With wins in the league being absent for eight months, Wolves host Manchester United at Molineux on Monday night, aiming to put an end to this miserable run. [Jack Johnson](https://x.com/JackMJohnson13) speaks to [United fan Doop](https://x.com/FMDoop) to get the opposition perspective ahead of the game.
Whilst United’s league position isn’t anything to write home about considering their history, it’s definitely an improvement on last year’s position. What have you made of your opening results?
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On paper, the results don’t look too bad. We’ve beaten Chelsea, we’ve beaten Liverpool, and there’s only one loss in the last eight games. But honestly, the performances have been dreadful. Every match has been tough to sit through, and even in the games where we’ve picked up big wins, the scoreline has completely papered over how poor we actually were. The results are flattering us, not reflecting us.
Last time out, Diogo Dalot scored United’s opener in a 1-1 draw against West Ham. In a post-match interview, he said that United want to push into the top five. Do you see that as realistic, and what do you think needs to happen for you to get there?
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I do. With the individual quality we’ve got in this squad, we should be one of the five teams getting Champions League football next season. We only play once a week, the teams around us are slipping up, and clubs like Tottenham and Liverpool are there to be caught, but we have to take advantage. How? By finally becoming consistent and playing with some confidence. We don’t take the game to anyone right now. Most of the time, we just look like passengers.
Wolves cannot buy a win this season, but did the double over United last time out, for the first time in Premier League history. How different is this United side, compared to the one Wolves beat?
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We’re really not. We’ve still got all the same weaknesses we had last season — we’re far too easy to play through and even easier to beat when teams put us under a bit of pressure. Nothing has really changed. The only real difference is that we’ve poached your best player, and that’s hardly a sign of progress. Underneath it all, we’re still making the same mistakes and showing the same soft underbelly that everyone knows how to exploit.
Rob Edwards will still be figuring out his best side, so the starting XI he will field is anyone’s guess. Is there a player in the Wolves side that you feel is the biggest threat to a United win?
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Joao Gomes would be the biggest threat to us in that midfield battle. He’s exactly the type of player who can make our lives difficult. He’s relentless, aggressive, and constantly breaking things up. I understand he’s suspended, but he would have had the ability to control the tempo and force us into mistakes, and that’s where we’ve struggled before. He’s the sort of player we really could do with in our midfield.
Regardless of how fans feel about Matheus Cunha, it’s evident Wolves have lost a creative spark without him. How do you feel he’s been at Manchester United, and do you think he’s living up to his hype and price tag?
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I love him. He looks like such a wonderfully gifted player, someone who just makes everything look effortless. The way he moves, the control he has, the confidence he plays with, you can tell he’s playing on a different level. Every time he’s on the ball, you feel like something is about to happen.
What is your predicted lineup for Manchester United?
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I’ll be honest, there’s only one way that he will set up. So I’m thinking Lammens; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Diallo, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Mount, Cunha
And finally, what is your predicted scoreline for Monday’s fixture?
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I’d love to say we’ll get the win, but both teams struggle to score and we’re almost guaranteed to concede. So I’m going 1–1. Feels like it’ll follow a very similar storyline to the West Ham game.