Joao Palhinha has called for Tottenham Hotspur to remain calm after their 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. The midfielder's late goal secured a point for Spurs, but he believes the team needs to show more composure in crucial moments if they want to consistently win games.
Tottenham had an opportunity to move into second place in the Premier League standings, just two points behind leaders Liverpool, but they were held by a Wolves side that is currently at the bottom of the table. Despite dominating the first half, Spurs found themselves trailing after Santiago Bueno scored for Wolves in the 54th minute.
Manager Thomas Frank made several substitutions and tactical adjustments in an attempt to turn the game around, but Tottenham struggled to create clear-cut chances. It wasn't until the fourth minute of stoppage time that Palhinha found the back of the net with a low drive from 18 yards, salvaging a draw for his team.
"I think it's mandatory to win these games," Palhinha 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".
Palhinha praised Tottenham's performance in the first half, highlighting chances for Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Bergvall. However, he felt the team lost control after conceding the goal. "I think we did a really good first half and when we suffer the goal, we start to drop a lot in my opinion," Palhinha noted.
The Portuguese international stressed the importance of patience and composure in difficult situations. "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," he stated. "We will not start winning all the games, we know even for the…".
Tottenham's manager, Thomas Frank, echoed Palhinha's sentiments, expressing his frustration with the team's inability to capitalize on their first-half dominance. He felt that the team rushed things in the second half and didn't maintain their structure. "The second half, after their goal, I thought we lost a bit of control. We didn't keep our structure enough. We were rushing too much in my opinion," Frank said.
Despite the draw, Frank acknowledged the team's effort and was happy with Palhinha's late equalizer. "You're happy because the players worked so hard. It was a well-deserved point in general," he said.
Palhinha joined Tottenham on loan from Bayern Munich in August 2025. The 30-year-old defensive midfielder has quickly become an important player for Spurs, already scoring twice in six appearances. He is keen to make the move permanent and hopes Tottenham will exercise their option to buy him at the end of the season.
"I think the Joao Palhinha signing has been excellent for Tottenham," said Ben Jacobs. "The original agreement had an option to buy, which is set at £27m. That was something that both Tottenham and the player were very keen on factoring in as part of the deal".
The draw against Wolves serves as a reminder that the Premier League is a relentless and competitive league. Tottenham will need to learn from this experience and heed Palhinha's call for calm as they continue their push for a top-four finish.
