Wolves Blog

It's a blog. About the Wolves.

Ben Rasmin

Spurs 0 Wolves 2

Blog, Tottenham

Things aren’t so bad after all.

Turns out, despite the apocalyptic musings of Wolves Twitter, that Jimenez isn’t finished and Dendoncker can kick a ball.

Raul with his third match winning contribution at Spurs

And, while the need for reinforcements remains, results like this show that there is a method to Fosun’s (perceived) madness.

Cast your eye over the Spurs defence and you’ll see that, contrary to popular belief, money can’t buy you everything.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but their centre halves cost over £100m while their imperious old gold counterparts cost less than £10m.

Nelson Semedo cost significantly more than Matt Doherty, but nobody is doubting that he is a significant upgrade on the Irishman.

It’s a similar story in midfield, where Academy graduate Luke Cundle more than coped against January arrival Rodrigo Bentancur.

None of this is to say that our owners are infallible, of course. I just wish some people would cut them some slack.

Anyway, on to the matter at hand. We were excellent today weren’t we?

It’s showings like that which demonstrate just how astute a tactician Bruno is.

He completely outwitted Conte in the first half, with the extra man in midfield allowing us to get more bodies in and around the box.

It helped that Spurs were so porous in possession, but we were far more clinical here than we were on Thursday night.

There was more purpose to our attacking play, with Jimenez and Podence linking together superbly. I thought the latter was particularly good in the first half, regularly dropping into pockets of space that Spurs were unable to plug.

There was probably an element of good fortune to both goals, with the home side’s defending leaving a lot to be desired. But you’ve still got to take the chances when they come, and Jimenez and Dendoncker did that with aplomb.

The second half was a slightly different story, as was to be expected, but we looked pretty comfortable throughout, with Sa and in particular Kilman intervening when needed.

I’m running out of superlatives for our defensive man mountain at this point. He’s well on the way to becoming a Molineux great at this rate. Surely an England debut is around the corner?

It was good to see the bench looking in better health too. Hwang, Trincao and Silva are good options to call upon, and things are only going to get better with Neto seemingly on the verge of his long awaited comeback.

All in all, things are looking much rosier than they were three days ago. It’s a funny old game isn’t it?

Brentford 1 Wolves 2

Blog, Brentford

I’ve not made as many away games as I’d like this season, but I wish I’d made this one.

Ruben doing Ruben things

Drones stopping play, a second half interval that felt as if it lasted an eternity, an overturned red card, a SECOND goal of the season for Joao Moutinho, and a canceled swansong from Adama Traore.

Whoops, I almost forgot to mention the pot-kettle-black irony of Brentford fans moaning about time wasting.

No, this isn’t a script for the new series of The Twilight Zone. This is a summary of the madcap events of Brentford 1 Wolves 2.

It’s certainly a game that will live long in the memory, and is further proof of the wonderful job Bruno Lage is doing at our club.

Wolves had to dig in deep for that today, and dig they did.

I’d say we were second best prior to drone-gate, with Brentford evidently keen to halt their recent bad run of results.

But after play finally resumed, we were much more fluent. I thought Podence did a great job of occupying the pockets of space between the home side’s defence and midfield, with young Fabio Silva showing plenty of willingness alongside him.

It was ironic that the deadlock should be broken by one of the least prolific scorers on the pitch, but it was a lovely goal nonetheless. Semedo, surely our most improved player this season, did really well to tee up our 5’7 maestro, who finished with aplomb.

The nerves kicked in around the time of the red card that never was, so much so that it wasn’t a huge surprise to see the Bees level the game. What was surprising was the paucity of our defending, with Ivan Toney virtually unmarked at the back post.

Still, to concede your first goal from a set piece at the end of January is some feat and, that aside, it was another assured defensive display from the Wanderers. Toti Gomes is virtually like a new signing and has brought some welcome competition for our established back three.

With the home side in the ascendancy, you’d have been forgiven for fearing the worst. But this Wolves team don’t roll over for anyone, and so it showed when Reuben Neves added another to his seemingly endless highlight reel.

It was a moment right up there with his scuffed winner at Villa Park, and proved even more crucial when Traore’s farewell strike was cruelly (but correctly) chalked off at the death.

The table doesn’t lie at this stage of the season so make no mistake about it, we’re in the mix for European football. And with Arsenal, Spurs and West Ham to come next month, squeaky bum time is just around the corner.

But bet against Bruno’s boys at your peril. They’re the real deal.

Man Utd 0 Wolves 1

Blog, Man Utd

Just as the January doom and gloom was beginning to set in, Bruno Lage finds a way of making us smile again.

Moutinho strikes at Old Trafford again

There’s nothing quite like a first win at Old Trafford in more than 40 years to dispel the John Percy-induced anxiety of the last few days.

While this win won’t stop the fevered debate about Fosun’s ambitions for the club (or lack thereof), it does serve as a timely reminder of what we already have.

Make no mistake about it, this was a 1-0 battering.

Wolves controlled proceedings against a team whose bench cost more than most Premier League teams (including our own).

Sure, there were a few heart-in-mouth moments. It certainly wouldn’t have been a surprise if Fernandes had netted an equaliser at the death, especially when you think back to our last outing at this ground.

But we were more than good value for this result. It was as complete an away performance as you could hope for, and a further indication of just how good a manager we’ve bagged in Lage.

