Ange Postecoglou said his side lacked their usual "aggression" and "positivity" in the 2-1 defeat at Wolves, their second reverse on the bounce following the damaging 4-1 defeat by Chelsea, while goal-scorer Brennan Johnson described Spurs as "too safe".
In the first game without centre-half Micky van de Ven and playmaker James Maddison - both out until the new year - in came Eric Dier and Ben Davies at centre-half, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was Spurs's most advanced midfielder.
Dier and Davies were solid defensively for 91 minutes before Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina burst into the box to score in stoppage time, both making several important interventions to keep Wolves from the door. But the way they played as the clock ticked towards the final whistle would have alarmed Postecoglou.
Spurs dropped deeper and started to hurry their passing, with the Australian suggesting his players had "self-preservation" in mind.
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Denne historien er fra November 13, 2023-utgaven av Evening Standard.
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