FIVE THINGS WE HAVE LEARNT FROM IPSWICH 1 WOLVES 2

1. Vitor in the Stands:

It’s obvious that we struggled without the presence of manager Vitor Pereira on the touchline today. His animated support ensures that Wolves receive any messages directly instead of through one of his coaching staff. Wolves were caught out by Ipswich with their use of a deep cross to the back of the Wolves box and the nod back for Delap to ghost in and score. Vitor and his assistant had been booked for their enthusiastic encouragement of Wolves on Tuesday against West Ham. They were judged to have left their marked pitch-side area. TV shots of Vitor in the stand showed him to be controlled and lacking in his usual animation, which I believe the team feeds off.

2. JOrgen Strand Larsen

Another goal today, this time a poacher’s goal, making it eleven for the season. But for much of the game, his close control let him down. There were times when he laid off the ball brilliantly, and then others when it looked like the ball was a hot potato. To some fans, he’s too lightweight, but through sheer perseverance today, he got his and Wolves’ winning goal. If he gets decent service, he will score goals. Rodrigo Gomes came on and started putting in some decent crosses that helped Larsen. I’m in the camp that believes we will be fine if and when Matheus Cunha leaves in the summer.

3. Rugby Tactics at Corners

I’m sick and tired of the constant rugby-style tactics at corners. When are referees going to penalise offenders? They cannot claim they didn’t see it because there were more than one player offending. A foul is a foul anywhere on the pitch. The same tactics used in the outfield brought a free kick. This sort of behaviour needs sorting out pre-season when the referees meet.

4. Yes, We Can Win

I must confess, after Ipswich mugged us for the first goal today, I did fear the worst. After Tuesday’s win against West Ham, the mood was euphoric with a twelve-point gap. Then Ipswich went to Bournemouth and pulled off a fantastic win. Back to nine points! When Ipswich scored first, there were moments of doubt. We took the game to Ipswich for an equaliser but without any continued pressure. Ipswich had lost 22 games from a winning position. Were Wolves going to change that statistic?

But yes, this is a different Wolves team than before. This is Vitor’s team. They have learned how to win even when not firing on all cylinders. With the help of Vitor’s touchline deputy, Pablo Sarabia and Rodrigo Gomes came on. I’m the first to sigh when Sarabia comes on. But I have to eat humble pie today because, with the second bite of the cherry, Sarabia stroked the ball into the corner of the goal seven minutes after coming on. Then, in the 84th minute, that persistent number 9, Larsen, hooked the ball into the net to give Wolves the lead.

5. The Future is Looking Good

Wolves are nearly mathematically safe for another season. But how many of us thought this after the trials and tribulations under the stewardship of Gary O’Neil?

What we have learned today is that currently, Wolves are a different team from the one I just mentioned. Yes, we had a blip with the Ipswich goal today but Sa didn’t have a save to make for the rest of the game.

The evergreen Doherty played alongside the gargantuan Agbadou and rejuvenated Toti. Joao Gomes and Andre, two Brazilian internationals, formed a stoic, creative, tireless midfield. In attack, the striking talents of Larsen were supported by Munetsi. There are several players I haven’t mentioned who deserve recognition. We also have the transfer window, where we could lose the following players: Cunha, Ait-Nouri, Sarabia and Semedo, to name but four.

But we have learned today that this is a different Wolves team from the one that started the season. This Wolves team doesn’t know when it’s beaten, as we saw today. Even when the ball didn’t seem to be going in the goal, Wolves players found a way to make it happen.

In Vitor, we have found a manager who has instilled the discipline that had been lacking before. A will to overcome that we failed to have previously. A manager with the ability to have a plan B and plan C during the game if needed. But most importantly, a group of players who will run through walls for him. There is a connection with the faithful fans who relate to him and have belief in what he’s trying to achieve.

A great result today, three away wins in a row. Bring on Tottenham. Could we overtake them?