Angie Postecoglou, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, reflected that they could have definitely won if not for the players' mistakes.

Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-4 in the away match against Wolverhampton in the 32nd round of the 2024-2025 Premier League at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, on the 13th (Korea time).

As a result, Tottenham remained in 15th place in the league with 37 points (11 wins, 4 draws, and 17 losses). They are now only 2 points ahead of 17th place West Ham United (35 points). Wolverhampton, riding a four-match winning streak, recorded 35 points (10 wins, 5 draws, and 17 losses) and climbed to 16th place, surpassing West Ham in goal difference. There is a good chance of pulling Tottenham down in the next round.

Tottenham opened with a 4-3-3 formation. Mathys Tel, Dominic Solanke, and Brennan Johnson, James Maddison, Pape Sarr, and Yves Bissouma, Jed Spence, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, and Archie Gray, and Guglielmo Vicario were the starters. Son Heung-min was excluded from the roster due to a minor foot injury.

Wolverhampton deployed a 3-4-3 formation. Jean-Rickner Bellegarde, Jorgen Strand Larsen, and Marshall Munetsi, Ryan Ait-Nouri, Andre, Joao Gomes, and Nelson Semedo, Toti Gomes, Emmanuel Agbadou, and Matt Doherty made up the starting lineup. Hwang Hee-chan waited on the bench.

Tottenham was shaky from the start. In the 2nd minute of the first half, Ait-Nouri scored the opening goal during a chaotic free-kick situation. In the 38th minute, Vicario deflected Munetsi's header, resulting in an own goal off Spence.

Tottenham came back to close the gap with a goal from Tel in the 14th minute of the second half. However, just five minutes later, they conceded another goal to Larsen, falling behind by two goals again. Romero's ridiculous mistake in giving the ball away from the back proved fatal.

Both teams exchanged goals again. In the 40th minute of the second half, Richarlison headed the loose ball to narrow the deficit, but they were hampered by another mistake. Lucas Berival attempted an unreasonable dribble in midfield, lost the ball, and just a minute later conceded the fourth goal to Matheus Cunha.

The match ultimately ended in a 2-4 loss for Tottenham. This marks Tottenham's serious slump, with just one win in their last six league matches. They were unable to create positive momentum ahead of their UEFA Europa League (UEL) quarterfinal second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt, which takes place midweek.

It was a self-destructive game for Tottenham. From the start, Vicario made several significant mistakes, including an absurd passing error, and Romero, who wore the captain's armband instead of Son Heung-min, committed a fatal misstep with lackadaisical play. Berival also dropped his head due to a turnover that directly led to a goal.

There was also a barrage of criticism from the local media in England. 'Football London' sighed, stating, "Vicario was a disaster, and Romero was sloppy." The media noted, "It was a horrific start. His weak punch played a key role in Wolves' opening goal, and he almost conceded another goal after mistaking a pass. Before halftime, he barely cleared a cross that hit Spence and went into the net," giving Vicario a score of 2.

Romero also received a score of 3. Football London criticized, "When a deflected cross came into the box leading to the second goal, he was nowhere to be found. He was completely disastrous for the third goal as well. He was simply another leader who wasn’t good enough."

The Tottenham fan community 'Spurs Web' also awarded Berival a score of 3. The media remarked, "Berival brought energy and activity that was lacking from Sarr. His drive led to Johnson's assist. However, he lost focus and allowed Cunha to take the ball, conceding Wolves' fourth goal."

After the match, Postecoglou also sighed. He said, "It was a funny old game. The performance wasn’t bad, but the goals we conceded made it difficult for us. I thought we played well, but we conceded truly terrible goals."

Questions were raised whether the recent slump had caused issues with players' concentration. However, Postecoglou denied this, stating, "I think we did fairly well, but we conceded several goals. We lost today due to individual mistakes. It’s disappointing. This is the first time I’ve seen that. It just happened suddenly today."

He also stated, "Vicario was excellent. Mistakes happen. But they all happened on the same day for us. They are clearly not happy, and they should not be happy. I’m not happy, and neither are the players." He added, "Mistakes are part of football. I won’t blame anyone. The only person who needs to take responsibility is me."

Of course, Postecoglou emphasized individual mistakes throughout the interview. He said, "The players didn’t make mistakes intentionally. Such things happen in football. Today we were punished for mistakes, and the game became really difficult. If it were a tactical or organizational issue, it would have been more frustrating, but it was individual errors. What’s important is to recover well and focus on the next game."

[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (reprinting and redistribution prohibited), BBC.

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