Notebook - Wolves v Spurs

Our Premier League campaign resumes on Sunday afternoon as we make the trip to Wolves (2pm kick-off).

Here in the Notebook, take a look through the key points of note ahead of the encounter at Molineux.

1 - Happy returns for Nuno?

On Sunday, Nuno Espirito Santo will return to the place that, up until this summer, he had called home. Head Coach at Wolves from May, 2017 until May earlier this year, Nuno led the West Midlands outfit from mid-table in the Championship to two top-half finishes in the Premier League and a Europa League semi-final during his four years in charge. Now, having made the move to join us in north London back in July, he returns to Molineux for the first time this weekend, and we’ll be hoping he can lead us to victory on his old stomping ground.

2 - Lage introductions

Back in June, following the departure of Nuno Espirito Santo, Wolves appointed Bruno Lage as their new Head Coach. Taking the hot seat at Molineux, Lage is embarking on just his third professional managerial role in the game, having previously coached Benfica B and Benfica in his homeland of Portugal. Beginning his coaching career with the youth team of his hometown club Vitoria de Setubal at the turn of the century, the 45-year-old later moved to Benfica in 2004 where he spent eight years training the Portuguese giant’s youth teams.

A spell in England followed for Lage between 2015 and 2018 as he assisted Carlos Carvahal at Sheffield Wednesday and then Swansea City before he took on his first professional role back at Benfica, taking charge of their ‘B’ team. Promoted to first team responsibilities six months later in January, 2019, replacing Rui Vitoria, Lage went on to  manage former Spurs players Adel Taarabt, Carlos Vinicius and Gedson Fernandes in his 18 months in charge at the Estadio da Luz. He then left the Portuguese capital in June, 2020 before moving to Molineux earlier this summer.

3 - Molineux musings

In the Premier League era, we have fared well on our trips to Molineux. Having visited Wolves’ home seven times to date, we have only failed to come away with anything on one occasion – a 1-0 defeat over 11 years ago in February, 2010. Our last visit saw us come away with a point as Tanguy Ndombele’s first-minute opener was cancelled out by a late Roman Saiss header in December, 2020. That visit was the first time we had failed to take all three points at Molineux in over a decade.

4 - Away day delights

When we take on Wolves in the Premier League, it is often the away team that comes out on top. In the 14 top-flight meetings between the two sides since the competition’s inception in 1992, the away team has taken all three points seven times (50 per cent). Only one fixture holds a higher away win ratio in Premier League history than Wolves v Spurs - that is Manchester City v Leicester City, in which the away win ratio stands at 55 per cent.

5 - Nuno: Molineux return will be 'special'

Ahead of his return to his former stomping ground, Nuno Espirito Santo told us it will be ‘special’ to step back out at Molineux. Nuno spent four years at Wolves as their Head Coach between 2017 and 2021 and this weekend will mark his first time back since departing in May. “It will be special. Of course it will be special,” Nuno smiled. “They were four years of hard work, four years that were amazing and the Wolves fans were so supportive, so good to us that it's only love and respect that I have for the club, for the fans, for the players there and for the staff because, like I said, it was four years of our life that we shared together.”

6 - The wolf house

This Sunday’s encounter will be Wolves’ first home game of the season - a fixture they have struggled in since their return to the Premier League in 2018. Having faced three full league campaigns since their promotion back to the top flight three years ago, Wolves have failed to win any of their opening home games, drawing two and losing the other.

7 - Opposition view

Despite being largely pleased with his side’s performance in their season opening 1-0 defeat to Leicester last Saturday, Wolves boss Bruno Lage believes his team's finishing requires improvement.

In a close fought encounter with the Foxes, Wolves impressed, creating chances aplenty. In total at the King Power, they attempted 17 shots at goal - a tally almost double opponents Leicester’s output (9) and one only bettered by Arsenal, Liverpool, West Ham and Manchester City on opening weekend. However, frustratingly for Lage, just three of those 17 strikes hit the target.

“We analysed the game and after we do one short video for the players, on what they did well and what they need to improve. That’s it,” the Wolves Head Coach explained. “We analysed the game the next day, we saw the good things and the things we need to improve and then we start working on top of that game.

“We weren’t happy about the result; we want to win. We created a lot of chances and we deserved to score. But we are confident with the process, one more week to train and to improve our skills, especially shooting at goal, creating chances, and scoring goals. That’s the way; to see, analyse, show a video to the players, and after that, we continue to work. That’s why I think we did another good week of training, and we are ready to do another good game like we did against Leicester.”

8 - The Hundred

This weekend’s clash between us and Wolves will be the 100^th meeting between the sides in all competitions. The first came way back in September, 1908, as we hosted Wolves at White Hart Lane and we came out on top with a brace from Vivian Woodward and a strike from Thomas Morris earning us a 3-0 win.

9 - Team news

Nuno Espirito Santo has confirmed that centre-backs Joe Rodon and Cameron Carter-Vickers will both be unavailable for Sunday’s trip to Wolves.

Welsh international Joe, who missed Thursday night’s Europa Conference League opener with Pacos de Ferreira after picking up an injury in training at the start of the week, will remain out for the Molineux visit. Academy product Cameron is out of contention after picking up an ankle injury on our trip to Portugal.

10 - Losing streak

Wolves are currently on their longest losing run in the Premier League since April, 2012. In a streak stretching back to the end of last season, the men in gold have lost each of their last four games, scoring just once. Between March and April, 2012, Wolves lost seven in a row. However, not since the 2003/04 season have the West Midlands side lost their first two games of a season.