Liverpool

You’d have to be a gloomy forecaster to have predicted that outcome at half-time.

Wolves made an in-form Liverpool look ordinary in the first half, with Neto and new signing Jean-Ricner Bellegarde proving a handful for the visitor’s makeshift defence.

It was the former who created the opening goal all on his own, before handing the otherwise impressive Cunha a gilt-edged chance to make it two.

When the Brazilian somehow conspired to miss, a buoyant Molineux was left hoping it wouldn’t come back to bite us on the backside.

Alas, it did, with the old gold continuing the trend of missing chances and then falling apart the minute they come under any sustained pressure.

Granted, Jurgen Klopp had the luxury of being able to sub in two players with a combined market value of more than £120m, but the drastic drop in our levels was unacceptable.

We showed none of the intensity or positivity that made the opening 45 so entertaining, retreating into our own half and squandering any possession that came our way.

O’Neil’s substitutions didn’t help matters either, with Silva churning out the sort of anonymous showing that we’ve sadly come to expect from him.

Surely Kalajdži? should have featured?

The less said about Sa’s exploits for Liverpool’s second the better. His world-class save at Everton aside, the Portuguese is becoming a liability. Bentley must fancy his chances of dislodging him from the eleven.

Although these aren’t the sort of fixtures that will determine the trajectory of our season, we are going to have to smarten up if we’re to keep away from trouble.

At this level, you cannot expect to be as profligate as we are and not be punished for it.

The trip to Luton already feels vital.

Gary O’Neil has to make some moves.

The balance of the team isn’t right. We predominantly enjoy possession in safe areas of the pitch, are still largely ineffective in attack and – increasingly these days – open for business at the back.

On top of that, there remains a lack of physicality in the team – not enough height or strength, which gives most teams the upper hand before a ball has even been kicked.

Crystal Palace exposed those deficiencies and we’ll be sitting ducks tomorrow if changes aren’t made.

The good news is that there are options at the manager’s disposal to address these shortcomings if he chooses to use them. More on that below.

There will be no shame in losing to Liverpool, but if we do end up on the wrong side of the result, I hope it’s after seeing a smart approach coupled with the right application from the players.

Liverpool

There was a five-minute window in their game at Newcastle when I was mulling over whether Jürgen Klopp would be around for much longer at Liverpool.

Then they came back to win in the most Klopp way possible and since then, the dynamic has shifted. They smashed Aston Villa, added that much-needed midfield signing (Ryan Gravenberch) on deadline day and suddenly things are looking rosy again.

Can they sustain the level of performance and results to make a title challenge? I think that’s a big ask for a team still looking for the right combination in the engine room, but if they get that right, they’ve got the quality.

I can’t see them taking the Europa League seriously, in the early stages anyway, so a lot of the big guns will be spared midweek football and that might give them the legs to keep foot to the floor in the league.

Virgil van Dijk misses this game after talking his way into an additional suspension, but the Reds should otherwise be operating with a full deck as they look to avenge the 3-0 whooping we gave them last season.

Wolves

I think it’s either got to be a back three or at the very least, a change in personnel. The shrewdest thing Lopetegui did in his short tenure was bring Toti in at full-back. He recognised teams were punishing our lack of power and he invented a solution. That’s what top coaches do.

For all the recruitment, I’m staggered we didn’t prioritise a more defensive-minded left-back. We’re overloaded with options (which was probably part of the recruitment problem) but all prefer the ball at their feet.

Ait-Nouri has done well against Salah in the past, which may justify his selection tomorrow but I thought he was awful at Palace. And if he’s so good going forward, where is the output?

I also saw a stat about Nelson making more tackles than nearly any other player in the league, but if that’s the case it’s probably because he has the most opportunities. He embodies the problem of the team – good between the boxes but poor at either end.

If you’re not going to bring Doherty in or use one of the centre halves at left-back, I think a back three or another more defensive-minded option in midfield is a must. Basically, we’ve got to do something.

And again, Sasa to start up front. Surely he can give us an hour at least? If you’ve got the Austrian up top and one of Doc, Toti or Santi Bueno in the defence, I think that’s more like the physicality required to be competitive in the Premier League.

