Wolves 0–2 Crystal Palace: Five brutal lessons as Rob Edwards inherits a sinking ship

1. Wolves are as good as relegated

It is only November, but Wolves have played twelve games and taken just two points. The manager has changed, but he has the same players and the same problems. By the time we reach the January transfer window, Wolves’ nine‑point deficit could easily be double at this rate.

2. New manager, no instant results

Rob Edwards went with a 5‑3‑2 formation and paired our two big strikers from the start. He made four changes, bringing in Tchatchoua and Wolfe, with Agbadou returning and Arokodare starting alongside Larsen.

Wolves defended stoically in the first half, but created very little in the Palace half. Rob stayed in his technical area all game, but he could not start his tenure with a win.

3. When you are bottom, nothing goes for you

You need a bit of luck to score goals. Wolves cannot buy any luck at the moment. In the first half, Palace peppered the Wolves goal, but poor finishing and last‑ditch defending kept it at 0–0.

Our luck turned in the second half. Palace scored twice from deflected passes. When Wolves did create chances, the deflections fell to Palace players instead. I could not see Wolves scoring, no matter how long the game went on.

4. Two big strikers: did it work? No

Today, it did not work at all. Both strikers are clearly talented, but almost every knockdown or layoff went to a Palace player.

With Wolves playing 5‑3‑2, the midfield of Munetsi, André and João Gomes did not support the front two. Every second ball seemed to fall to Palace. That did not change even when the wing backs, Wolfe and Tchatchoua, pushed higher. When Johnstone hit it long, it just came straight back.

5. Wolves need organisation and structure, fast

Too many Wolves players spent the game out of position, chasing shadows. The midfield, as a creative unit, is basically non‑existent. We are bypassing it and hitting the front two early. The current trio do not have the creativity to build attacks.

So the ball goes back to Johnstone or the back three, a long ball is launched, and it fails. We do not press with intensity, and we cannot win the ball back high up the pitch without giving away cheap fouls.

There is no clear structure to Wolves’ play. We do not create width, we do not beat defenders, and we badly miss a strong on‑field leader in the Conor Coady mould. Why Mané was not introduced today is a mystery, especially when Hwang looks totally short on confidence.

In conclusion, relegation feels almost certain. It hardly matters who we play next. In January, preparations for life in the Championship need to begin. This squad is not good enough to stay in the Premier League.

A disappointed Wolves fan of 50 years