Tottenham verdict: Spurs can blame striker crisis all they like but Mourinho’s defensive selection lost them Wolves game

TOTTENHAM’S inability to sign a Harry Kane backup is widely criticised and is already being blamed for a potentially flat end to their season.

But it was Jose Mourinho’s bizarre defensive selection rather than any lack of firepower up front that handed Wolves a 3-2 victory in North London today.

Jose Mourinho’s defensive selection cost them the game today not his lack of strikersCredit: EPA

Davinson Sanchez had an afternoon to forgetCredit: Getty Images – Getty

An attacking quartet of Dele Alli, Lucas Moura, Giovani Lo Celso and Steven Bergwijn – while missing an out and out goalscorer – did not look too shabby going into the game.

And sure enough, Spurs started with intent and were ahead inside 13 minutes thanks to Bergwijn’s stabbed finish that came from a well saved Alli effort.

Lo Celso was pulling strings throughout and while they looked a little blunt in spells, thanks to Serge Aurier’s peach on the stroke of half-time, their depleted attack managed to put two goals up before the break.

Enough for most Premier League teams to win at home right?

Wrong.

Eric Dier looked out of his depth at centre-backCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Because while being forced to tamper up front, Mourinho inexplicably decided to do the same at the back.

With experienced pair Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld on the bench, the Special One opted for a back-five of Aurier and Ben Davies as wing-backs with inexperienced Japhet Tanganga, midfielder Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez in the middle.

The three in the middle all had afternoons to forget as Dier failed to clear Ruben Vinagre’s cross for Wolves’ first, Tanganga got sat down by Raul Jimenez for their third and Sanchez kept himself free from direct embarrassment by remaining yards away from the action for most of the afternoon.

When quizzed on the peculiar selection after the game, Mourinho pointed to Tanganga and Sanchez’s pace and offered that as the reason for their inclusion.

But while they may be quicker across the ground than Spurs’ benchbound and highest paid defenders, Vertonghen and Alderweirweld would surely have offered more from a positional sense the men they were replaced by.

But alas, more points dropped as Spurs slipped to seventh.

However, at least the conversation switched back to strikers after the game with Mourinho quick to remind waiting reporters that young forward Troy Parrott is “still not ready”.

Japhet Tanganga will want to forget this afternoon in a hurryCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk