Marc Albrighton spotted a tactic Wolves had against Aston Villa that made it difficult for the Villans to break down Rob Edwards’ side.
It was a single goal that would separate the two teams, and after the Wanderers looked more likely to score, it was a sinking feeling when Boubacar Kamara scored from outside the box.
It took a screamer for Aston Villa to break down a resilient Wolves defence 🚀
There have certainly been defensive improvements in Rob Edwards' first two matches.
In truth, that looked like the only way the home side were going to beat Wolves because the defensive performance was excellent.
Unai Emery’s side struggled to create anything of note, and Sam Johnstone had quite a quiet day in goal.
And Marc Albrighton was one man who pointed out a tactic that made life tough for Villa.
Marc Albrighton felt Wolves made it tough for Aston Villa
Former Aston Villa man Marc Albrighton was on punditry duties on BBC Radio, and he had noticed one thing about Wolves’ set-up.
The Old Gold frustrated Aston Villa for large periods of the game, and the home side struggled to break them down.
It was a resilient effort at the back, and the work did not go unnoticed by the former player turned pundit.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5, Albrighton said, “But the way Wolves are set up to spread out and defend, it is making it difficult to pick a certain pass.”
He was also left impressed by their first-half showing, saying, “Wolves were fantastic in the first half; they really turned up. They had chances to win the game, but Emi Martinez kept Villa in it.”
The work of the three centre-backs was excellent, with all three getting 7/10s against Aston Villa.
It was a proud performance, and truthfully they could not do much to prevent Kamara’s rocket from hitting the roof of the net.
Wolves’ head coach will be disappointed, but at the same time, he will be pleased with most of what he saw.
Who do you think was Wolves’ best performer in the 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa?
Encouraging signs for Rob Edwards so far
If Marc Albrighton’s comment had been a one-off, there would not be much to take from it. However, those are back-to-back games where Wolves have been credited for their defensive effort.
Adam Wharton praised Wolves for making life tough against Crystal Palace, and with Albrighton’s verdict, it shows that it is the work on the training ground coming into action.
The Old Gold were unlucky against Villa, but on another day, they come out of that match with a 1-0 win.
Jorgen Strand Larsen felt Wolves were the better team, and that is not an outlandish claim to make.
The battle to survive will be tough, but it seems clear that the Wanderers are not prepared to go down without a fight.
However, that fight needs to start turning into results.
Receive a digest of our best Wolverhampton Wanderers content each week direct to your mailbox