The discipline he has instilled in this team is remarkable, with every player seeming to have their role nailed down to a tee.

And the individual improvement is there for all to see. Semedo, Kilman, Coady, Saiss, Moutinho, Neves and Podence are all fine examples of that.

Heck, even Fabio made an impact when called upon. Perhaps all is not lost there after all.

There can be no doubt that reinforcements are still required, especially if we want to capitalise on the momentum that has been built over the first half of the season.

But nights like tonight are enough to remind us all that things are pretty sweet as they are, though one does hope that it will be enough to encourage Jeff and co to blow the dust off the Fosun coffers.

Back this manager and the sky is the limit.

Brighton 0 Wolves 1

Blog, Brighton

Wolves must be the most difficult team in the league to evaluate.

Brighton were toothless and squandered their only clear chance

Excellent but ultimately pointless in the first three games, we have since been a puzzling halfway house between brilliance and Pulis-esque s**thousery.

Tonight’s game summed that position up perfectly.

The first half was poor from both sides, with Wolves understandably disjointed after being unexpectedly deprived of the services of both Ait-Nouri and Hwang.

Adama’s introduction for the latter certainly gave us a greater attacking impetus, with the Spaniard leading the line well throughout.

In a game of slim margins, you always suspected that it would take a moment of inspiration to break the deadlock.

Step forward Ruben Neves, whose sumptuous through ball teed Romain Saiss up for a finish befitting of a premium centre forward.

Ironically, a player befitting of that description would have seen us home much more comfortably in the second half, with Podence, in particular, squandering a number of gilt-edged chances.

The Portuguese’s profligacy made for a difficult end to the game, with a combination of Brighton’s own wastefulness and more excellent defending from our rearguard ultimately ensuring we exited with all three points.

Bruno’s charges ought to be commended for seeing the game out at a ground where we have so often been short-changed in recent history. It certainly wasn’t pretty, but the boys in old gold got the job done. 

And while, given the players at our disposal, I might think we are capable of playing better football, it’s obvious that we are a work in progress and, with us sitting 8th in the league, hard to argue against the work of Lage and his backroom team.

Norwich City 0 Wolves 0

Blog, Norwich

I had a feeling that this wouldn’t be quite as straightforward as others seemed to think.

Sa to rescue on more than one occasion

Norwich might be entrenched in the bottom three, but they’d won two on the spin heading into this and are full of the new manager bounce.

They certainly edged this contest, with Jose Sa making a couple of key saves to keep the Canaries at bay.

Our number one is growing in stature with every passing game and was a clear man of the match on a day when his teammates underwhelmed.

Wolves were tidy enough in possession, but failed to create clear-cut chances.

That may be due in part to another anonymous showing from Trincao, who failed to justify his selection.

The Portuguese is undoubtedly talented but appears far too lightweight to cope with the rigours of English football.

Traore would surely have been a better choice from the off, especially given the Norwich defence’s propensity for playing themselves into trouble.

Whatever you may think of the Spaniard, he can’t be expected to turn a game when he’s played out of position. Seeing him shifted out to right wing-back was probably the most frustrating thing about this game.

Alas, Bruno has more than earned our trust at this stage and can count himself unlucky to be deprived of the services of Podence after his standout showing last weekend.

And there’s something to be said for a team that can grind out results when under par. We might not always be pretty, but we’re proving a tough nut for teams to crack.

Still, with some really tough games on the horizon, it’s hard to shake the feeling that this was an opportunity missed.

Wolves 2 Everton 1

Blog, Everton

I think that’s what you call a game of two halves.

After 45 minutes of football that was positively Jekyll, Wolves’ oft-seen Mr Hyde emerged for a second period that was not for the faint-hearted. 

50 up for Raul

Everton, fresh off the heels of a ghoulish first half performance, pressed higher and harder and will probably head back to Merseyside feeling hard done by.  

But, in pleasing contrast to events at Elland Road, we were able to hold on for a win that permits us to re-acquaint ourselves with the number seven after a miserable season spent apart. 

Perhaps it’s fitting that that should happen on the day when Nuno was ousted at Spurs. 

Fosun’s decision to part with our former manager was a divisive one, with many (this writer included) feeling it was a knee-jerk reaction to a season of unprecedented challenges.

And yet, with each passing game it’s looking an increasingly shrewd decision. 

It will take time and money for Bruno to fashion Wolves into the team that he truly wants them to be, but he is getting more than just a tune out of his current crop of players. 

The first half performance was a welcome reminder of the talent we already possess, with the visitors simply unable to cope with the pace and positivity of our football. 

Max Kilman will deservedly draw plaudits for his goal but in truth, all of the defence have massively improved under the tuition of the new coaching setup, while Neves looks totally rejuvenated now he’s been given license to roam. 

Up top, Hwang was excellent once again and I thought, missed sitter aside, this was Trincao’s best performance in old gold. Though neither outshone Raul, who was simply unplayable at times. Those early season fears about his condition have certainly been allayed. 

While it was frustrating to see us lose control of the game in the second half, you have to credit the player’s game management. In an ideal world, there’d be no need for time-wasting or feigning injury but, whether we like it or not, it’s a dark art that is part and parcel of the modern game and we’ll be better off being reluctant practitioners rather than noble objectors. 

It’s impossible to predict how far Wolves can go this season but, with 16 points taken from a possible 21 since the opening three defeats, it feels like the good times aren’t about to let up anytime soon. 

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