Wolves slipped to another defeat in the Premier League – and there was no sign of Fer Lopez in the matchday squad yesterday.
Wolves took on the Blues at Stamford Bridge against the backdrop of speculation surrounding Rob Edwards.
Edwards did not manage Middlesbrough yesterday as the club faced Birmingham, with an agreement in place for him to become the new Wolves manager.
It is now only a question of when, and not if.
Unfortunately, Wolves couldn’t get Edwards in in time for the game with Chelsea, which meant U21s manager James Collins had to take the team.
Collins included youngsters Mateus Mane and Tawanda Chirewa in his squad, but there was no Fer Lopez.
After the game, Collins explained the Spaniard’s absence.
Why Fer Lopez missed out on Wolves’ squad vs Chelsea
Lopez has had a tough start at Wolves.
Under Vitor Pereira, he barely featured despite clamour from fans for him to play amid an ongoing creativity issue.
Those creative issues were on display again yesterday, but Lopez was nowhere to be seen.
And after the game, Collins confirmed there was no injury, and that it was simply a tactical decision.
He said (via E&S): “It was a difficult call.
“I take the U21s at the club on a day-to-day basis and I think we have three or four players in that group that are highly talented boys.
“They happen to play around Fer Lopez’s position, so having too many of that type of player on the bench probably wasn’t the right call.
“I felt it was right for me to give Mane and Tawanda that place on the bench tonight because if I don’t do that, what does that say about our academy?
“I work for our academy and I want our academy players to progress.
“They are terrific players, as is Fer, and I’m sure the new manager will make his decision when he comes in, but I felt that was my opportunity to give our academy boys a chance. That’s why I did it.”
Rob Edwards has work to do with Fer Lopez
It was understandable that Collins would call on a couple of youngsters for yesterday’s game.
He has obviously been working with Mane and Chirewa closely, and felt they were both deserving of places on the bench.
It will have been disappointing for Lopez to miss out, but he needs to use it as motivation to improve.
It’s been a tough start for him at Molineux and Rob Edwards seemingly has work to do to get him out of his current rut.
His confidence has probably taken a hit following his management by Pereira, so it will be important for Edwards to get his arm around him to help him improve.
Dave Edwards previously suggested Lopez could thrive as a sole number 10, but we will see if the new manager feels this could be the key.