Aston Villa’s unbeaten run came to an end against a very good Manchester United side. Next up for the Villans is a short journey up the M6 to Molineux. Wolves will be looking to avenge their 6-0 battering at the hands of Villa’s European rivals, Brighton.
I spoke to The Wolf Whistle Podcast to find out more about Wolves’ season so far, underrated players and where they can improve.
UTV PODCAST X THE WOLF WHISTLE
Wolves look to be comfortably safe from the relegation zone after what’s been a mostly disappointing season. How would you sum up the Premier League season so far and where do the weaknesses lie?
It’s been a strange season. We started off poor under Lage on what was meant to be a transitional season reverting to 4 at the back which never worked. We have looked much better under Lopetegui but still struggle to score goals.
As the transfer window rapidly approaches the transfer rumour windmill is in full motion. Is there any names that you’ve been linked with that you’d like to see in go in a Wolves shirt next season?
We need a goal-scoring number 9. I know it’s what every club wants but we’ve lacked a real threat. We’ve been linked with Victor Gyokeres from Coventry. Personally I’d like someone with Premier League experience but we would be paying a premium.
When talking about Wolves, many outsider fans unanimously agree that Reuben Neves is probably the best player. Is there any players that you feel don’t get the recognition that they deserve?
Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina have been fantastic signings and galvanised the midfield and it means when Neves inevitably departs in the summer we will have his ready made replacement.
Finally, what’s your score predictions?
Sitting on the fence: 1-1
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OPPOSITION FOCUS | JULIAN LOPETEGUI
Probably the best way that I can describe the Wolves start to the season would be as dull. That’s putting it nicely. Under Lage, Wolves would often sit back with the intention of being hard to score against.
To their credit, they were difficult to score against, but they also couldn’t find the back of the net either. It resulted in some very difficult football games to watch; they also couldn’t find the back of the net either. It resulted in some very difficult football games to watch. Since Lopetegui has come in, things have picked up, but only just. I’ll be looking at Lopetegui’s career so far.
The last time that Wolves hired a former goalkeeper as their manager, it went very well. Nuno Esprito Santo took the Wolves from the Championship all the way to a European tour. It was a big step for Lopetegui to fill; his CV suggests that he would do exactly that.
It didn’t start off well for the Spaniard; his first spell as head coach lasted just ten matches. In 2003, Lopetegui would join Spanish Second Division side Rayo Vallecano. His short stint would end with relegation to the third division.
After spending some time away from the coaching game, Lopetegui would return to the Spanish youth system. The coach, now armed with fresh ideas, guided his side to consecutive championships in 2012 and 2013. Lopetegui was not satisfied; he had a point to prove and wanted to return to club football.
And that’s exactly what he did. In May of 2014, a month after leaving Spain’s youth system, Lopetegui joined Porto. Unfortunately, it was another failure. Lopetegui tried to enforce a new culture at Porto after signing seven Spanish players in his first summer. This didn’t bring any success, as Lopetegui contributed to Porto’s biggest trophy drought in their history. He was sacked in 2016.
After another disappointing club spell, Lopetegui returned to the Spain set-up, this time with the senior team. It was a fairly successful spell until it all went downhill in dramatic fashion. Days before the start of the World Cup, it was announced that Lopetegui would join Real Madrid after the tournament. Spanish officials were irate about this, and Lopetegui was sacked just before the major tournament.
It was a massive return to club football with one of the biggest clubs in the world. This was the chance for Lopetegui to show what he really can do. He failed again. After two months, the Spaniard was fired after another disappointing club tenure. His next job was to be in Sevilla.
Things picked up in Seville, which was his most successful club spell of his career to this point. He would go on to win the Europa League, which was his first major honour. Even that success was short-lived, as early into the next season, he was once again sacked.
Now Lopetegui is in the Wolverhampton Wanderers dugout, looking to salvage his reputation. He comfortably met his first task, saving Wolves from relegation with relative ease. The question remains: can he have his first major club success with the Midlands club?
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MY PREDICTION
When you look up the definition of the football term “on the beach”, there’s no better definition than Wolves’ performance against Brighton last time out. We need to use that to our own advantage and punish them for it just like Brighton did. It’ll be a much more difficult task as Wolves will be looking to make it up to their fans in front of a packed Molineux.
Depending on which Wolves team turns up, I think we’ll dispatch Wolves comfortably with a 3-0 win.
AUTHOR | ELLIS BURNETT
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