LIAM BERRY TAKES A LOOK AT THE THINGS WE LEARNED FROM WOLVES V LEICESTER.
1. JONNY NOT ON THE SPOT
I feel like he is always a talking point at the moment, and not for good reasons.
Again today, Jonny seemed out of his depth and looks the shadow of the player he used to be. In the opening minutes, he picked up a yellow card following a loose touch which forced him to foul Harvey Barnes, and this free-kick led to Leicester’s first goal.
Leicester saw this weakness and pounced on it, with most of their attacks coming from their left-hand side.
Many Wolves fans took to Twitter to voice their opinion on Jonny, but we do know what he is capable of. Hopefully he can pick up his form under a new manager and regime.
2. MANAGER NEEDED NOW
With the club’s attempts at appointing Julen Lopetegui and Michael Beale falling through, Wolves announced that Steve Davis and James Collins will stay in charge until 2023 – which has sparked outrage among some fans. They are both good and experienced coaches who have done well in the Academy but is there really no other outstanding candidates that Wolves could bring in? Why did we make this announcement and not just leave them in charge while we carry on looking?
This game has proved why we need a new manager and fast, and it’s nothing against Steve and James.
I think we need a manager that can bring their own style of play and knuckle down with this squad, and give the players the ‘new manager bounce’ to pick up some points on the board and get out of the relegation zone, which brings me nicely into my next point.
3. RELEGATION ON THE CARDS?
There have been relegation signs shown by the players, and the club right now is in turmoil, but we are only a couple of wins away from being safe from the drop zone. And I think we still, despite the current lack of confidence, have the players to be able to do that.
We are still without a permanent manager, and as long as the board gets the appointment right, and he has a good spell of games, which is very much possible, our league position will look far nicer on the eye.
Yes, we are in a dogfight, but it’s a 38-game season and I’m confident we have the talent in the squad to bounce back from this rough patch.
4. 21 SHOTS, YES 21!
You read that right, 21 shots at goal.
Despite this number, Wolves failed to score.
It shows that we were at least more attacking than we have been previously and we did look very positive at the start of both halves. But we really need to start scoring – and soon.
Something needs to change, it seems like whatever we do, whatever we change, we just can’t find the back of the net.
It’s clear that these players aren’t confident in front of goal, we can only hope a new manager can fix this issue, but if not, maybe the squad needs a revamp.
5. ENGLAND CHANCES HINDERED
In recent weeks, fans have been calling out for Maximilian Kilman to get his first England call-up.
If Gareth Southgate was watching this match, he will certainly not be impressed with the defender’s performance. Kilman looked so shaky which is unlike him, giving possession away left, right and centre.
You can’t justify not choosing him based on one performance, but it will hinder his chances. Hopefully he and Nathan Collins can rediscover their early form when they looked such a solid and promising partnership.
6. SELLARS OUT CHANTS
During the game, the Wolves fans voiced their opinion on Technical Director Scott Sellars.
When the third goal went in, you could hear the ‘Sellars Out’ chant ringing around the stadium.
Is he to blame for Wolves’ lack of threat in the attack, or should the blame be directed at the top of the food chain? That’s up to you to decide but, in my opinion, it’s unfair to direct all the blame onto Sellars, He can’t control what happens on the pitch, he can’t put away one of the 21 shots on goal.
We spent a lot of money in the summer and have a squad that should be up there with the top teams, the fact we are underperforming is not to be put onto him. I think fans are looking for a scapegoat when the reality is we don’t really know what precisely is involved in Sellars’ role and how much influence he is allowed to have.
The next few weeks up to the World Cup and what happens with the manager situation will be interesting and could shape Wolves’ future whether that be good or bad. Let’s hope for the best!
ARTICLE BY LIAM BERRY
I am a life long Wolves fan that is passionate for the club. I am a sixth form student who loves writing about things I love!