This has not been the best of periods for Tottenham. A few weeks ago we were talking about them as title contenders but they have now failed to win their last four outings in the league.
A defeat against Leicester was a mere blemish in the copybook but a late draw with Wolves on Sunday evening will ask further questions of Spurs’ credentials.
For the most part, they were compact with their three-man defensive system but Harry Kane and Heung-min Son were managed well by Wolves. Thus, they failed to create much and ultimately laboured to a 1-1 draw.
Romain Saiss popped up with a late equaliser which on the balance of play, was no less than Wolves deserved.
Tottenham struggled to control the middle of the park and with Harry Winks picked over Moussa Sissoko, it was hardly surprising. This was his first Premier League start since September and after this display, it’s unlikely Mourinho will call on him again in the immediate future.
Winks has been accused of being a sideways passer for a long time and this was yet another performance that failed to provide a spark. Indeed, at full-time, Tottenham reported Dan Kilpatrick claimed that the midfielder was “often wasteful in possession.”
The 24-year-old is usually safe and secure with the ball but he completed just 79% of his passes, being dominated by the likes of Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves in the middle of the park.
Very rarely did Winks stride forward or attempt to inject some energy into Mourinho’s side, lacking the qualities that have seen Sissoko become so important over the last 12 months. That was evident in the fact that he only won 33.3% of the duels he contested, winning two out of six battles on the ground.
His lack of pace saw him caught out regularly by the rapid Wolves attack, losing possession 13 times and being dribbled past on three separate occasions. If Sissoko had started, it’s unlikely Spurs would have been surpassed so much.
Winks has had to remain patient for three months to start in the top-flight but it was not worth the wait. He has to be dropped immediately.