Ange Postecoglou admits he is “very hurt” by Tottenham’s slump in form but still feels they can challenge for the top spot in the Premier League this season.
Injury-hit Spurs looked set to end a miserable December on a high when first-half goals from Rodrigo Bentancourt and Brennan Johnson canceled out Hee-Chan Hwang’s brilliant opener for Wolves.
Tottenham captain Heung-Min Soh also missed a 43rd-minute penalty, but it was not too costly before substitute Jørgen Strand Larsen smashed home with three minutes remaining to ensure the north Londoners shared the spoils.
Heung-Min Son missed a penalty against Wolves
Spurs will start 2025 in the bottom half after winning one of their last seven Premier League matches, and yet Postecoglou rallied around his depleted squad, with Destinee Udogye the latest to drop out as their unavailable ninth player.
“It hurts me because I’m in charge,” he said.
“When I see how hard the players are trying, it hurts more. I wanted them to be rewarded for their efforts. It hurts a lot for where we are now.
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Tottenham Hotspur v Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League Highlights
“I’ll keep going mate, we’ve got some work to do with these players. It’s our job to help them do their best. We should have scored the third and fourth goals, inches away we were
“We lack the dynamic movement we need. Where does Dom (Solanke) get his energy from? These guys are not as sharp as we can be.
“We’re dealing with a small thing and we’re not making any smooth moves in terms of bringing players back to allow us to renew the squad. When we bring someone back, we lose someone.”
Anj. The league is still very tense
The draw means that Spurs, who were booed in regulation time, have failed to win in their last five home games and are 11th in the Premier League table with just 24 points from 19 games.
However, Postecoglou is not giving up hope of a promotion to the Premier League’s top flight once his key players return.
“It’s still pretty solid,” he said.
“At some point we will have a healthy squad and be able to perform at a high level. We have shown that we can beat anyone.
“There’s always an opportunity to go for a run. It’s secondary to getting players both physically and mentally and digitally.”
Brennan Johnson was congratulated by Archie Gray after giving Spurs a 2-1 lead against Wolves.
After a 4-0 win over Manchester City on November 23, Tottenham were sixth and just three points behind Chelsea, but are now closer to the relegation zone than the top four.
Postecoglou refused to be too hard on his players, who will have two days off with Spurs to have a rare clean Wednesday ahead of Saturday’s visit to Newcastle, where Bentancourt will also be suspended.
He added: “We have to try to get some support for the players, both mentally, physically and digitally, to enable them to play at their best.
“They’re very disappointed, but it’s not because they want to try.”
