The Parable of the Donk and the Showpony

Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it.

Wolves fans didn’t just wish for Matheus Nunes, some of us probably prayed… and we got him.

A player lauded by none other than Pep Guardiola. A player admired by all the top teams in Europe. 

Surely he would want Champions League football. Surely he wouldn’t come to Wolves… but he did.

The forty million pound fee silenced all of Fosun’s critics at a stroke.

There were rumours about verbal assurances or clauses in his contract allowing him to leave if bigger clubs came in for him if he set the Premier League alight in his first season.

So our new box to box, superstar midfielder arrived at Molineux amidst a fanfare and the man he came to replace. The solid, reliable, you might even say, boring Leander Dendonker was sold to Villa with hardly anyone even noticing.

Leander Dendonker doesn’t score many goals, doesn’t create many goals, doesn’t run with the ball, doesn’t take players on, doesn’t pass the ball forward but most importantly, he doesn’t give the ball away very often.

Matheus Nunes gives the ball away all the time. He’s constantly losing possession.

But he did score a wonder goal against Chelsea. 

He did ping an inch perfect 40 yard cross field forward pass out of defence to Adama to help create Rayan Ait Nouri’s 95th minute winner against Everton and he did run with the ball and glide effortlessly past players to set up Hwang to seal the Brentford win.

Stevie Gerrard was a failure at Villa. He didn’t fancy Leander much. He never started him and only brought him on as a sub a couple of times. Villa were dire.

Contrast that with Unai Emery. The Donk has featured in virtually every game as Villa have prospered under the guidance of the elite Spaniard and he’s started the last four.

So there is a good chance that Leander and Matheus will come up against each other on Saturday.

Two completely contrasting midfielders.

The flamboyant box to box showpony with the silky skills against the dour defensive work horse.

Personally I’d much rather have Matheus. He oozes confidence. He always wants the ball and he is a game changer. Saying that I seriously doubt Wolves would have lost 6-0 to Brighton last Saturday had the Donk been playing instead of him.

“Do not despise the snake for having no horns, for who is to say it will not become a dragon”