An early goal from Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier was all that separated the Cherries and Wolves on Saturday afternoon.
It was a difficult day for the Old Gold, as a sending off for Toti Gomes made getting back into the game a harder task.
The first half was far from impressive, but the second-half introduction of Andre shored things up. However, the early blow was ultimately enough for the home side.
Matt Doherty has now admitted the goal was conceded by Wolves doing one thing Vitor Pereira told them not to do.
Matt Doherty in action against Bournemouth's Ryan Christie
Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Matt Doherty says Wolves players told not to play through the middle
Going into a game, a manager will always look for the strengths and weaknesses of their opposition, and it seems Vitor Pereira did his due diligence.
However, despite relaying the information to his squad, Matt Doherty has revealed they didn’t follow the game plan.
Speaking in an interview with the Wolves official website, Doherty said, “Our game plan was to not play through the middle, but we did that and got punished.”
“We know how good they are in closing the middle and counter pressing, winning the ball and then creating chances from that.”
MORE WOLVES STORIES
The Irish international admitted they ‘made mistakes that we shouldn’t have made,’ and that due to Bournemouth being a good side, ‘they punished us off the first chance that they got.’
The goal Wolves conceded did come from sloppily giving it away in the middle of the park, and Pereira would have been furious his instructions weren’t followed.
It was the only goal in the 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth, and it came from an avoidable mistake.
The Portuguese manager went into the game with a plan to get a result, and it could have paid off if executed properly, however, this could now reveal a bigger issue.
Matt Doherty’s admission is concerning for Wolves
Mistakes happen in football, that is nothing new. However, that is back-to-back weeks where Wolves have shot themselves in the foot.
Against Manchester City, Emmanuel Agbadou wasn’t great for the opener, and made a crucial mistake for the Citizens’ second.
Now, Doherty’s admission highlighting the players’ inability to follow instructions is a big concern for the Old Gold.
While a lack of quality is evident, and Vitor Pereira wants three new signings, if the current players cannot sort out their lack of control over the coming weeks, then a relegation fight is not off the cards.
It will be a long season for supporters if so.