JAMES HALLET LOOKS AT THE THINGS WE LEARNT FROM WOLVES V NEWCASTLE
1. SAME OLD REFS
We’ve known for some time that the English officials aren’t anything to write home about. We’ve been on the end of some pretty awful decisions involving the officials and var, but yesterday we saw another one of these decisions go against us. A pretty much stonewall penalty wasn’t given or even heavily checked when Raul got tackled by Nick Pope after he lost control of the ball at his feet. A decision that could have easily changed the result of the game and given us some much needed points and confidence.
2. RELEGATION THREAT
We learnt yesterday that we are no way near safe. The addition of Lopetegui has certainly given us a boost, but the drop zone is only 3 points away. We don’t want to be put in a false sense of security after a string of good results.
3. AVERAGE PERFORMANCES
The Premier League is the most competitive domestic league in the world. Wolves have been put in an unfortunate position due to our start, but that is behind us now. The performances need to show some determination and passion. At points yesterday it didn’t look like we wanted to be there. We need to fight throughout the match and consistently.
4. ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY
The faith in Julen Lopetegui needs to stay constant and as powerful as ever. I’ve seen quite a bit of criticism on his lineups and substitutions over the last couple of games. This manager may be the best we’ve ever had technically. He knows what he’s doing. He finds out the problems, but also knows exactly what to do to counter it. We must keep up our support.
5. MUST WINS
Our next two games are Leeds at home and Nottingham Forest away. Two of our relegation rivals. These games are the definition of must win and 6 pointers. Taking points away from them is equally as important as gaining them for ourselves. We’ve got to want it more and come away from these two games with 6 points.
ARTICLE BY JAMES HALLETT
Hi i’m James. I’m a sixth form student with a passion for Wolves and sports journalism.