Ange Postecoglou may be investigating internal leaks at Tottenham Hotspur, but the most damaging ones may be the glaring weaknesses in his own team. The manager disclosed on Friday that sensitive club information had been making its way outside, yet the more pressing concern remains the lack of resistance in midfield and defence.
Tottenham’s vulnerability was on full display in their 4-2 loss to Wolves at Molineux, a defeat that highlighted the growing instability under Postecoglou. It was Spurs’ 17th defeat in just 32 league fixtures — their worst record in two decades. The team currently sits in 15th place, and their latest performance did little to ease the pressure on the Australian manager.
A low point came with a bizarre own goal involving Djed Spence. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario deflected the ball into the full-back, and it ricocheted into the net. Postecoglou, watching the replay from the sidelines, was left stunned by the sequence — a snapshot of the chaos that has become far too familiar.
Since Postecoglou’s arrival before the 2023-24 season, Tottenham have conceded six own goals in the Premier League — a figure only surpassed by West Ham and Sheffield United with seven each. The 17 league losses so far place them just behind the bottom three sides — Southampton, Leicester, and Ipswich — in terms of defeats.
Although this latest loss came with some mitigating factors, including squad rotation ahead of their crucial Europa League quarter-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt, the nature of the defeat raised alarms. Key players such as Son Heung-min, Micky van de Ven, Pedro Porro, and Destiny Udogie were rested, while Rodrigo Bentancur was introduced later in the match. Dejan Kulusevski made a return from injury, featuring briefly in the closing stages.
Despite the rotation, the manner of the performance was deeply troubling. Wolves opened the scoring early when Vicario failed to effectively clear a corner, leaving Rayan Ait-Nouri free to finish from the edge of the area. The second goal saw Vicario once again at fault, deflecting a soft header off Spence and into the net.
Tottenham briefly showed signs of life when Mathys Tel scored shortly before the hour mark — his second in as many league games. However, that momentum was short-lived. Cristian Romero, a World Cup winner, was dispossessed by Ait-Nouri, who set up Jorgen Strand Larsen to restore Wolves’ two-goal advantage.
Even when Richarlison gave Spurs a lifeline with a late goal, the visitors quickly unraveled again. Lucas Bergvall, a key figure in the earlier goal, surrendered possession, allowing Matheus Cunha to break away and seal Wolves’ win with their fourth goal.
The defeat marked Wolves’ fourth consecutive top-flight victory — a feat they hadn’t achieved since January 1972. For Spurs, however, it was another entry in a long list of collapses, and with Europa League glory on the line next week, Postecoglou’s tenure may depend on a drastic turnaround.
