One sinister thing was noticed about Jorgen Strand Larsen during Wolves’ defeat to Celta Vigo.
Wolves ended a winless pre-season with another defeat, recording their third consecutive loss.
Vitor Pereira will be expecting a lot more from his players when the competitive action kicks off next week against Manchester City.
Fullbacks are an area of grave concern for Wolves heading into the new season after losing Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri, but there’s another problem on the horizon.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Celta Vigo - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images
Wolves warned about Jorgen Strand Larsen being isolated
Losing both of Pereira’s starting fullbacks was damning for Wolves, who play in a system that places so much emphasis on the wide defenders.
It’s not only the pair that the Wolves manager is learning to live without, as the Old Gold have lost Matheus Cunha’s goal threat.
Wolves’ chance creation has been a problem in pre-season, with one man being impacted more than most: Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Against Celta Vigo, the Norwegian was placed under the spotlight by journalist Nathan Judah, who admitted his concern about the lack of support the £23m signing is receiving.
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“In terms of him, he’s the main guy, he’s the man up front, but he looked isolated at times today,” Judah said in the Express and Star’s post-match analysis.
“Whether they [Wolves] need to bring someone else in, whether that’s Marshall Munetsi, Fer Lopez, someone needs to play tighter to Strand Larsen.
“You cannot have him isolated in this team. We saw his best run of goals was when Munetsi was close to him. I just wonder whether they’ve got that player at this moment in time, because he didn’t look himself today.”
Strand Larsen performed better with Munetsi than Cunha, as the Zimbabwean’s playing style never left the striker isolated, but now, Pereira has been warned that the attack’s old ways are returning.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Celta Vigo - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images
Wolves can’t rely solely on Strand Larsen
The matter of Strand Larsen being isolated was spoken about last season, with some calling for the 25-year-old to be dropped.
Thanks to a tweak in tactics and the player’s confidence being restored, the Norway international ended the season in searing form, scoring 14 open-play goals in his debut Premier League campaign.
With Cunha now gone, emphasis is on Wolves’ number nine to deliver the goals, but the 2024 signing can’t do it all on his own.
Strand Larsen has been frustrated in pre-season because while he’s the target man, chances must be created for him to deliver, with his profile opposing Cunha’s.
Pereira needs to address how to best support Strand Larsen, who, when given the right resources, can be what Wolves need, but without such attention to detail, the goals will be hard to find.