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Wolves' Premier League Opening Day Performances: A Season-by-Season Analysis - Always Wolves
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Wolves’ Premier League Opening Day Performances: A Season-by-Season Analysis

THE PREMIER LEAGUE KICKS OFF SOON SO GEORGE LAKIN TAKES A LOOK AT WOLVES PREVIOUS OPENING DAY FIXTURES

As the start of another new season fast approaches, it seems like the ideal time to take a look back at how Wolves have fared in their opening games during their current spell in the Premier League.

But is there really that much we can determine from one game? 

Probably not, in reality. 

Yet there is always such excitement and anticipation for the big kick off.  

With this in mind, I reflect on how much our opening games from recent seasons have gone on to set the tone for the remainder of each campaign.

Premier League Season 2018/19

Opening Day – 11th August 2018: Wolves 2-2 Everton at Molineux Stadium

Wolves made a thrilling return to the Premier League with a 2-2 draw against Everton at Molineux, the only opening day at home in our current six-year spell in the top flight.

In their first game back, Wolves twice came from behind to secure a point. Richarlison gave Everton the lead with a close-range finish, but Wolves equalised through a well-taken free-kick by Rúben Neves. Richarlison restored Everton’s lead with a curling effort, but Raúl Jiménez headed in from a corner to earn Wolves a deserved point.

This was a strong performance against an Everton side that posed a significant threat and were used to finishing higher up the table than in more recent seasons. 

We ultimately deserved to win the game. It was a solid first match back after dominating the Championship, showing we were more than capable of competing with established Premier League sides—a trend that continued throughout the season with memorable victories against Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Arsenal.

Ironically, it was the less established teams like Huddersfield that we couldn’t get the better of—they did the double over us, recording two of their three wins all season against Wolves! 

Remarkably, those defeats weren’t too consequential as we ended up finishing 7th and qualifying for the Europa League. Not bad for a newly promoted team, aye? A campaign that many—even neutrals—consider to be the best for a side coming up from the Championship.

Final Position: 7th  

Season Overall Rating: Excellent (9/10)

11th August 2018: Wolves 2-2 Everton at Molineux Stadium
11th August 2018: Wolves 2-2 Everton at Molineux Stadium

Premier League Season 2019/20

Opening Day – 11th August 2019: Wolves 0-0 Leicester City at King Power Stadium

Wolves and Leicester played out a goalless draw at the King Power Stadium in a closely contested match. Both sides had chances, with Wolves’ Leander Dendoncker seeing a goal ruled out by VAR for a handball in the buildup. This decision marked the start of Wolves’ continuous misfortune with VAR. 

It was, in fact, a ruling—the ‘any touch of a hand in any part of the build-up’—that was changed mid-season due to its ridiculous pedantry. This was too little too late for Wolves, where we suffered while other teams benefited once again.

Returning to the game itself, despite the lack of goals, it was a competitive encounter with both teams sharing the points.

We finished 7th for the second season running. This was perhaps more impressive as we had the additional games and travel of the Europa League to contend with. We were desperately unlucky not to qualify for Europe again. 

Arsenal, who finished 8th and out of the European places, went into the FA Cup final against a strong Chelsea side, already qualified for Europe, as definite underdogs. 

A Chelsea win (as expected) would have seen us return for a second crack at the Europa League. But an Aubameyang-inspired performance for Arsenal clinched an unexpected win.

I still remember just how gutted I was that day. Arsenal had stolen our place in Europe at the last, an absolute gut punch. 

Who knows what back-to-back European campaigns might have led to in terms of establishing ourselves further and adding fuel to the fire of Fosun’s ambitions that were still burning brightly at the time? But in reality, to this day, we are yet to return. 

Too much too soon? I don’t neccessarily think so- but we were spoilt rotten early on- and it was great! I sincerely hope Matt Hobbs’ comments made this summer -that we are once again looking to seriously push for Europe- come to fruition.

But in many ways, all this highlights the difficulty of the feat Nuno achieved, not only in essentially qualifying us twice but also in reaching the quarter-finals of a major European competition.

