Arsenal

I don’t want to talk about the five.

When you play a good side in an open game there’s always the possibility you’ll take some punishment.

That’s not to forgive the comical defending – Kilman slicing the ball into the path of Xhaka for the second and Sa letting the fifth slip under his body being the most egregious examples – but it’s our repugnant, ineffective attacking that continues to infuriate.

Once again we’ve finished the season averaging less than a goal a game and failed to score in 38% of our matches.

It’s bad enough losing half of your games (today was defeat 19) but all those blanks have made it a slog from start to finish with little to cheer between all those ground out narrow victories.

I’m grateful for the results Julen Lopetegui has delivered but the style of play hasn’t improved since his arrival and I struggle to see what they’re working on during those frequently photographed sessions down at Compton Park.

We have no set piece routines, no patterns of play through the midfield and, on the rare occasions the ball makes it to the penalty area, no bodies in the box.

Plenty will say the coach is working with a bloated and busted group of players and maybe they’re right, but my instinct is they should still be producing greater output.

Whoever is sat in the dugout come August, I just pray to the footballing gods that they’ve found a way to end the three year drought.

If it’s Lopetegui, then great. He’s earned the right to properly rebuild the team and show what he’s about next time.

But if he exits, I won’t be as forlorn as others. It can be tough to find a capable pair of hands, but with Potter and Rodgers both on the open market and proven architects of teams that play attractive, attacking football, there are avenues to explore.

We’ve spent the last three weeks getting misty eyed over players that are past their best or no longer want to be here. Good luck to them wherever they end up.

I’m looking forward to the clear out and have every confidence we can come back better with a motivated group all pulling in the same direction.

Work hard and work fast. Best of luck Jeff.

If you want a poetic spin on a dead rubber, how about this one?

Julen Lopetegui arrives in November with Wolves at rock bottom and watches from the stands as Arsenal cruise to a 2-0 victory.

Six months on, with the salvage job complete and rumours persisting about his possible departure, where do we close out the campaign? The Emirates of course.

So, if it is the end, it would be the most appropriate finale to what’s been a turbulent spell under the charismatic Spaniard.

Nobody wants him to leave – not least because of what that says about the club’s plans for the summer – but it’s better to be having these conversations now than in August.

Arsenal

It’s been a season of considerable progress for the Gunners but it’s ending in disappointment.

9 points from their last 8 Premier League games is the type of form that keeps teams in the Premier League but their objective was somewhat loftier. Talk about deflating.

Mikel Arteta has to make sure this sluggish finish doesn’t creep into next season because the competition at the sharp end isn’t going to ease up.

Injuries have pinched them with the most damaging loss being William Saliba. His partnership at the back with Gabriel was one of the most important factors in their title charge and without him, they’ve really suffered.

Zinchenko, Jesus and most recently Martinelli have also missed games and their squad wasn’t deep enough to cope. That’s something they’ll look to address in the months ahead.

On the plus side, they’re back in the Champions League so that will help with their recruitment plans. They also know that their best XI, which is a young group of players, gives them a fantastic platform to build.

Wolves

It’s been away from home that we’ve missed some of the stalwarts of previous years. The leadership of Coady, the bite of Saiss, the towering presence of Boly. These foundational players gave us some backbone and we haven’t replaced these qualities, hence why we’ve been like a piece of paper.

No, I haven’t gone crazy and I know this won’t be the team on Sunday, but the above XI are players that might be here next season if all the obvious ones leave.

Nunes is another who might seek a move but Joao Gomes could come in there to create a physically imposing midfield.

Either way, what this group has in common is energy. I think they could press high and play at a tempo with the ball that creates more chances.

The point I’m scratching at is that even if Lopetegui walks and we dispense of Raul, Jonny, Ait-Nouri, Moutinho, Traore, Raul, Costa and one or two others, we’d still have the foundations to build something.

Keep in mind we haven’t even talked about Kalajdzic, Chiquinho, Fabio, Giles, Hoever or several others that could come back and make a difference.

I think the squad needs shaping in the right way and a clear style of play introduced, but there’s plenty here for someone to work with and the right additions will bring out the best in some of the existing talents.

Predictions

Well done to Ben Rasmin, Rich and BigNachos who all correctly predicted the 1-1 scoreline against Everton last weekend.

Rich has now established a phenomenal total of 58 points to further underline his status as 22/23 Champion. There’s a battle for second heading into the final day with Ash K, Matt Cook, Ben Rasmin and WishFart all in contention.

As always, if you’d like to join in with the Prediction League this season, it’s simple – just leave your prediction in the comment section below using the boxes provided. Then repeat for every preview article throughout the season, making sure you always use the same email address to make your prediction. Your email is what ties you to your overall score.

You can read my prediction for the game in the comment section below.

Thank You

Well, that’s another 38 Premier League previews in the bank so thank you to everyone for reading them and contributing your own views in the comment section throughout the season. The diverse opinions in there before and after matches really help make this site a worthwhile destination and I hope even more people will join in next season. We need the happy clappers, the misery guts, the statisticians and everyone in between, so if you read but don’t contribute, please do consider making your voice heard. Equally, if you’d prefer not to, that’s also fine. You’re appreciated all the same.

