A lot was expected of Wolves when they earned promotion from the Championship – and so far, they have not disappointed…
Wolverhampton Wanderers won the Championship at a canter last season. As a result, their return to the Premier League was much-anticipated. The club from West Midlands has started this season in equally impressive fashion. Currently sitting in 7th place on 15 points, Wolves have hit the ground running with two particularly eye-catching results against the two Manchester clubs.
Just two seasons ago, Wolves were lingering above the drop-zone under Paul Lambert. What spurred them to reach such heights in such a short span of time? It all began when they were by bought by Fosun International for £45m. Their new Chinese owners had connections with Portuguese super-agent Jorge Mendes, who helped them sign Nuno Espírito Santo as coach, along with and a wealth of talent from Portugal led by Rúben Neves. And while Mendes helped them get the manager and assemble the squad, football matches are won on the pitch.
The former Porto man took to English football like a duck to water and started getting results from the get-go. Let’s take a look at the factors responsible for making Nuno’s Wolves howl so loudly in the Premier League:
Nuno Espirito Santo (65.3%) has the highest win percentage of any Wolves manager in the club's history.
He has won 32 of his 49 games. 👏 https://t.co/jOMMQgojoe
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) July 10, 2018
Style-of-play
Wolves play with a 3-4-3 formation and shift to a 5-4-1 when defending. They generally prefer to play on the counter-attack. This means they often allow the opposition to retain possession in certain positions and press specific areas of the pitch. The goal is to win the ball back in midfield and attack at pace through their wingers, Hélder Costa and Diogo Jota. However, the fulcrum of this system are the two midfielders. Both men in the middle have to be disciplined and avoid being dragged out of position. They must also have enough quality on the ball to release the forwards with their passing.
When coming up against teams that sit back, Wolves’ formation enables them to control ball possession and push forward in numbers. Their ability to adapt tactically to their opponents is what makes them a very dangerous team.
Played 8⃣
Won 4⃣
Drawn 3⃣
Lost 1⃣What a start to the season for Wolves.#MOTD pic.twitter.com/IMELkhYRC8
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) October 6, 2018
Strong spine
For a team that’s just been promoted from the Championship, The Wanderers have plenty of quality down the spine. Players like Rui Patricio, João Moutinho, Rúben Neves and Raúl Jiménez have allowed them to create a very competitive back-bone.
Their play is mainly built around Moutinho and Rúben Neves, who are undoubtedly their two most influential players. Rui Patricio has also made key saves to win some crucial points and Jiménez has been involved in 56% of the goals Wolves have scored in the Premier Leagues so far.
Outside of last season's top six, is there a Premier League club with a better midfield pairing than Rúben Neves and João Moutinho? pic.twitter.com/khw9Qc8H7V
— bet365 (@bet365) July 24, 2018
Ambitions
Last season, Wolves’ owners expressed their desire to establish the club in the Premier League for a few years, and then try to crack the top-four. The way they’ve started, I wouldn’t put it past them. As for this season, along with Bournemouth, they are looking like the best of the rest outside last season’s top-six. They will grow and improve as the season wears on. With the quality Wolves have, they should comfortably finish seventh – and might even be able to crack the top-six if the league’s biggest teams slip up.