Ange Postecoglou admits he is “hurting immensely” over Tottenham’s slump in form but still feels they can compete towards the top this season in the Premier League.
Injury-hit Spurs were on track to end a torrid month of December on a high after first-half goals by Rodrigo Bentancur and Brennan Johnson cancelled out Hee-Chan Hwang’s brilliant opener for Wolves.
Tottenham captain Heung-Min Son also squandered a 43rd-minute penalty, but it did not appear to be too costly until visiting substitute Jorgen Strand Larsen smashed home with three minutes left to ensure the spoils were shared in north London.
Heung-Min Son failed to convert a penalty against Wolves
Spurs will start 2025 in the bottom half after one win from their last seven Premier League fixtures and yet Postecoglou rallied around his depleted squad, with Destiny Udogie the latest to limp off to become their ninth unavailable player.
“It hurts me as I’m responsible,” he said.
“When I see how hard the players are trying, it hurts even more. I wanted them to get rewards for their effort. It hurts immensely. It’s my responsibility for where we’re at right now.
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers
“I’ll keep going mate, we’ve got work to do in getting some help with these players. Our role is to help them perform to their best. I can see how hard they’re trying. If we were at our sharpest we’d have got that third and fourth goal, we were inches away.
“We are lacking the dynamic movement we need. Where does Deki [Kulusevski] get the energy from? Dom [Solanke], Sonny. These guys are fighting energy and aren’t as sharp as we can be.
“We’re dealing with a fair bit and we’re not getting a smooth run at anything in terms of getting players back to allow us to freshen up the team. When we get one back, we lose one.”
Ange: League still ‘farly tight’
The draw means Spurs, who were booed off at full-time, have failed to win in their last five home games and leaves them down in 11th in the Premier League table with only 24 points from 19 games.
However, Postecoglou isn’t giving up hope of making a charge towards the top end of the Premier League when his key players return.
“It’s still fairly tight,” he said.
“At some point we will get a healthy squad and we’ll be able to perform at a high level. We’ve shown we can beat anyone.
“There’s always a chance to go on a run. That is secondary to getting support to the players both physically and mentally and in terms of numbers.”
Brennan Johnson is congratulated by Archie Gray after giving Spurs a 2-1 lead against Wolves
Tottenham were sixth and only three points off Chelsea after a 4-0 win at Manchester City on November 23, but are now closer to the relegation zone than the top four.
Postecoglou refused to be too hard on his players, who will get two days off with Spurs set to have a rare clear midweek ahead of Saturday’s visit of Newcastle where Bentancur will also be suspended.
He added: “We have to try to get some support for the players. Both mentally and physically and in terms of numbers to give them the opportunity to play at their best.
“They’re very disappointed, but it’s not through the want of trying.”