Next season we’ll be into the 15th year of Wolves Blog and I’m looking forward to making it one to remember. There will be content over the summer when someone feels inspired, but if you’re taking a break, have a great holiday and see you in August.

Up The Wolves!

It’s been a while since we’ve had to familiarise ourselves with the bottom of the league table.

Alas, with mismanagement and a lack of football nous within Wolves’ inner sanctum beginning to take root, we are where we are on merit.

Tonight’s performance was much improved against this season’s standout side (thus far), but the result was the same.

Toothless in attack and porous at the back isn’t quite as jolly a jingle as the original ‘Nuno had a dream’ lyrics, and yet it’s a fitting summation of our squad in its current state.

The long overdue return to five at the back meant we were a tougher nut for Arsenal to crack and did enough to suggest that a step backwards might be necessary to alter our immediate fortune.

Credit must go to Toti, who once again proved himself to be a more than dependable stand-in. He can certainly count himself unlucky to be hooked in the second half when his altogether more hapless counterparts remained in place.

Also bringing positivity to this evening’s proceedings were Hugo Bueno and Boubacar Traore, both of whom remained busy while some of their more expensive teammates (such as the laughably lethargic Guedes) did the exact opposite.

In fairness to Guedes, he was our most likely route to goal all evening and arguably should have been awarded a penalty in the first-half.

But, when you’re fighting for your life at the foot of the table, you cannot afford any passengers. And his total lack of a work ethic suggests that, in our current predicament, that is all he’ll ever be for us.

That being said, he was far from the most hapless Portuguese donning old gold tonight. That honour would once again go to Nelson Semedo who, despite the bizarre adoration bestowed upon him by corners of the Wolves Twitterati, continues to prove himself to be a total defensive liability.

There can be no denying that he and Collins are a major issue for us at the moment, such was the ease with which the Gunners carved open our right-hand side in the build-up to their first goal.

The decisive second wasn’t any easier on the eye, with our once watertight defence again showing itself up to be a porous imitation of its former self.

Incoming manager Julen Lopetegui will now know the size of the task on his hands when he begins work on Monday, with his stony grimace at full-time suggesting that he might be imploring his new paymasters to open their wallets come January.

His arrival certainly gives us hope, but it’s going to take a stark improvement on current proceedings to get us out of this pickle.

I’m looking forward to the break.

The season has been traumatic and it feels like a pause suits Wolves probably more than any other club.

Lopetegui can settle in, we can get some players back (hopefully) and by the time it all kicks off again perhaps we’ll be in a better place?

We have the small matter of taking on the league leaders before signing off, which promises more trauma but it’s also an opportunity to raise our game and finish on a serious high.

Let’s get after them lads.

Arsenal

The Gunners really got their recruitment right over the summer but it was clear they were already building up nicely last season.

Even though it fell apart at the end, mainly due to injuries, you could see it was coming together for Mikel Arteta.

They’re organised, they play with intensity and they have that quality in the final third to open defences. With a bit more squad depth now they’re a serious proposition.

Title contenders? I think you have to say yes. We’re nearly halfway now and they’ve answered plenty of questions – most recently seeing off Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

Getting knocked out of the League Cup by Brighton on Wednesday probably wasn’t in the script but that was always going to be a difficult tie, particularly with a shadow team deployed.

With Man City getting the early kick-off, they’ll know what’s required to maintain their position at the top and I expect them to throw everything at us from the first kick.

Wolves

There are a few unknowns ahead of Steve Davis’ final team selection.

I believe Nelson only had a one-game ban so will be eligible for selection. I’d pick him on the basis we might see a response and in reality we may not have a better option anyway. I’m not sure either Bueno or Ait-Nouri can play on the right and Jonny hobbled off against Leeds suggesting he’s probably out of the equation.

If Matheus Nunes has recovered from his shoulder problem, I’d put him in to try and match their energy in midfield. I was hoping he’d at least be among the substitutes in midweek but hopefully he’s being saved for this and not just saving himself for the World Cup.

I’d play Guedes through the middle and keep Traore in the side just so it gives Arsenal something to think about with running in behind.

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Predictions

Nobody predicted the scoreline against Brighton last time out.

PeteRobbo remains clear at the top of the overall table at the end of Gameweek 14.

As always, if you’d like to join in with the Prediction League this season, it’s simple – just leave your prediction in the comment section below using the boxes provided. Then repeat for every preview article throughout the season, making sure you always use the same email address to make your prediction. Your email is what ties you to your overall score.

You can read my prediction for the game in the comment section below.

Up The Wolves!

It wasn’t to be.

Wolves huffed and puffed but were ultimately beaten by the better team.

Not winning the game is frustrating, given the length of time we were in the lead.

But to leave the Emirates completely empty handed is a bitter pill to swallow.

Credit to Arsenal, I thought they were excellent. Their decision to stick with Mikel Arteta is really paying off.

