an early chance for Harry Kane but he saw his shot bounce back off the post. It was a typical Kane strike, finding space, taking one touch before unleashing a right footed strike but unlike on so many occasions this season it was not quite perfect.
Spurs won a number of corners but they were defended resolutely by Wolves and Conor Coady, who is still looking to secure a place in Gareth Southgate’s England European Championships squad, blocked a certain Kane goal on the line before again clearing from the line as Giovani Lo Celso crossed into the box and it was looking like the Wolves back line was set to remain resolute.
There were positive signs of Dele Alli returning to form in only his fifth start of the Premier League season with nutmegs and skill that were things Spurs and England fans were familiar with only two seasons ago, and he may just have enough time to play himself into Southgate’s squad but it will be a close call for the young man.
Adama Traore showed the best side of Wolves, running at the Spurs defence and set up a real chance for Fabio Silva but he could only mishit his shot wide of Hugo Lloris’ goal.
Coady’s heroics were finally thwarted, though, when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg played a slide rule pass to Kane who Coady played onside before Coady was dumped on his backside and Spurs went into the break with a one goal lead and slender dreams of Champions League qualification just about intact.
Attacking Intent Sees Tottenham Hotspur’s Top Four Hopes Hanging On
Spurs started the second half in the same vein with Sergio Reguilon forcing Patricio into a save before the keeper then thwarted Alli from the resulting corner before producing a fabulous save from Kane low to his left as, again, the post was hit and Ali then hit the other post with the follow up after setting up Kane in the first place.
Alli again showed his class has not deserted him and it seems hard to fathom that Jose Mourinho froze him out for so long when he can have such a huge impact on a game of football.
Incredibly Tottenham have hit the woodwork on 23 occasions this season, more than any other club in the league and had those inches been on the different side of the frame then Spurs could well have been much higher up the table but that is football summed up. It is all about those fine margins.
Hojbjerg eventually put the game to bed with his second goal for Spurs following Patricio’s save from Bale and the keeper will have been disappointed to have spilled the ball so tamely after such a solid performance to that point.
Ryan Mason and the Hunt for a New Tottenham Boss
Ryan Mason has won three out of his four league games in charge of Tottenham as well as being manager in the League Cup final loss to Manchester City but it seems unlikely that he will be given the role on a permanent basis.
The opposition manager against Spurs for Wolves, Nuno Espirito Santos is a name that has been mentioned along with that of FA Cup winner Brendan Rodgers and Brighton and Hove Albion’s Graham Potter.
Whoever takes the hot seat is likely to be expected to work with a lot of youth amid mounting debts at Tottenham and also bring back a style of football that the fans want to see. A lack of Champions League football could hurt the club in pursuit of any big name signings and any new boss may well have to take the club forward without Harry Kane, and that is going to be a task that requires bravery from the manager and owners as well as patience from the fans, who want to start seeing success on the pitch following years of little.
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