I’d have thought Tommy Doyle and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde would also be in consideration, with the latter more likely due to his ability to fill the void left by Matheus Nunes down the right. The above is the type of team I’d put out anyway.

Predictions

3-2 didn’t seem like an obvious scoreline at Palace and so it proved with nobody getting it correct. Well done to Sheffieldwolf though who is top of the leaderboard at the end of Gameweek 4.

If we get anything tomorrow it will be a fantastic result, but I don’t see it. Liverpool have just got too much firepower and I think they’ll score enough goals to win with a degree of comfort. I’ll say 3-1.

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.

Up The Wolves!

Other than Jose Sa and a reasonably well organised defensive showing for the first 73 minutes, there wasn’t much else to extract from this performance.

A stinker would be the nice way of putting it.

Another would be a damning indictment of the chronic deficiencies that we’ve failed to address in over three years of decline.

Unlike the swashbuckling display that saw us robbed of a famous victory in the FA Cup on our last visit to Anfield, this was a passive, feeble attempt to disrupt a stuttering Liverpool side.

Too many in this Wolves team don’t grasp the nettle about the requirement to run and hassle and win all of those duels that open the game up and allow you to create.

Nunes and Sarabia were two prime culprits tonight, jogging around and waiting for the game to come to them. And when it did, they invariably slipped over or were eased off the ball. It was infuriating to watch.

I’m not surprised the latter was hooked at half time. Anything less would have been a dereliction of duty by the head coach.

Lopetegui himself probably has to take some of the heat for a negative team selection that let their creaking defence off the hook. We didn’t even engage them.

With each passing game I can see why Lemina and Dawson were considered such key additions in January. They were the two players who covered the ground and consistently did what was required.

But with Raul isolated and lightweight in attack and those around him shying away from confrontation, there was no way to establish any sort of rhythm.

This team badly needs attacking players you can hang your hat on, in the image of those combative individuals we have in deeper areas of the pitch.

There’s no shortage of technical quality from Jimenez, Sarabia, Podence, Nunes and co. But they can only perform when things are running their way and the game feels comfortable.

It’s an issue we must address in the summer if we’re fortunate enough to survive.

Based on tonight, we’ll certainly need some luck.

I can’t help but think one point from the last two was a disappointing return.

Fulham are going along well but given how the game unfolded, that was a big missed opportunity to collect a maximum to balance out a stifling loss to Bournemouth.

Much like the match at Villa Park in January, Wolves were well on top but failed to fully exert their dominance and lost their rhythm after a goal conceded from nothing.

Still, as we’ve seen so often in recent weeks, points are being collected in unexpected places by all the teams at the bottom so we should view the next three as opportunities to do just that.

We’ve been more than competitive in all the games against Liverpool this season, so there’s no reason we shouldn’t expect the same again tomorrow.

Liverpool

After losing at Molineux things were starting to look rosy again for the reds before Real Madrid stormed back to all but eliminate them from the Champions League.

That really just leaves a top-four finish in the Premier League as their sole objective, making a stalemate against Palace last time out less than ideal.

As with more than a few of their games this season, they could easily have won or lost that one and remain unconvincing in defence, even with van Dijk back in the team.

His return along with Jota and Firmino at least gives Jugen Klopp more options as he looks to rediscover a winning combination.

Darwin Nunez missed the draw at Selhurst Park with a shoulder injury but could return tomorrow.

Wolves

Losing Matheus Cunha was a blow because his combination play with Raul, Sarabia and Nunes was the highlight of our performance at Craven Cottage. We never recovered after he went off.

Podence, Costa or Traore are the realistic options and Adama is the man Lopetegui has turned to most often so the smart money is probably on his inclusion.

I’m not sure what’s happened to Pedro Neto after his 45 minutes for the U21s. I had hoped we’d see him amongst the substitutes in the last two games but he’s vanished completely.

Gomes, Ait-Nouri and Moutinho are others that could enter the fray if the head coach is considering rotation.

Predictions

Well done to Prawny, Sea Pigeon, Portuguese men of Wolves, Woodend wolf, Rich, DebenhamWolf, Sandwich Wolf, DeptfordWolf, Pete Dunbar and me for getting the 1-1 scoreline correct against Fulham.

Rich now has a commanding six-point lead at the top of the overall table at the end of Gameweek 24. He might consider sports online betting to get some real-world returns.

