Antonio Conte needs answers quickly as Wolves defeat exposes yet more Tottenham problems

Tottenham slumped to a second home defeat in four days and a third League reverse on the bounce to leave Antonio Conte needing to find answers ahead of a daunting trip to Manchester City next weekend.

If the hat-trick of defeats to Chelsea could be explained by the chasm in the quality between the two squads, it is harder to justify back-to-back losses to mid-table Southampton and Wolves, who were 2-0 up inside 18 minutes and held firm as Spurs flooded forward in the second half.

Spurs could point to mistakes from goalkeeper Hugo Lloris for both the visitors’ goals, with the goalkeeper unconvincing before Raul Jimenez volleyed Wolves in front and inviting pressure with a loose pass in the build-up to Leandro Dendoncker’s close-range finish.

But the captain’s errors were part of a calamitous defensive display from Conte’s side, who were disorganised, susceptible to pressing and far too easy to play through for the second time this week. Even at 2-0, Wolves looked the likelier to score again before half-time, although Bruno Lage’s side were happy to drop off in the second half.

Spurs made far too many individual errors, including countless loose passes, hesitant touches and bad decisions, with their failings both individual and collective.

Having started the week as a good bet for a top-four finish and with renewed optimism after the transfer window, you now have to wonder if Spurs have the quality to guarantee any European football next season.

Conte is not beyond question, and his determination to persist with his preferred 3-4-3 system, which does not suit the squad nor get the best from Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, increasingly feels like a blind spot.

But if Conte can’t fix this squad, then who can? Spurs, as Conte