First, the bad news for Wolves fans.
The side that have been last in the Premier League after 15 games have been relegated in each of the last seven seasons.
On the plus side, at this time last season only goal difference kept Newcastle out of the table and – thanks to Saudi investment and Eddie Howe – they survived. And, the year after Leicester became the last team to escape last place after 15 games, they won the title.
But new manager Julen Lopetegui isn’t wrong when he says Wolves are set to play “a lot of finals”.
The Chinese Fosun owners are aware of the magnitude of the task. It is understood they are ready to back Lopetegui with up to six new signings in the January transfer window, starting with Matheus Cunha, the Brazilian striker of Atletico Madrid, but all, it must be emphasized, will not be starters.
Around Molineux, a sense of optimism mixes with steely determination as Wolves prepare for the resumption of their Premier League campaign at Everton on Monday, December 26.
The decline
In terms of results, it is easy to find the beginning of the dramatic decline of wolves. At half-time in their home game with Leeds on March 18, they were in control, leading 2-0 and ready to move into sixth place, two points behind the top four.
The dismissal of Raul Jimenez seven minutes after the break was the trigger for a thrilling return to Leeds, sealed by Luke Ayling in injury time. From then, in two seasons, Wolves have won two of 16 Premier League games, amassed 11 points and failed to score on eight occasions.
Popular skipper Conor Coady has been deemed surplus and sent on loan to Everton. Wolves chairman Jeff Shi made concessions to allow the deal to go through, which was generous but done out of respect for a player who had been such a good servant and had a World Cup berth up for grabs .
Other problems were becoming apparent behind the scenes. Under former boss Nuno Espirito Santo, the principle of a “lunch hour” had been created, where players and matchday staff sat together in the canteen in a lively atmosphere. Sources say it was one of the fundamental elements in having such a strong dressing room spirit during the seasons when Wolves were promoted and twice finished seventh in the top flight. Bruno Lage left politics when he replaced Nuno in 2021.
Medical tests were ignored. The standards, we felt, were slipping.
Lage can’t take all the blame, but as a manager he is where the buck stops. The Portuguese defended the defensive pass from three at the back to two which led to Coady’s exit. He was backed in the transfer market, but when results didn’t improve he had no credit in the bank to weather the storm.
Wolves and Lopetegui took six years to make
Lopetegui first spoke to Wolves about becoming their manager in 2016. The intention was that he would try to bring the Black Country club back into the top flight of the English game.
That didn’t happen because Lopetegui was offered the job in Spain instead. The move worked for both parties. Lopetegui took Spain to the World Cup. After a false start under Walter Zenga and Paul Lambert, Nuno brought Wolves into the Premier League.
But a relationship had been forged. When Lage was sacked, Lopetegui, under pressure after a previously successful stint with Sevilla, was Wolves’ first choice to come in. After another false start, due to poor health from Lopetegui’s father and a very public rejection by then-QPR boss Michael Beale. , the The Spaniard finally said yes.
The wolf insiders were impressed.
Claims and accountability were raised. A code of conduct has been put in place. Nuno’s “lunch time” has returned. The key is that a group of talented players feel less like a group of individuals when they’re on the pitch.
Lopetegui has a clear idea of how the game should be played and won’t deviate from it.
“A lot of journalists and even players think the system is essential,” he said. “But the system can be flexible. You can have five at the back, four or three. You can press high or get out of the keeper and build.
“The style is more important than the system and we will not change our way of doing things.”
Wolves need to score more goals
Wolves and Lopetegui are coy about the future if they end up in the Championship. Both say they prefer to be positive and focus on survival.
However, for financial and status reasons, it is difficult to envisage maintaining the union at the second level.
Certainly, Fosun seems willing to reverse the general trend of Chinese ownership by spending to give wolves the best chance of avoiding having to deal with such sticky situations.
Although Lopetegui thinks there are plenty of areas for improvement, one stands out. Wolves struggle to score goals.
Their total of eight in the Premier League is three less than Nottingham Forest and Everton, the clubs with the next worst record.
Last season, Jimenez and Daniel Podence finished the campaign as Wolves’ top scorers, with six. The previous year, Pedro Neto and Ruben Neves tied on five.
Those four totals combined are less than Jimenez’s 27 goals in 2019-20, when Wolves reached the Europa League quarter-finals, where, ironically, they were beaten by Lopetegui’s Sevilla, who went on to win the competition .
Wolves are yet to score a Premier League goal past the 56th minute this season.
It’s a damning statistic that hints at fitness issues in addition to difficulty finding the net.
Diego Costa’s search for an early Wolves goal continued against League Two Gillingham in the EFL Cup. Jimenez scored from the penalty spot but the Mexican’s future is questionable.
The arrival of Cunha solves the problem but the Brazilian cannot make the difference on his own. Lopetegui knows there needs to be general improvement up the pitch for Wolves to turn their campaign around.
In his own words, Goodison Park is the venue for the first of 23 finals. Even if they win, Wolves will remain in the bottom three. The task is not easy and Lopetegui’s reputation is at stake.
Wolves trust the new man to get it right. Their short-term future depends on it.
