Always Wolves
Always Wolves
BEN WHITEHOUSE TAKE A LOOK AT FIVE KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM WOLVES DRAW WITH FOREST.
1. Point on the board
In a season where we are all but damned to the Championship, it may be tricky to take consolation in anything less than a convincing victory yet in spite of how insignificant each point appear to be, this one was hard-fought for away in a midweek clash against a side almost as desperate for points as we are. Going into the game, I had little enthusiasm, knowing that it would take quite the monumental effort to take anything positive from the match, even with Nottingham Forest struggling this season after the highs they had last season (under our very own Nuno Espirito Santo no less) so to emerge with a point is encouraging.
However, in the state we are in where not even gaining points is particularly consequential, we must instead try to improve and take positives from the levels of performance as opposed to the results; in this case, in my opinion, it is a rather conflicting as we managed to scrape a point – which we scarcely do – with one of our worst performances of the season being typically lacklustre and uninspiring.
2. Luck at last!
As a club, we have had some horrendous luck over the past few years: VAR decisions; freak injuries; financial issues; COVID-19 affecting the club (as it did to all obviously); own goals; poor investments, as well as some awful mismanagement from the board. Therefore, whilst the overall quality on show may have been underwhelming from Wolves, I am enormously satisfied that at last, some good fortune came our way!
In any other game, conceding 35 shots away from home would have resulted in quite the demoralising score-line reflecting closer to a cricket score than a football one, yet we managed to pull through and frustrate Dyche’s side. Forest had 35 shots at the Wolves goal, 10 of which were on target, missing 4 ‘big chances’ and generating 2.73 expected goals (depending on whether you count xG as a real statistic or not…), a frankly ridiculous state of affairs.
We can attribute this to three factors: a tremendous degree of good luck; some dedicated, body on the line defensive work from the side who didn’t make it easy for Forest; but most pivotally was Jose Sa. 10 saves in a single game is no mean feat by any stretch, including what I think is the best double save I’ve ever seen from a Wolves goalkeeper (I am only 18 years old though so I’m happy to concede that the old guard from before my time may have seen some better!) to deny a certain goal from point blank range.
3. Lack of control
Once again, a typical Wolves performance is characterised by a distinctive lack of authority over the game, always chasing the ball and failing to get a substantive grasp of possession to carve out opportunities. It was evident that we were second to every ball, too slow to progress once we had actually gained control and laughably sloppy on the ball – basics of the game which are reiterated constantly at Sunday League level were being persistently failed at by players worth tens of millions of pounds.
It is tricky to identify a singular aspect of the team which is to blame – which I’ll leave to the proper tactical analysts – but to me, it appears to be largely due to overall insufficiencies from player to player. The squad lacks a multitude of features which would give them a level of confidence, poise and prowess they do not hold: speed; dexterity on the ball (too many players are one dimensional); decision-making was particularly tenuous in this game and most importantly creativity – too many players can only see the easy options and are too afraid to attempt a difficult pass or dribble for fear of losing the ball we very rarely have possession of.
Indicative of this lack of quality is that mere hours after this result as I am writing this piece, Nottingham Forest have just sacked Sean Dyche as manager, symbolic of how other teams perceive our side and the expectation that comes with playing against us is to comfortably cruise to victory without even getting out of 1st gear, and of course the mental nature of the Forest owner Marinakis!
4. The Mane question…
Once again, Mateus Mane gave one of the more galvanising displays from the side today, as he has done since his arrival in the side, providing a level of dynamism and movement to the attack which has long been missing. Whilst his end product has been temperamental to say the least, the raw talent he possesses does have the quality to change games and inspire the side.
That being said, the question is whether or not Wolves will have the ability and sensibility to hold onto him in the summer. It is abundantly clear to all fans that Mane has the quality to be a crucial component of the Wolves team for years to come, being a homegrown, young talent who is already adored by the fans, which is why I am so wary of us keeping hold of him. Whilst we are inevitably going down this season, it is still crucial that we keep hold of him for at least a few seasons – playing in the Championship could be the making of a player with such uncoached ability and offer an opportunity for him to further his potential, develop some physicality and have consistent game-time to let him grow into the great Premier League player he can, all of which he would be unable to do if signed by a top tier side who will put him on the bench or loan him out for years to come.
Therefore, it is vital that we keep hold of him and allow him to develop under Rob Edwards’ stewardship and trust, allowing him to flourish into the star of our side, as opposed to the very real possibility that Fosun are tempted by one of the offers that will inevitably come in for him from a Premier League side. Given the sales and profits we have made in this past transfer window and the parachute payments we will receive, there ought not to be any financial pressure to sell him, so we should definitely do our utmost to facilitate him, keep him and allow him to develop into the stardom he has the potential to.
5. Preparing for the future…
We don’t have a long wait for the next Wolves outing (whether that is good or bad I’ll leave up to you!) against Grimsby away in the FA Cup on Sunday, before the upcoming three Premier League fixtures of Arsenal, Crystal Palace and then Aston Villa. In such a drab season, avoiding a calamitous exit to League Two opposition is an absolute non-negotiable, whilst potentially having a bit of a cup run would actually be a rare diamond in the rough from this horror season. All that we must aim to do now is build some level of comradery amongst the squad, allow Edwards to establish his authority over the team, gradually improve the levels of performance and try to avoid the lowest Premier League points total set by Derby, which one victory will now do for us. If we can see an upturn in effort, passion, commitment and performances, it will give at least a foothold to allow us to push off from next season to hopefully come straight back up. COYW!
I’ve been a fan of Wolves all my life, based in the South-East, making for some fairly awkward school football conversations trying to argue that Kevin McDonald was better than Bruno Fernandes with the endless supply of Big 6 fans around here, just for the fun of it! Hoping to offer a insightful view into the performances, transfers, decisions and everything else our beloved Wanderers throw at us, good, bad and ugly (but preferably good!)
Five Lessons from Forest 0-0 Wolves: A Point, Some Luck, and Big Worries