Even the quarter-final itself, although we were second best, could’ve gone either way. I think there was only ever going to be one goal in that game—what could’ve been as Raúl stepped up for that penalty. What could’ve been if COVID hadn’t struck and we had a bouncing Molineux under the floodlights in the quarter and semi-finals. 

Maybe, just maybe, we’d have gone all the way, but ultimately it wasn’t to be.

Final Position: 7th  

Season Overall Rating: Very Good (8/10)

Premier League Season 2020/21

Opening Day – 14th September 2020: Sheffield United 0-2 Wolves at Bramall Lane

Wolves started the season strongly with a 2-0 victory over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. Raúl Jiménez opened the scoring with a well-taken goal in the 3rd minute, and Romain Saïss doubled the lead with a powerful header. Wolves controlled the game and secured all three points with a solid defensive display.

An unusual September start in a season of mediocrity—or some might call it stability—in another season ravaged by COVID-19. This ultimately turned out to be Nuno’s final year in charge of Wolves as the absence of fans seemed to suck the life and passion out of him. He cut a forlorn figure on the touchline throughout most of the campaign.

This was my least favourite season of current times, haunted by one moment. On 29th November 2020, in a match against Arsenal, our talismanic Mexican striker suffered a sickening head injury that left him unconscious.

The terrifying reality is that Raúl Jiménez could have died on a football pitch that day. I remember watching in the minutes that followed, along with his team-mates, manager, and family, worrying myself sick whether he was still alive.

It took Jiménez eight months to recover from fracturing his skull to playing for the Premier League club again. For six months, he was not allowed to train with other players. Unfortunately, Raúl never quite returned to the player he was pre-injury.

But in perspective, that’s not important. A documentary explored the moments following the horrific clash of heads with Arsenal defender David Luiz. In the film, entitled ‘Raúl Jiménez: Code Red,’ Nuno breaks down as he remembers the incident. He says the sound still haunts him.

“There are things that you’re able to put away from your memory, but these moments will stay forever,” he said. “And then the noise—that will stay.”

It is a feeling shared by most fans in what was, despite the 2-1 victory, a horrible day for Wolves. It knocked the spirit out of us, and there was a feeling that football over the passing weeks and months had taken a back seat at Molineux. We meandered down the table as we continuously awaited news on Raúl, and ultimately the season ebbed away from us.

For the record, like many of us, I never wanted Nuno to go. I wanted him to carry on managing us for 20 years plus like our own Fergie at Manchester United. 

But ultimately, it wasn’t to be, and it’s fair to say, despite coming off the back of a dreary season, I was desperate for Nuno to get his mojo back and was confident he would. I felt convinced his second wind was coming. I was beyond gutted when he departed. Still, he is a man I hold in the highest regard for what he did for our club. Respect, Nuno, and thank you.

Final Position: 13th  

Season Overall Rating: Disappointing (5/10)

Premier League Season 2021/22

Opening Day – 14th August 2021: Wolves 0-1 Leicester City at King Power Stadium

Leicester City narrowly defeated Wolves 1-0 in a hard-fought match at the King Power Stadium. Jamie Vardy scored the only goal of the game just before half-time, finishing off a quick counter-attack. Wolves pushed for an equaliser in the second half but were unable to break down Leicester’s defence.

This was a game that set the tone for the start of the season playing under Bruno Lage; a game we totally dominated, but still somehow contrived to lose. A pattern that continued.

The Bruno Lage season that started with so much vigour and attacking promise promptly fizzled out.

We briefly flirted with the European places come February, and I admit I got a little bit excited when Hwang put us ahead at the Emirates. But in reality, it always had the feeling that we would run out of steam, that we were riding our luck somewhat, and it was obvious Bruno Lage had turned his back on his attacking philosophies in order to churn out results.

In reality, we didn’t play anywhere near well enough to qualify for Europe throughout the season, and in the end, mid-table mediocrity was probably what we deserved despite spending most of the season in and around 8th place, albeit with a lower-than-usual points tally.

