Wolves Blog

Wolves 1 Fulham 0

If the game was something of a damp squib, the occasion certainly wasn’t.

Molineux was raucous from beginning to last, resplendent in the sunshine as Leander Dendoncker’s volleyed winner moved Wolves a step closer to European qualification.

The Donk has been instrumental in an incredible second half to the season

The South Bank treated us to their best hits, including a rendition of a new tune made possible only half hour before the game.

There’s only one Dr Nuno was the unfamiliar cry of the golden masses, and it certainly has a nice ring to it.

The University’s decision to bestow our manager with an honorary degree is unlikely to generate headlines anywhere outside of the Express & Star, but it’s certainly a decision worthy of merit.

I never thought a manager could have such a transformative effect on a modern day football club, but Nuno has done that in spades.

Cast your mind back to where we were when he and his team first hitched up, and marvel at the extraordinary progress we’ve made since.

From the bottom half of the Championship to being the Premier League’s best of the rest, who knew so much could be achieved in just two years.

That being said, the manager is always keen to deflect praise onto the team and it’d be remiss of me not to at least namecheck a few of the performers that have made this journey so special.

Matt Doherty turned in another outstanding performance yesterday, chalking another assist against his name.

If there’s a more improved player at the club than the Irish Cafu then it’s arguably Connor Coady, who was rightfully showered in adulation during the post-game lap of honour.

Either side of him is the colossus pairing of Willy Boly and Ryan Bennett, who both continue to look naturals at this level.

On the left, Jonny has consistently shown himself to be a true Rolls-Royce of a defender.

In midfield, Reuben Neves continues to be the heartbeat of a midfield which so often leaves me picking my jaw up off the floor.

Alongside him is Joao Moutinho, arguably the best player most of us have seen in old gold. And Dendoncker, though not quite as flash as his counterparts, has grown to become an integral cog in Nuno’s system.

Up top is where the magic happens. If there’s a better strike partnership than Jota and Raul outside of the top six, I haven’t found it yet. Simply put, they’re the stuff dreams are made of.

And let’s not forget Rui Patricio, who hasn’t had much to do the last couple of weeks but has been a largely stellar performer this season.

There’s plenty of players sat on the bench who have made us smile at some point or other, all of which have played their part this term.

So what’s next? European tour? Top six assault? The realisation of Fosun’s ultimate ambition?

All mouthwatering questions, but perhaps, for now, we should just toast the bearded doctor and his team that have allowed us to ponder such wonderous things.

Watford 1 Wolves 2

Blog, Watford

It’s been said that revenge is a dish best served cold.

But there was nothing frosty about Wolves’ performance today, as they banished those anguished memories of Wembley in some style.

The result was unfamiliar, given our prior failings against the Hornets, but its architects certainly weren’t.

Man of the moment – a Foster howler gifts Jota the winning goal

Raul and Jota’s double act has arguably been the highlight of this magical season, and they weaved their magic once again to decide this well-contested fixture.

For the former, it must have been so sweet.

Mocked by Watford’s fans and ungracious captain after his mask celebration, he once again showed his class today with a well-taken strike.
Interestingly enough, his partner and family were sat just a few seats down from me.

It was a delight to see the look on her face as she watched the away end sing her beau’s name with such gusto.

Sandwiched in between that goal and the winner was an entirely preventable Watford equaliser.

Ryan Bennett marred an otherwise solid performance with an uncharacteristic error which local boy Andre Gary capitalised on.

Credit to Watford, they’re a very good side and had plenty of the ball over the course of the game.

But Wolves seemed more street smart this afternoon, and the home side ultimately did little to test Rui Patricio.

What the opposition has in talent, they lack in grace and it was just deserts for the gloating Ben Foster when man of the moment Diogo Jota tucked the ball past him.

With goalkeeping befitting of a car lot air dancer, the ex-Albion man failed to claim Ruben Neves’ ingenious cross and a perfect away day was sealed.

