Joao Palhinha has been very critical of Tottenham Hotspur following their 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Tottenham managed to salvage a point from their latest Premier League fixture, with Palhinha scoring an equaliser for them in stoppage time.
Even so, the midfielder was still not satisfied with the team’s performance, especially after they went 1-0 down.
Palhinha can be happy with his own individual display, though, as the 30-year-old scored again. Prior to Spurs’ draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he netted in their 3-0 victory over Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup. That night, Thomas Frank started Palhinha in defence.
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Tottenham didn’t show enough patience or calmness after going down
Tottenham had more than half-an-hour to equalise, with Santiago Bueno’s goal for Wolves coming in the 54th minute.
Thanks to Palhinha, Frank’s men got that equaliser, but the Portugal international thinks the team did not show enough patience and calmness after Wolves’ opener.
Speaking in a post-match interview (via The Independent), Palhinha said: “We didn’t have the patience in the right moments when we need to find the good way to score and we need to be much more calm in these moments because it will be key for us.
“We will not start winning all the games, we know even for the future, but when we start to lose 1-0 the game, we need to be much more calm on the ball and especially try to create more chances.”
Tottenham supporters will just be glad that they did not lose the game, while they can also be happy with their side’s overall start to the season.
The Europa League winners currently sit third in the Premier League table after taking 11 points from their first six games.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 15 |
| 2 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| 3 |  TottenhamTottenham | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 11 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| 5 |  BournemouthBournemouth | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 11 |
| 6 |  Manchester CityManchester City | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
The Spurs News gave Palhinha an 8/10 for his display against Wolves, which most Tottenham fans would probably agree with.
Palhinha’s overall thoughts on draw
Given the circumstances, Spurs supporters will feel the point against Wolves was a good one. However, it is a result that has left Palhinha feeling quite deflated. He described the draw as a “sad” one.
“I think it’s mandatory to win these games,” the Bayern Munich loanee said. “I think we give everything and we fight until the last moment — everyone on the pitch. We try to score, try to get the draw but it is a sad draw in my opinion and we wish much more from this game.
“I think we did a really good first half and when we suffer the goal, we start to drop a lot in my opinion.”
Tottenham’s next game in the Premier League is an away fixture against newly-promoted Leeds United. It is a game that Spurs should win, but the Premier League has already delivered a lot of surprises.
Before their league tie, Tottenham face Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League.
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