The Tim Spiers debrief – Fulham 1 Wolves 1

They could easily have lost at Craven Cottage on what was a mixed afternoon in terms of performances.

Two halves

"Game of two halves", as they say, and Wolves were far better in the second half than the first.

In the first period they were laboured in possession, too direct, struggled to cope with Aleksandar Mitrovic and offered little from the flanks.

Adama Traore did an Alfie Moon disappearing act, while Morgan Gibbs-White had as much space as an elephant in a lift. It was all a bit messy – and Fulham should have capitalised.

A tactical switch at half time and the introduction of Ivan Cavaleiro changed the game. Wolves played patient, probing football, the excellent Joao Moutinho came into his own and Cavaleiro and Helder Costa helped stretch Fulham out, playing as wingers and offering good width.

However, against a deep, five-man defence with plenty of protection in front of it, Wolves struggled to create anything of note.

They could have had few complaints had they lost, but a late rally earned a point in what was a bit of a madcap finish with Conor Coady producing some trademark goal-line heroics.

All in all, an indifferent performance and a fair result. Fulham may have set up like a team 20th in the table, with seven defensive players on the pitch (in a home game!) but they didn't play like one.

All things considered, take a point and move on.

Selection dilemmas

Move on specifically to Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur where Wolves will face a team that's scored 11 goals in two matches. Crikey.

Nuno's approach will be fascinating. Does he flood the midfield and try and frustrate Spurs, like so many teams have done to Wolves?

Or does he go on the attack, play Cavaleiro and Costa and try and exploit the gaps that Spurs will leave in the final third, just as he did at Arsenal when Wolves were fearless and should have won?

Either way, there'll almost certainly be at least one change of personnel in the XI...

How do you solve a problem like Traore?

That's because Traore is hugely unlikely to start again after his no-show here.

Yes he found it difficult against a five-man defence, yes his team-mates didn't give him the ball in the right areas and yes he didn't help himself with some fairly aimless and direction-less runs off the ball.

But Traore wasn't even getting the basics right at times. He was ineffective and it was no surprise to see him withdrawn at the break.

Then again, his best position is arguably playing as a deep forward on the right flank, picking the ball up and running at defenders, generally causing havoc. And how many times has he started a match for Wolves in that position? None.

This is becoming a weekly theme, but we're in late December now and Nuno still hasn't figured out how to make the most of Traore's unique talents.

While Traore hasn't helped himself at times, the blame doesn't all lie with him.

Solid Saiss

Teams evolve throughout the season – your best formation and/or XI in sunny August will likely look different come winter.

And one man who has surely made himself indispensable for now is Romain Saiss, who has made a made positive impact in each game he's played since making his first start of the season on November 30.

Saiss came into the side when Wolves needed some grit in midfield. He doesn't mind getting his hands dirty and is adept at breaking up play.

However he's offered much more than that, regularly bursting into the opposition penalty area in what's actually more of a box-to-box role.

His forceful style is one that disrupts defences – last season he was pretty languid in front of the back three but now he's more 'all action' and Wolves look better for it.

He popped up in the right place at the right time to tap home an equaliser after making a decent run into the box and, with his confidence up, almost sent a 30-yarder into the top corner a couple of minutes later.

Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho started the season in fine form. At that time Wolves were an unknown quantity and teams allowed them more space and time on the ball, which suited the Portuguese pair.

From October onwards when the opposition have started to flood the midfield and stop Wolves playing, Nuno's team have needed to retaliate. Saiss can do that.

And with Nuno saying yesterday he expects more of the same in the coming months, Saiss could become a fixture in the side.

The head coach said: "As the season goes on, these kind of games will be more and more likely because the results mean so much to the teams. The football is not so open and well played."

After Moutinho's impressive second half showing, is it possible that Ruben Neves will have to spend another game on the bench? Will Nuno go three in midfield with Moutinho in the 10, as he did against Liverpool? Or is it back to the flat 3-4-3?

Decisions, decisions.

Solutions needed

The Spurs game will be a completely different affair – they'll have few worries about stopping Wolves play and after a remarkable scoring glut in the past week will be supremely confident of outscoring Nuno's team.

It's a contest and a challenge that you feel Wolves will embrace.

The issue of them struggling against sides that try and stop them playing won't go away, though.

Coady and Matt Doherty both called for improvements in this regard after yesterday's match and it's something that threatens to spoil Wolves' season if they don't get it right after Christmas.

Whether the solutions come from different tactics, or new signings in January, is up to Nuno.

Final word

Star man: Joao Moutinho

The boss: Good half-time switch

Fans: Great turnout for an early game in London

Magic moment: It can only be Saiss' equaliser

In a word: Frustrating

Picture perfect: