Read our article featured by BBCSport about survival hopes and lack of identity
Two games in and the worries are already real.
Manchester City was never a fair gauge, which is why Bournemouth felt like the first proper test. What we saw was a disjointed side making avoidable mistakes, and this time some blame sits with Vitor Pereira.
Dropping Andre for Jean-Ricner Bellegarde upset the balance from the first whistle. Andre screens the back line and settles the midfield; Bellegarde is far better higher up the pitch. Asked to anchor, he struggled positionally and his early error handed Bournemouth the only goal they needed. From there, Wolves chased the game without ever looking like they had a route back, and the red card for Toti only underlined the lapse in control.
The lack of creativity is a bigger concern. Wolves do not look like scoring. The numbers back it up: around 0.46 expected goals at Bournemouth with one shot on target, and roughly 0.54 against City with three shots on target. Across two matches that is barely a single expected goal. The stats don’t bode well for survival let alone success in the Premier League.
Wolves once had a clear identity: compact, disciplined, and quick in transition with width and pace. This season we distinctly lack the long-sought identity that Pereira talks about. This is understandable as it’s tough to build an identity when you take away half the team.
I am worried about Wolves this season and that’s coming from an eternal optimist. At risk of repeating myself again, Wolves need players ready to hit the ground running, we need creativity, plus we are lacking strong leadership on the field. This needs to be addressed quickly before the window shuts.
I fear another season hoping for there to be three worse teams than us. Surely fans deserve better than this?