Final Position: 10th  

Season Overall Rating: Average (6/10)

Premier League Season 2022/23

Opening Day – 6th August 2022: Leeds United 2-1 Wolves at Elland Road

Wolves suffered a 2-1 defeat to Leeds United at Elland Road. Rodrigo opened the scoring for Leeds after capitalising on a defensive mistake. Wolves equalised through Rayan Aït-Nouri, but Leeds regained the lead late on with a goal from Brenden Aaronson. Despite late pressure, Wolves couldn’t find another equaliser.

A forgettable game and a poor result which ultimately set the tone for what was a forgettable and poor season.

Rock bottom of the Premier League on Christmas Day 2022, the odds were stacked against Wolves (statistically, the team bottom at Christmas always falls through the trap door come May). We were seriously facing the prospect of relegation for the first time in our current Premier League era—something many of us thought was behind us. 

Even most neutrals at the time would’ve had no problem arguing that we were largely considered an established Premier League side. We boasted a squad with players such as João Moutinho, Rúben Neves, and Matheus Nunes. Preseason, no-one had earmarked us for relegation, and the wiser money would’ve been on us pushing for a top-half finish or Europe.

But to cut a long story short, everything that could go wrong did go wrong that season. And we have the World Cup, bizarrely hosted in the middle of winter and disrupting the flow of a Premier League season, and the now increasingly unpopular figure of current West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui to thank for getting us out of a big old hole. 

We had to break the bank and go big in January, bringing in the likes of Cunha, Lemina, João Gomes, and Craig Dawson. But they were essential—if we hadn’t, we’d have gone down that year. 

We know this then had repercussions. And while in the short term it kept us in the Premier League and we avoided oblivion, it left a lot of work to do from a financial point of view to rebalance the books last summer.

Final Position: 13th  

Season Overall Rating: Poor (4/10)

6TH AUGUST 2022: LEEDS UNITED 2-1 WOLVES AT ELLAND ROAD

Premier League Season 2023/24

Opening Day – 14th August 2023: Manchester United 1-0 Wolves at Old Trafford

Wolves put up a strong fight at Old Trafford but were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Manchester United. Raphaël Varane scored the decisive goal with a header in the second half. Despite creating several good chances, Wolves were unable to find the back of the net, and United held on to claim all three points.

This one—in terms of performance, if not result—was unexpected given the turmoil that had surrounded the club in the days and weeks before.

Cunha, Gomes, and Nunes waltzed past what seemed like the entire United team time after time at will, yet somehow, we could not score. It was a record for shots against Manchester United at Old Trafford—we were utterly dominant.

The late stonewall penalty when Andre Onana absolutely clattered Sasa Kalajdzic was an absolute farce, and little did we know at the time that it would mark the start of a string of ludicrous decisions against Wolves. At one point, it seemed to be prompting even our most measured and reasonable manager, Gary O’Neil, to call out the incompetence.

When it all came to a head against Fulham in a 3-2 loss at Craven Cottage, after the match, Wolves boss O’Neil told Sky Sports: “Bad luck keeps going against us. I’ve had a real, grown-up conversation. I’m trying to remain calm. I’m not angry with anybody. I’m not abusing anyone. It’s just a conversation around, ‘come on guys, it’s six or seven points that have gone against us.’ I’m managing a big football club here—the difference you’re making to my reputation, the club’s progression up the league, and people’s livelihoods is huge.”

I remember these comments as a moment I really began to have faith in Gary O’Neil. A moment that helped me realise he ‘gets it’.

Returning to the opening day against Manchester United—despite this being Gary O’Neil’s first official game in charge of Wolves, many praised the departed Julen Lopetegui for how well-conditioned the players looked and how fluid they appeared in this 4-3-3 system. A system flooded with runners on the ball in each bank—be it Semedo in defence, Nunes or Gomes in midfield, or Cunha, Hwang, or Neto in the forward line—we looked a terrifying prospect for any opposition.

