liam looks at 6 things we learned from Wolves 1-1 Newcastle
Wolves conceded late on to draw against Newcastle.
A superb Ruben Neves strike gave Wolves the lead before halftime but this was cancelled following a Hwang Hee-Chan error, resulting in a great volley by French winger Allan Saint-Maximin.
Let’s take a look at what we learned from this action-packed game:
1. Neves outstanding
We’ve got Neves! We can talk about him all day, his performance against Newcastle was out of this world.
While scoring a textbook goal by his standards, Neves put in an incredible display defensively, winning eight of his 12 ground duels and putting in six successful tackles.
The captain led by example to secure a well-deserved man-of-the-match performance.
2. Boly nowhere to be seen?
Willy Boly has been at Wolves for five years now, being one of the standout names to be brought to the club in the 2017/18 summer transfer window.
He had a great few seasons, but injuries jeopardised his form, resulting in him falling out of favour at Molineux in the past couple of years.
He has been linked with a move away this summer, the most notable club being Nottingham Forest, and reports suggest that Boly is trying to force a move by not turning up to match day despite being named on the bench.
Will be an interesting few days to see where his future lies. It would have been good to keep Boly as cover and whatever happened over the weekend should not cloud his overall impact for Wolves, but if someone like Craig Dawson is available and within range, he would be an equally strong addition to the squad.
On another note it was interesting to see Bruno make the situation public given he could easily have kept it hidden and dealt with behind closed doors. You do wonder how that sort of thing affects the dressing room as while we don’t know the full details, there could be a lot of sympathy among the players for the defender.
3. Solid Raul
Since his injury in the 2020/21 season, it’s fair to say Raul Jimenez hadn’t been at his best, with him scoring six goals over the last campaign which is underwhelming by his high standards.
However, so far this season Jimenez has seemed to pick up his form and mirrored his old self in the match against Newcastle.
He was causing the Newcastle defenders a hard time and even scored a goal – which was later disallowed for a Pedro Neto foul in the build-up – whilst showing his qualities throughout the game.
Maybe he needs to leave the celebration until after VAR confirms the goal though!
4. Time Up for Hwang?
After his loan move from Leipzig just a year ago, Hwang has such a good start for Wolves, scoring four goals in five games, and was set up to be a key player for Bruno Lage’s side.
However, his form slowly took a turn for the worst and his season didn’t end as he would have hoped, only scoring one goal in the last 28 games of the campaign.
So far this season, Hwang hasn’t been up to scratch, with clubs rumoured to be sniffing around the player, so it could be possible that a move for him is completed before deadline day. Clubs such as Everton, whose Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell had recommended to Wolves during his time at Molineux, and Leeds, have been named as possible suitors for the South Korean international.
5. Pressure on Bruno
The season hasn’t started as Lage would have liked, but with transfer activity still expected to occur, the head coach is faced with a further challenge to bed in any new arrivals and find solutions for any possible outgoings.
The next game is Bournemouth away, and if Wolves do not pick up a result, Lage could be put under pressure regarding his job, as the West Midlands club has so far only picked up two points out of a possible 12.
The results must come thick and fast for Wolves, especially when you consider the quality now available, or it could be set up for a long season.
6. Case for the Defence
Despite the result, the defence is the main positive to take out of the Newcastle game.
Players like Nelson Semedo and Nathan Collins had superb games and kept striker Chris Wood from scoring, which he so often does against Wolves.
This is great to see as it gives Wolves a foundation to build on, to try and improve their attack and give them the chance to win the game at any point in the 90.
The defence generally looking very strong and composed in the new-look back four is really promising and could prove a key factor of Wolves starting to turn performances into points.
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!