6 THINGS WE LEARNT FROM WOLVES 3-0 LOSS TO NEWCASTLE

1. No surprises here 

Wolves’ defeat to Newcastle was utterly predictable. This game will not define the season, and Wolves need to keep believing that they have some momentum. It is the first of a spell of extremely difficult fixtures, and Wolves will feel they need to get something unexpected somewhere. However, in a run of tough games, this was among the toughest.

That said, Wolves will be disappointed with the manner of the defeat, which felt inevitable from the very early stages. Wolves had moments, but generally speaking, too many players were below par and kept at arm’s length with relative ease. Wolves will need to regroup quickly; results are needed, and it will take better performances than this to get them.

2. You can’t just endlessly defend. 

Wolves conceded three goals here, but generally speaking, they had improved defensively from previous outings. The issue is that if you concede so much possession and your forwards fail to offer any kind of respite, eventually something is going to give. Wolves conceded through a deflection, a very close offside decision (it still looks offside!), and one lapse of concentration. The scoreline points to defensive issues, but the problem tonight was not solely with the defence. 

3. Missed chances again! 

Wolves spent most of the game on the back foot, unable to retain possession, but when they did manage to get through, they were again guilty of passing up excellent chances. Along with a disallowed goal for handball from Santiago Bueno, Jørgen Strand Larsen had to score twice when unbelievably well-placed. His highlight reel of missed chances is becoming almost comical. He has been unlucky, but you simply cannot continue to miss the chances being presented to him. Gonçalo Guedes, Pablo Sarabia, and Matheus Cunha were all guilty of wasting well-presented opportunities. This is the second back-to-back 3-0 defeat where the expected goals (xG) is likely to be just about even between the teams. Wolves have to put chances away, and games are turning on these margins.

4. Agbadou looks a decent signing 

Despite Wolves conceding three goals, Agbadou can be generally happy with his Premier League bow. Not much came down his side, and his pace and strength make him look ready and able to deal with the best the Premier League has to offer. He will need to improve his passing, which got better as the game went on, but there is clearly a good footballer here, and Wolves are a better team with him in it. There were some heart-in-mouth moments when, having already been booked, he could have seen yellow again had he connected with Newcastle forwards. However, overall, he won’t have many tougher nights than this one, and he can be satisfied with his performance.

5. Hwang and Guedes are problematic. 

I’ll declare my bias right here: I don’t rate either of these players, yet I still manage to rate one of them way below the other. Guedes has moments, but invariably they are fleeting and usually followed by acts of such abject clumsiness that you wonder if he has any coordination in him. His swinging legs and balance resemble a punch-drunk boxer so often that you tend to think that anything that does come off has a certain degree of luck to it. That said, Guedes remains on another level compared to Hwang. Whatever conversations were had in the Wolves hierarchy to turn down the summer bid from Marseille feel like they were from a poorly written sitcom. Wolves need a solution. Certainly, only one of these can play at any one time, and almost certainly that should be Guedes. However, if you are not a threat going forward, if you can’t control the ball, if you can’t occupy defenders, then you are going to concede play, pressure, and ultimately goals. Is there room for Gomes at left wing-back to push Aït-Nouri forward? That could be a solution, but Wolves cannot go into any more games this season with both Hwang and Guedes on the same pitch.

6. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. 

This is going to be a rough ride. The fixture list that tormented the early part of the season has come back around, and Wolves need points. There are signs that Wolves could get something, and confidence needs to remain high. A cumulative 6-0 defeat over the last two Premier League games doesn’t tell the full story, and Wolves cannot let this be the narrative. Wolves are creating and missing chances. Small margins are causing big swings in results. The reality is that Wolves have enough to stay in the league, and whatever happens in the next run of games, they will still have enough to get out of whatever trouble they find themselves in. Everyone is going to need to strap in and buckle up, as this is going to be a tricky ride that will likely run right to the end of the season. Wolves the club, Wolves the players, and Wolves the supporters have got to stay with it. Additions to the squad would also be timely and could prove to be the differential come May. Be prepared though, this has got last-day drama written all over it.