In retrospect, I actually think this was Matheus Nunes’ best overall performance for Wolves. I remember thinking, “Wow, that midfield three looks absolutely potent and absolutely central to this system and how we will play.” I remember thinking O’Neil looked keen to stick with this system as it clearly played to our strengths.

But as the transfer window drew to a close, we of course lost Nunes to Manchester City, and of his replacements, neither Bellegarde nor Doyle could quite offer exactly what Matheus did within that 4-3-3 system. Matheus Nunes was a player I was really excited about when he first joined, and I feel had he stayed with us last season, he would have looked the absolute business in a system that had been built around him.

Instead, he had a poor season as a bit-part player at Manchester City, who essentially panic-bought after Kevin De Bruyne picked up an injury on the opening day against Burnley. 

Many fans thought a lot of Nunes and appreciated his undeniable quality, but his refusal to train as he forced a move late on left a sour taste for most—epitomised by the reception he received when he returned for Manchester City in a 2-1 victory for Wolves that really kick-started our season. I am sure to this day, from time to time, I can still hear “Nunes, what’s the score?” echoing around Wolverhampton.

Had it not been for injuries towards the tail end of last season, who knows how much better things could have been… Europe? An FA Cup final? In the end, we had to settle for 14th place, which on paper is our lowest finish during our current spell, but all in all, it didn’t feel that way. 

If there is anything we learned, it’s that the importance of strength in depth can absolutely not be underestimated going into the new season.

Final Position: 14th  

Season Overall Rating: Promising (6.5/10)

A LOOK AHEAD...

Premier League Season 2024/25

Opening Day – 17th August 2024: Arsenal ?-? Wolves at The Emirates

So, it remains to be seen how Wolves will begin their latest campaign.

One thing is for sure: Gary O’Neil has the players looking fitter, in tip-top condition, and better prepared physically than I can remember for a good few seasons. Epitomised by the Leipzig performance where we looked light years ahead of them fitness-wise. This stands up even when compared to last year, when during pre-season, it was pretty much Julen Lopetegui’s number one mission to put the squad through their paces and up the fitness.

A little bit was made about Leipzig being behind as their league season doesn’t start for another week after ours—but they literally have a competitive DFB-Pokal Cup game the same weekend we have Arsenal, so I’m not sure I’m buying that.

Perhaps this shouldn’t be so surprising. I think a lot of the younger players, especially those coming from abroad these days, are actually acutely aware of how brief a professional football career is, as well as the size of the opportunity to play in the Premier League. There’s an overwhelming sense of not taking that for granted.

Standards are just constantly being driven up, a lot from the players across the league themselves. Maybe hyper-competitiveness because there’s just so much at stake financially. On the back of this, it seems most in our current squad have barely let their fitness drop at all in the off-season.

There’s so much talk about too many games, no downtime, summer tournaments, etc. But I presume for most pros, it’s a sacrifice they’re willing to take; if you optimise your performance for 10 years, you’re literally financially free for life. Seems a sacrifice worth making.

In terms of tactics, I have already written in detail about Wolves’ expected switch to a back four. Although O’Neil has claimed he will still use a back five at times, he believes the change in formation will help his side be even better going forward.

Let’s hope all this translates into a positive start. Let me know your predictions for the opening game at Arsenal as well as your prediction for Wolves’ final position in the comments.

Final Position: TBD  

Season Overall Rating: TBD

George Lakin

ARTICLE BY GEORGE LAKIN

George fell in love with Wolves the moment Colin Cameron fizzed one into the bottom corner against Plymouth Argyle on the 31st December 2005- during his first ever Wolves game as a child.

He loves digging a little deeper when it comes to Wolves, often conducting his own research to help him read between the lines and increase his knowledge and understanding of all aspects of our great club. He is keen to share his insight and findings with fans who share in his biggest love, -after his lovely wife, Amy and little boy, Tommy of course!- our mighty Wolverhampton Wanderers!

George is passionate about reaching and uniting all corners of the Wolves family, young and old, near and far. So make sure you don’t miss his weekly column exclusively for Always Wolves this season!

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