Wolverhampton Wanderers slipped to their fourth defeat in four Premier League games against Newcastle United at the weekend, in what has been a poor start for their survival credentials under Vitor Pereira - and top-flight legend Alan Shearer has stated that their attacking depth worries him in terms of the 'Old Gold' remaining in the division.
The Molineux outfit endured a similar poor start to last season after picking up just one point from their opening eight Premier League games, and although they had a mini-revival around the Christmas period, warning bells were there around the end of January, when they had just 16 points from 23 games in the top-flight.
Shearer: Wolves Attacking Depth 'is a Main Worry' in Relegation Battle
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
That looks to be the case again. Two losses at home to Everton and Manchester City alongside away defeats at the hands of Bournemouth and Newcastle have seen Wolves suffer badly, and with last season's promoted three all coming in their next five games, they need to pick up points soon, otherwise it could be a real struggle for the West Midlands outfit.
Notably, they've only scored twice all season, ranking ahead of only Leeds United and Aston Villa in that regard. And despite having the second-most goals conceded in the entire division, Shearer believes it's their lack of depth up front that will be Wolves' killer, having failed to conjure up much against the Magpies over the weekend. Shearer told the 'Rest is Football' podcast:
"Yeah, I thought they looked very blunt. I mean, they could have scored after what, eight or nine seconds. It was when the ball went straight up there.
"[Jorgen] Strand Larsen obviously is injured. There's actually speculation about him leaving, but they've managed to keep hold of him. Ironically, he's got an injury.
"But they looked a bit light up top and in front of goal, and that would be the worry for me."
Strand Larsen bagged 14 in the Premier League last season, but the loss of Matheus Cunha to Manchester United will massively pose problems for Wolves in the Premier League when it comes to goals scored.
In fact, Wolves only picked up three points from the start of last season until their 28th game of the campaign (vs Everton in March) in games that Cunha didn't score in, before Larsen took the reins as their main goal threat. Without the Brazilian to rely on if Larsen doesn't score, it could prove to be a long season in the Black Country.
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