Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon thanked Portuguese midfielder Joao Parinha for the unlikely heroism of his side in their second Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers this season.
The 30-year-old’s final effort could only earn him a point in a comeback, but this time his 82nd-minute strike proved decisive as Roberto de Zerbi’s side won 1-0.
It has to be said that the Lilywhites were made to work hard to pick up the all-important three points, but that doesn’t matter in their current predicament as the relegation-battling side keep pace with West Ham United in this interesting battle to break out of the relegation zone.
There will still be concerns given there is still a two-point gap between them and the Hammers, but there is much to be positive about for De Zerbi, who has made gradual progress in his short tenure so far.
How Parinha saved Spurs’ troubles against Molineux
1 loss, 1 draw and 1 win. De Zerbi, who failed to win in his first five games in charge at Brighton & Hove Albion, took over as Spurs manager and led his new team to their first top-flight win since December.
Wolves vs Spurs stats | ||
|---|---|---|
wolf | status | spurs |
41% | Possession | 49% |
0.62 | xG | 1.05 |
1 | big chance | 1 |
11 | shot | 11 |
1 | keep | 2 |
5 | corner | 5 |
305 | path | 467 |
32 | tackle | 29 |
14 | free kick | 8 |
3 | yellow | 4 |
For much of the afternoon, things didn’t look like they were going to go well, especially with Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simmons both sidelined with injuries on either side of the break.
Against a side whose fate was already decided, the visitors struggled to break down Rob Edwards’ tenacious side, with both teams creating their only ‘big chances’.
But when the north Londoners had their chance, Parinha slotted it home at the back post after Richarlison’s initial intervention.
He has a maximum of four league goals this season, but this was arguably the most important as his on-loan substitute failed to fulfill his hopes of staying permanently.
However, Parinha’s influence under De Zerbi has so far been only temporary, with his most consistent performers coming from an unlikely source.
De Zerbi’s best players imitate Bale
First impressions are not fatal. Just ask Gareth Bale.
The Welsh wizard had a particularly difficult start to his career at Spurs, and was on the verge of leaving at a young age after enduring a 24-game winless run in the league after joining from Southampton.
It wasn’t the ideal way for a young player to start in a new environment, but after fighting his way into the starting lineup, he never looked back. The rest, as they say, is history.
Of course, it’s still early days, but Spurs will be hoping Antonin Kinski continues on a similar trajectory, but the Czech keeper was almost sacked after his failure at Atletico Madrid.
Captivated after just 16 minutes in the Spanish capital, he was a better player, or better man, than he might have been withered. German player Loris Karius, for example, never recovered from a mistake-filled Champions League final with Liverpool.
However, despite being reinstated following Guglielmo Vicario’s hernia surgery, Kinski performed admirably in each of De Zerbi’s three matches in charge, enduring few moments of uncertainty in any of them.
From his first in-swinging corner against Sunderland, the 23-year-old has dealt with everything that has come his way, including a vital stoppage-time save to deny Joao Gomez a free-kick.
In total, the former Slavia Prague man made two saves, boasted a solid passing accuracy of 77% and had a passing rate of 94% inside his own half, looking like a perfect fit for De Zerbi’s progressive, possession-oriented approach.
Just a few weeks ago, Kinski’s fate seemed sealed, and that terrifying night in Madrid was destined to always be remembered.
As has happened, changes in the dugout lead to changes in fortunes, and thankfully the same goes for Kinski and De Zerbi, so there is no point in bringing a fit Vicario back into the team.
Kinski, who is currently playing consistently in every game under coach De Zerbi, could become a key player in this fight for survival. What a turnaround that would be!
Another ENIC error: The Spurs could be trying to make a worse hire than Frank and Tudor.
Are Spurs preparing for another potentially costly decision at board level?