Ultimately, it was the Spaniard’s substitutions that won the game. Pepe and Nketiah gave them fresh impetus when they needed it most.

It seems silly to question Bruno’s decision making, given the stellar work he is doing, but it did leave a lot to be desired on this occasion.

This group of players will always default to the uber cautious mentality that defined the Nuno era, but it was clear to see that fresh legs were needed sooner in the second half.

Whether that was an extra man in midfield or an earlier introduction for Neto, we should have given the Gunners more to think about.

Alas, we didn’t and the game was lost in the dying embers.

The players certainly can’t be faulted for their efforts, despite some of the moronic Jimenez slander I’ve seen on Twitter, but ultimately it was all in vain.

With the top four seemingly out of reach, attention turns to the battle for a top sixth berth.

In that context, Sunday’s clash with a faltering West Ham is huge. Win that and this defeat will soon be forgotten.

A quick aside before I sign off – huge credit to Max Kilman for playing despite the tragic events in Ukraine. I’m pretty sure I heard the commentator say he still has family there. Here’s hoping they and the rest of the Ukrainian people stay safe.

As the scoreline suggests, there wasn’t much in the contest between these two sides at Molineux.

But I did think Arsenal were good value for the win on the basis they got the goal (however scrappy) and created the better chances.

They were generally meaner and more incisive throughout and that’s exactly what Wolves will need to be if they’re to take another North London scalp.

Our pitiful attempts to break them down in the last half an hour underlined the importance of getting the first goal, so hopefully, we’re keener tomorrow.

If Wolves won this game it would be a seismic result, but we bounced back from the previous loss to overcome Spurs and Leicester so defeat wouldn’t spell the end for any European dreams.

Arsenal

It’s top four or bust for the Gunners this season, but there’s no reason they can’t achieve that objective.

Squad depth could become an issue if they pick up an injury or two, as I’m not sure who comes in for Saka or Lacazette that can offer the same sort of impact should the worst happen.

In the here and now, their best XI is strong and it seems like they have the character to overcome different challenges that may have disrupted softer Arsenal teams.

Brentford were eventually unpicked at the weekend with that man Saka making the breakthrough to reward a dominant performance that saw them register 24 shots on goal and collect 14 corners.

The Emirates has been more of a fortress this season, with 8 wins and just 2 defeats from their 12 home matches to date. Wolves are, however, unbeaten on their last four visits.

The home end

A few comments lifted from the pre-match thread on a popular Arsenal forum.

Obviously, this is going to be a tight game. Our finishing has to improve. I can see us come unstuck here.

They’ve got a great record at the Emirates since they got promoted, and have always played well. Will be a really really tight game, could go either way IMO.

I think this is going to be really tough, Wolves are in very good form and they are currently more a threat than West Ham for top 4 spot. We should get an early goal to avoid them parking the bus and hit us in counter as usual, to win the game, we really need to rely on Ødegaard as a playmaker to create chances and keep Podence quiet in the whole match, he’s on fire.

Tough game. Wolves will be up for it. We too need to be up for it. I’m up for it. Dunno about you? If we play well, we’ll win. If Wolves play well and we don’t, Wolves will win. If both teams play not to lose, it’ll probably be a draw.

Wolves

Bruno seems to be leaning more on the 352 in recent times and I can easily see him deploying the same shape tomorrow.

At least if we fall behind this time we can hopefully call on Neto and Hwang to try and dig us out. We’ve also got Moutinho available who I felt was a big miss in the first game.

Daniel Podence is getting a lot of external admiration and you can’t deny he’s causing teams problems with his ability to manipulate the ball in tight areas. That was a lovely hit for the winning goal against Leicester. We need more of it though and I think his all-around game needs to be a bit tighter for him to become a top drawer player.

Last time out

Enough has already been said about the game a few weeks back. I did think Ruben’s comments about Arsenal celebrating like they’d won the league were taken a bit out of context. It came across as sour grapes (maybe it was a bit) but I think his point was that it showed how highly Wolves are now considered by the bigger clubs.

We won this fixture last season with two lovely goals from Neto and Podence, but of course, the game will always be remembered for Raul’s head injury.

Predictions

Well done to Dek, WOLFSTROKER, London wolves loyal, St.Kitts Wolves, Marney, The Dodgster, Prawny, Portuguese men of Wolves, Marnhull Wolves, Telford Wolf, Dallas Bob, Shrewdsimon, Rich, Johnok and Woodend wolf for all scoring a maximum by correctly predicting the 2-1 scoreline against Leicester.

Cannock Wolf leads the way at the top of the overall table at the end of Gameweek 24.

As always, if you’d like to join in, it’s simple – just leave your prediction in the comment section below using the boxes provided. Then repeat for every preview article throughout the season, making sure you always use the same email address to make your prediction. Your email is what ties you to your overall score.

You can read my prediction for the game in the comment section below.

Up The Wolves!

Polite request – when commenting in the preview article after the game has finished, can you not place score predictions in the boxes, please? It confuses the system. Many thanks.