As Tottenham left Molineux on Saturday after a late sucker-punch, the overwhelming feeling was of a result largely self-inflicted.
Ange Postecoglou said his side lacked their usual "aggression" and "positivity" in the 2-1 defeat at Wolves, their second reverse on the bounce following the damaging 4-1 defeat by Chelsea, while goalscorer Brennan Johnson described Spurs as "too safe".
In the first game without centre-half Micky van de Ven and playmaker James Maddison — both out until the new year — in came Eric Dier and Ben Davies at centre-half, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was Spurs's most advanced midfielder.
Dier and Davies were solid defensively for 91 minutes before Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina burst into the box to score in stoppage time, both making several important interventions to keep Wolves from the door. But the way they played as the clock ticked towards the final whistle would have alarmed Postecoglou.
Spurs dropped deeper and started to hurry their passing, with the Australian suggesting his players had "self-preservation" in mind.
It could hardly have been more different from the way Van de Ven and Cristian Romero, who was suspended on Saturday, saw out the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace last month, when the pair continued to pass the ball around in neat triangles as the Eagles pushed for an equaliser.
Perhaps centre-half Ashley Phillips, 18, would be malleable to Postecoglou's uncompromising approach and could be handed a debut against Aston Villa after the international break, when Romero will serve the second of his three-match ban. Further forward, Hojbjerg worked hard but is obviously no Maddison, and it was no surprise that Spurs's front three were largely anonymous in the absence of the England playmaker.
Adding some creativity to his midfield will surely be a priority for Postecoglou while Maddison is sidelined with ankle ligament damage.
The gradual return of Rodrigo Bentancur is a welcome boost for Spurs, although Postecoglou has said he will be cautious with the Uruguayan's reintegration following an anterior cruciate ligament injury and he is more of a No6 than a No10.
The most natural replacement for Maddison is Giovani Lo Celso, who played the final 20 minutes at Molineux and nearly made it 2-0 with a fierce effort which was well-saved by Jose Sa.
Lo Celso was influential in Argentina's Copa America win in 2021 and was considered a huge loss when he was injured ahead of the winter World Cup in Qatar.
The 27-year-old also helped Villarreal to a Champions League semi-final in 2021-22, and briefly impressed for Spurs in Jose Mourinho's side, albeit way back in the lockdown days of behind-closed-doors football.
He is obviously a talented player. For the most part, though, Lo Celso has looked unsuited for the Premier League since joining Spurs in summer 2019: too prone to injuries, too eager to slow the game down with an extra touch.
Postecoglou appeared to see something in him in pre-season, however, and now is surely his chance to impress in England. At his best, Lo Celso is a busy playmaker, offering energy, creativity and the occasional goal threat — the things Spurs will miss without Maddison.
If Lo Celso is not going to play in the next couple of months, he probably never will for Spurs, but a revival would make for a compelling redemption arc, especially if it were to begin against Villa and Unai Emery, his former coach at Villarreal.
Postecoglou plainly felt his players could have been more adventurous at Wolves, although the manager's own selections were also on the safe side.
After such a disappointing display, Postecoglou may be more willing to thrust the likes of Phillips and Lo Celso into the team in future.
