What a difference 12 months makes! At the end of February last season, Wolves lost 2-1 at the Molineux to Birmingham – their fifth defeat in a row – and dropped to 19th in the table. But fast forward to 2018 and the men in old gold and black are nine points clear at the top of the Championship going into the last weekend in February, having been in first place since they beat Norwich away on the final day of October.
Have Wolves already wrapped up the Championship title? The bookies certainly think so! If you’re looking to place a bet on Stakers, you will find Wolves available at short odds in most matches and in the outright tournament winners market.
For most of the period in which they have topped the table, Wolves have had both the best attacking and best defensive record in the division, which is an obvious recipe for promotion and explains why they’ve been able to open up such a gap over their nearest challengers.
Given the level of form the team has shown since their return to the Championship, the transformation this season has been nothing short of remarkable. A great deal of credit for that has to go to the club’s owners, who have backed up their promises with serious financial investment, but most of the plaudits should be taken by Wolves boss Nuno Espírito Santo, who has moulded an effective team almost from scratch.
The Championship is a notoriously competitive league and no respecter of reputations, as many big clubs have discovered over the seasons, so for Santo to be able to take a collection of new players – 12 in all over the summer – and have them ready to be competitive from the first match of the season is a remarkable achievement.
Wolves signalled their intent from the beginning of the campaign, securing victories over former Premier League sides Middlesbrough and Hull, as well as promotion contenders Derby, to earn nine points from a tough opening schedule. They moved into the top four after their second game of the season and have stayed there ever since, hitting top spot after beating Aston Villa in the middle of October and bouncing back from a defeat at Sheffield United to regain their lead, which they have retained for nearly four months.
As their strong defensive and attacking record suggests, Wolves are a well-balanced side. Their 3-4-3 formation is a solid platform for their array of creative players – led by the masterly Rúben Neves – to unpick opposition defences and feed their free-scoring and in-form strikers, Léo Bonatini and Diogo Jota. Crushing victories over Leeds and Bolton at the end of November showed just how deadly Wolves are going forward, but prior to those matches, they had shown the other side of their game in grinding out a 2-0 victory at Reading in which they had to dig deep in defence against in-form opponents.
If Wolves have a weakness, it is that they have on occasion been bullied out of games. Cardiff, Sheffield United and QPR have all taken points off the league leaders by adopting an intensely physical approach that has at times unsettled the Wolves players. There are also signs that some teams are changing tactics and defending deep in a bid to frustrate the Santo style. Five draws in 13 games since 9th December is an indication that points might be harder to come by in the closing weeks of the season.
We can expect more teams to take either a physical or a defensive approach when they meet Wolves as the season reaches its climax. This development and the fact that Santo’s side still have to play main promotion rivals Aston Villa, Cardiff and Derby means that it would be no surprise if the gap at the top of the table narrows slightly in the spring.
However, there is enough talent and depth in the squad to give Santo options and to find a way to adapt against more stubborn or physical opponents. Despite having a healthy cushion at the top of the table going into 2018, Wolves brought in four additional players in the transfer window, bringing the total number of new faces at the club since Santo arrived to 17.
With more spending to come, should they reach the Premier League, and a majority of the current squad being under the age of 28, after a long period of doom and gloom, we can say with confidence that the future looks bright for Wolverhampton Wanderers. Barring an unlikely collapse, that immediate future lies in the Premier League.
