Luton Town

VAR doesn’t just expose bad decisions, it shines a light on the chronic lack of common sense amongst officials.

Bellegarde did push Lockyer away with his boot after the Luton man deliberately entangled himself with our midfielder to encourage a response. But a replay should have been enough to show that Lockyer bought it and the contact itself was minimal. A yellow would have been sufficient.

Some might disagree on that point but the penalty simply wasn’t a penalty. Maybe the ref didn’t see the ball cannoned of João Gomes’ leg before hitting his hand, but the man watching it in slo-mo certainly did, so why wasn’t it overturned?

Any team would find decisions like that maddening, but Wolves simply can’t afford the injustice.

We were second best before and after being reduced to 10 men and that is something Gary O’Neil and his players have to answer for with no shots on goal underlining a desperately poor first half.

Even with a man less, I would have hoped we’d create more after the break but a fine Neto solo goal and a Neto cross that was nearly prodded in aside, we did nothing.

Pedro was excellent again but those around him aren’t pulling their weight.

I don’t know what Kalajdzik needs to do to get some minutes on the pitch but his continued omission is baffling with Wolves unable to hold the ball in the attacking third.

Even today I thought he was a viable option with 10 men but it was clear from the manager’s changes that the performance became about not losing the game.

I thought Toti and Doherty were sensible introductions at the break but after Luton’s equaliser every substitution just forced us back and allowed Luton to get balls into the penalty area. Why not retain at least some presence as an attacking force?

Credit to the lads for defending their own box well throughout. They stood up to that aspect of the challenge a lot better than I thought they would.

Sa was jittery though, almost contriving to give a goal away following a miscommunication with Dawson and for the second week running it was his fast release to try and start a counter that resulted in the opposition getting a goal. I don’t subscribe to the idea he’s a bad keeper but he does need to steady the ship and, like the referees, start making smarter decisions.

We can take some positivity into this from the Liverpool game.

The first half was excellent and the only disappointment was the players couldn’t provide sterner resistance to the inevitable onslaught that followed.

Neto is finding some real form, Bellegarde didn’t misplace a pass and I thought João Gomes looked sharper than he has done for a while. All of those things are valid causes for optimism.

But tomorrow is different. Tomorrow is all about the result. I’m not going to say we can’t afford to lose this early in the campaign, but defeat would underline in bold exactly what this season is about.

We know Luton away is going to be markedly different to Liverpool at home and I am concerned about whether this team has enough to combat a more direct and robust approach.

Luton

It’s zero points from four games for Rob Edwards and plenty of people are writing the Hatters off already.

But their next three games are Wolves, Everton and Burnley, so it’s probably wise to hold out on any firm predictions until they can be weighted against those around them in the table.

Brighton and Chelsea both beat them by three but the margins were thinner against West Ham and in particular, Fulham, last weekend. They could easily have won that game.

Everybody knows the drill. They’ll let teams have the ball and sit in their 352 shape, but when they get it, they’re going to be direct and physical. As mentioned above, I don’t think that’s a bad tactic against Wolves.

Whatever they do tomorrow, I think everyone would agree they’re going to be in and around the bottom three. It’s not just quality, it’s a lack of experience at this level that will end up costing them.

Ryan Giles was dropped for their trip to Craven Cottage last week so he may not feature tomorrow. I felt Wolves were wrong to let him go, but time will tell on that one.

Wolves

Last week, the first half proved me wrong about the full backs who were both excellent. But I felt their performances deteriorated as Liverpool took control and Ait-Nouri was at fault for their equaliser, getting sucked towards the ball and leaving Salah free to get his cross-shot away. Fine margins, but that’s the Premier League.

I suspect Gary O’Neil will stick with the same XI but I would personally look to get some more height into the team to cope with the threats that Luton pose. That probably means Toti and Doc coming into the back four.

I’d still like to see Kalajdzic get a start, but who do you drop? Cunha has been excellent save for some horrendous finishing, Neto has been the star man in the last two games and Hwang has three goals from limited minutes. You could play Cunha deeper to get Sasa on the pitch but that would mean dropping Bellegarde and he was outstanding against Liverpool.

There are all sorts of configurations for Gary to consider and we have greater quality than Luton, so he’s got to earn his crust here.

Predictions

Well done to Aquilador, DebenhamWolf, Wokingham Welsh Wolf, Prawny, Wokywolf, Lord Twix, Desert Wolf and Winchcombe Wolf who all correctly predicted the scoreline against Liverpool. Sheffieldwolf remains top of the leaderboard at the end of Gameweek 5.

I’m very concerned about the team’s ability to navigate a challenge like this one, but we have better players than Luton and I’ve seen some good things in our performances, so I am going to predict a victory. I’ll say 2-1 to the old gold with Neto to get on the scoresheet.

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!

Part of me was encouraged by a display featuring the type of swift passing and movement that has largely been missing since the dying embers of Nuno’s glory days.

But I was also lamenting the lack of additions our current head coach desperately needs to build the team in his own image.

The foundations are there. All we’re asking for is three or four additions, but Fosun’s inability or unwillingness to sanction such moves is foolish. Whether it’s FFP or not wanting to invest anymore, it’s unacceptable.

As for the performance, I was pleasantly surprised.For too long Wolves have lacked a cutting edge in the final third. Chances may have been spurned against Luton, but at least they were created. That’s something to be celebrated, albeit against a limited Hatters side.

Wolves moved the ball at pace between the thirds and that intensity to is exactly what’s needed. We are too guilty of playing in front of the opposition and not getting in behind to create good openings.

On the individual performances, Silva and Doherty have played themselves into the starting XI.

Fabio has a confidence and presence that suggests he’s ready to lead the line. He looks reborn and a completely different physical specimen after his stints with Anderlecht and PSV. Lopetegui must play Cunha off Silva at Old Trafford.

At 31, Doc still has that drive to go forward and get into the box that we’ve sorely missed. How did we let him go in the first place and pay double for Semedo? It’s only a matter of time until the former forces his way in.

Honourable mentions must go to Ait-Nouri, Toti and Sasa. Like Doc, Ait-Nouri’s driving runs were causing havoc, Toti was always on hand to sniff out danger, and Sasa’s link-up play could prove more than useful.

I just find it incredibly disappointing that any positivity is negated by Fosun’s dreadful running of the club, which is selling Lopetegui, the players and the fans short.

This squad is too light and Fosun would be fools to think that they can get away without bringing in reinforcements before the window slams shuts, even if that does mean breaching FFP regulations.