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!

When Julen Lopetegui was paraded around the pitch before the Arsenal game in December it was clear he had a job on his hands.

Rousing the beleaguered, paper thin squad he inherited and getting them over the line in any game felt like climbing Everest.

But hope has quickly turned to belief in his short tenure and this comprehensive victory against the team we never beat gives further credence to the idea we’re moving in the right direction.

Liverpool are a mess, but pre-Christmas Wolves still wouldn’t have put them to the sword so this result owes to the good work that’s been done on and off the pitch in the last month and a bit.

It might have been an own goal that got the ball rolling but the inventive forward pass from Sarabia made it possible.

And if Dawson was just in the right place to slam home the second, that’s more than Kilman and Collins were able to produce in the first half of the season combined.

‘Things we didn’t have before’ would be a good motif for the victory and if one player personified the change it was Lemina, providing power and energy to our previously static midfield.

I hope the injury he suffered late on can be shaken off without fuss because we need him in the pivotal run of games to come.

It’s not all ‘out with the old’ though. Ruben put in another captain’s shift and scored a superb, killed third, ably assisted by tenacious midfield play from Moutinho and the raw pace of Adama.

And when he was called upon, Sa produced two fine saves to deny Darwin Nunez. That was a pleasing comeback following his shenanigans at The Etihad.

Our own Nunes didn’t have his best game and added another miss to a growing catalogue of wasted chances this season. But he stuck to his task well enough in an unfamiliar position out wide.

Collectively, the only criticism might be not coping better with the red tidal wave in the first 25 minutes of the second half. But we knew they’d come on strong and have the quality to dominate. And, having got the decisive third goal on the break it’s hard to argue with the game plan.

No, this is one to savour. A victory that owes to perfect planning, relentless effort and great execution by all involved at the club.

It’s been a while since we’ve been able to say that.

To say we’re due some luck against Liverpool would be an understatement.

It’s been 8 consecutive Premier League defeats since promotion and we’ve experienced a high degree of pain and misfortune in some of those matches.

The most recent debacle at Anfield cost us our place in the fourth round of the cup (albeit we have nobody to blame but ourselves for the toothless showing in the replay).

A couple of pivotal games follow against teams around us, so it would be a serious morale boost to pocket a result. With a beefed-up squad of players, I’m expecting us to at least run them close.

Liverpool

Things haven’t improved for Jurgen Klopp since they snaffled that win at Molineux the other week. A stalemate against Chelsea (that they were somewhat lucky to get) was followed up by another defeat at Brighton to end their own aspirations of FA Cup glory.

The injury list also continues to expand with Ibrahima Konate ruled out for a few weeks with a hamstring injury. He joins van Dijk, Jota, Firmino and Diaz on the sidelines – a considerable amount of talent they need to get back on the pitch asap.

With the Champions League their only remaining chance of silverware they could have done without drawing Real Madrid. Even with a fully fit squad, that would be a considerable ask.

Making the top four already seems a stretch based on their own inconsistency and the 10-point gap they would have to close on teams currently playing much better football.

Can their deterioration be distilled down to the loss of Sadio Mane and some injuries? Possibly. They were practically unbeatable towards the end of last season so it just shows how quickly things can change when you lose rhythm and key personnel.

Wolves

I was a touch surprised that nobody else left towards the end of the transfer window, but am delighted that Lopetegui now has options right across the pitch.

If Dawson does come straight into the side, I’ve assumed Collins might be sacrificed on the basis he’s right-footed, but either he or Kilman could drop out.

I’m not expecting to see Joao Gomes tomorrow but will be interested to see how he’s integrated in the weeks ahead. Based on his profile, he’d certainly change the dynamic of the midfield.

Daniel Podence can count himself unlucky to have been left out against City and I can’t believe he’ll be on the sidelines again. Sarabia has a strong scoring record and if Cunha is indeed the centre forward we’re putting our trust in, he really needs to get a run of games.

Predictions

Well done to Sutton Coldfield wolf, Wokywolf, Aussiewolf and PeteRobbo who all correctly predicted a three-zip tonking at the Etihad.

Rich remains 5 points clear at the top of the overall table at the end of Gameweek 20.

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!