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Wolverhampton
Wanderers are battling to survive in the Premier League and
will use all of manager Mick McCarthy's guile to try to make
sure they do not return to whence they came within the space
of a year.
That may include
changing the team to ensure they are fresh for "winnable"
games, time-waste, dive and pack the last third with as many
players they can.
Desperate ...
yes. Necessary ... no. Wolves played good
football in getting to the Premier League, so why stop when
you get there ? Lack of belief in the ability of the
side or the ability of the manager to pit his wits with the
top bosses ? Lack of funding to bring in the quality
needed to stay up ? Or just an inferiority complex
that leaves Wolves struggling after throwing away a one goal
lead against Birmingham City with ten minutes to go last
Sunday and end up losing 1-2.
From the
radio phone-in shows, it appears that McCarthy is losing a
little of the Molineux crowd with his manoeuvres this
season. There are good players there and while some
have been injury hit, there is still enough there to get the
odd point here and there. Look at Burnley, they seem
to be able to do it without stifling the life out of a game.
Kevin Doyle
is a good striker, but without support or supply, he feeds
on what scraps he gets, but it is not always enough.
It was at White Hart Lane earlier this season, but against
the Bluenoses, it was not. Had Michael Kightly's not
been injured, it might have made the team operate
differently, as his trickery might have made an impact on
Premier League defenders. Andy Keogh did well in the
Championship, but it might be a step up too soon for him,
but he too is injured. The same might be said of the
much hyped Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, who has been injured and in
an out of the side, but has failed ot make much of an impact
since moving up to the Premier League.
The keeper
Wayne Hennessey has been widely touted as a major star in
the future and some of his performances have backed up these
claims, but at the moment he has lost out to free summer
signing, Marcus Hannhemann. A solid enough keeper, he
had an inspired game at WHL and the question will be is he
can reproduce that form once more to deny Spurs.
Jody Craddock
is a Premier League veteran from his time at Sunderland and
leads the defence from centre-half, alongside Richard
Stearman, a tall, rangy central defender who can also play
at full back. Started at Leicester and has done OK in
the top flight, but his England credentials are being
tested. Stephen Ward looks like a player who might be
a weak link, having had a torrid time at the Lane and
getting sent off at Anfield, so whoever is playing right
midfield for Tottenham might get some joy against him, while
Stephane Berra is OK when up against a typical
centre-forward, but might suffer with nippy forwards with
good movement. Among others how can play at the back
are former Colchester United and Sunderland utility man Greg
Halford, who lost his way a bit at the Stadium of Light, but
is a useful member of the squad and Ronald Zubar, who has
come in from Marseille. Promising Chelsea and England
Under-21 defender Michael Mancienne is also at the club, but
does not start regularly.
The midfield
is mainly made up of ball-winning tacklers, except for
Matthew Jarvis, the ex-Gillingham winger, who has done well
in the Premiership. He is a talented player, who lots
of bigger clubs looked at, although he needs to cut the
diving out of his game. I am reliably informed that he
didn't learn that at Priestfield. Nenad Milijas has
come in and seems to have a bit about him, scoring a long
range goal in one of his first games, but he is not a stand
out player for them. Karl Henry is more typical of the
Wolves midfielder. Snarling in referee's faces and
putting everything into his tackles, he is a little rash and
might find himself getting into a lot of trouble.
It is another
game that won't win a "pretty match of the year" award, but
with Wolves' plight a little more advanced and the fact that
they are at home making them a bit more reliant to get
something from the game, Spurs might be able to break and
catch them when they are a bit more vulnerable. With
the likes of Defoe and maybe Gudjohnsen, quickly changing
defence into attack with Palacios or Jenas running the ball
out or from Huddlestone's or Bentley's passing, Spurs should
be able to create enough opportunities to take the points
...
PREDICTION :
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Tottenham Hotspur
3
For more information on
the opponents and their history, including full result history of
matches between the two teams, click
here.
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Wolverhampton
Wanderers
(Away)