Wolves should have had more, the referee somehow failing to award a penalty after a horrendous tackle on Jota.

It mattered little though, with the win and possibly a European place sealed.

Just typing that feels surreal, in just two seasons Nuno has taken us from Championship also-rans to one of the Premier League’s top sides.

Where we go from here is anyone’s guess, but like all of you, I’m looking forward to the ride.

Southampton 3 Wolves 1

Blog, Southampton

If the highlights were anything to go by, the home side should feel aggrieved to have only scored three.

Uncharacteristically bad defending was Wolves undoing today, the dreaded Wembley hangover seemingly in full effect.

Jonny went missing for the first, with young whippersnapper Josh Sims handed the freedom of Southampton and duly crossing expertly for Nathan Redmond to tuck home.

Big Willy handed us an unexpected lifeline, nodding home from another sumptuous Joao Moutinho set piece.

But the elation of the travelling hordes was short-lived as the usually impenetrable ‘five at the back’ came unstuck once again.

There was more than a few culpable second time round, with Romain Saiss making it far too easy for the Saints midfield to slip the ball in behind him and Connor Coady playing a grateful Redmond onside for his second.

By all accounts it seemed as if we picked up in the second half, and could have perhaps nabbed ourselves an equaliser.

But it wasn’t to be, and more car crash defending meant the day ended on the sourest of notes with ex-Albion man Shane Long poking home past a helpless Rui Patricio.

To be fair to the Portuguese stopper, his save shortly after prevented the game from descending into total humiliation but he certainly could have done more to stop the second and third.

On this evidence, fringe players such as Ruddy, Vinagre and (to a lesser extent) Bennett will fancy their chances of breaking into the lineup for next Saturday.

Perhaps a little experimentation wouldn’t go amiss, with there being only five games to go. But you sense Nuno and his Chinese paymasters will be keen to nab that final European place, given the ambition they have shown to date.

Whether an early start to next season would be wise, given the modest size of our squad, is certainly a topic for debate.
One thing that isn’t up for discussion though is that afternoons like this shouldn’t taint the memory of this season.

Wolves are still giving us plenty of reasons to dream, even if they do still have a knack for letting us down every now and again.

Burnley 2 Wolves 0

Blog, Burnley

Call me a cynic, but I’ve always believed there’s no such thing as perfect.

Even in this most dazzling of seasons, there has been moments of real frustration.

This defeat was one of them, largely because it was entirely preventable.
I’m not going to bash Sean Dyche’s side, they know their limitations and play to their strengths.

Coady was unlucky with the OG but the opening was gifted

But even the most ardent of Clarets will know this result flattered them.
The first goal was an absolute gift, with the home side profiting from some lackadaisical defending.

The second was well hit by Dwight McNeil, but the teenager was met with little opposition during the buildup.

But the most generous aspect of Wolves performance was the predictability of their attacking play, which played right into Burnley’s hands.

The absence of Raul Jimenez for most of the game was an undoubted hinderance, with the team sorely missing its talismanic focal point.

With Diogo Jota out of sorts and Ivan Cavaleiro failing to impress, Ben Mee and James Tarkowski were able to dominate.

And while we certainly dominated possession, by the end of the game Tom Heaton had made only one save of note.

That’s disappointing and, while we have what’s sure to be a glorious day out at Wembley to look forward to, we’ll need to improve in these type of games if we’re serious about cracking the top six in the near future.

Four of the bottom six have put us to the sword on their own turf and Nuno will know that can’t be the case next season.

Still, a few bad results can’t undo the fact that it’s been a tremendous first season back in the top flight and won’t hamper anyone’s enthusiasm for next weeks semi-final.

Wolves 2 Cardiff 0

Blog, Cardiff City

Whisper it quietly, but I feared the worst today.

Though I thought the reaction of some to our defeat on Tuesday was a tad hyperbolic, the result was enough for me to recall the winless run our last game against Cardiff was sandwiched in between.

Jota was unplayable in the first half spell that won the game

Thankfully, my fears were unfounded.

Not since West Ham have we been so dominant, save for the first 10 minutes when the visitors started brightly.

Nuno’s changes may have raised a few eyebrows prior to kick-off but they worked a treat.

Adama Traore was a constant menace down the right hand side, as well as being impressively diligent in his defensive duties.

The only thing missing from his performance was a goal, which he really ought to have grabbed when moved further upfield in the second half.

Still, today was affirmation of the huge potential this guy has. If the manager can harness it, we have a real player on our hands.

On the opposite flank, Ruben Vinagre turned in his best performance in a Wolves shirt.

I read in the programme at half-time that the Bluebirds’ right back, Lee Peltier, had not played in the Premier League prior to this season.

On today’s evidence he won’t again, so regularly was he beaten by the Portuguese speedster.

The fact we have players of his quality in reserve underlines the excellent recruitment we have undertaken since Nuno’s arrival.

In midfield, the seldom heralded Romain Saiss did an excellent job of ensuring we won the midfield battle.

In the reverse fixture, we were often second to the ball and particularly struggled with the aerial bombardment that is so synonymous with Neil Warnock teams.

There was none of that today thanks to Saiss, who to my eye won every ball he contested.

Again, that he is only a squad player shows just how much quality exists within our current squad.

John Ruddy and Morgan Gibbs-White had quieter games, but did nothing to contradict the notion that Nuno can rotate his team without fearing a reverse in fortunes.

Though our wily manager has proven himself a stickler for a winning formula, further experimentation may not go amiss given we have little to play for in the league beyond being the ‘best of the rest’.

Either way, this game emphasised the vast strides we have made since last season and proved we can indeed beat teams perceived to be lesser than ourselves.

If you want to back Wolves to finish 7th, make it the FA Cup final or take on any other market these free football betting tips provided by experts will come in handy.

Bristol City 0 Wolves 1

Blog, Bristol City, FA Cup

There was delirium in the away end at Ashton Gate once we were finally safe in the knowledge our cup odyssey will extend to the quarter finals.

But every Wolves supporter, whether sat in the stands or in front of the telly, knew just how hard the players had to work to get there.

Cav adds to a decent goals to games ratio

Our first half display was vintage, with in-form City mostly chasing shadows.

Ivan Cavaleiro’s opener felt routine, our just reward after a domineering display.

Joao Moutinho once again played the role of maestro, turning in a display that no superlative could really do justice.

Up top, Raul Jimenez underlined his importance to the team by providing a constant foil for the aforementioned match-winner.

But a tactical change from the annoying-but-astute Lee Johnson almost reversed the Robins’ fortunes.

By mimicking our formation, they opened up space for the wing-backs and gained control of the midfield.

A flurry of chances followed, with the collective heartbeat of those of an old gold persuasion escalating beyond all levels of comfort.

Thankfully, our towering defence stood tall and Lady Luck shone down on us.

If the first half demonstrated our attacking prowess, the second underlined just how good we are at the back.

I lost count of the amount of blocks and clearances we made, with every Bristol attack repelled by hook or by crook.

If Donald Trump really is going to build his wall, he could do worse than use the Wolves defence as a case study.

Marshalling proceedings with distinction yet again was Connor Coady, who is quickly turning himself into a club great.

Like the team he skippers, our adopted Scouser never knows when he is beat and did everything in his bodily power to keep the opposition at bay.
It was fitting that he and Matt Doherty, who brilliantly teed up the winner, were so instrumental in victory just days after penning new contracts.

Both personify everything we all love about this current team, and are great examples of where hard work and perseverance can get you in life.

Attention now turns to tomorrow night’s draw, with Manchester City the standout ‘one to avoid’.

But Wolves can compete with anyone on their day – make no mistake.

The Wembley dream is alive.

If you fancy a flutter on Wolves to win the FA Cup make sure you visit fredbetpromocode.co.uk to top up your stake and benefit from free bets, bonuses and more.