Wolves crashed to a second straight defeat on Sunday against Chelsea, and Andy Thompson has expressed his concerns about one player he thought looked ‘leggy’.
Wolves could not bounce back from the opening defeat to Arsenal, and were put to the sword in the second-half by the Blues.
Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer really hurt Wolves down the left side, and the 6-2 defeat has prompted calls for reinforcements in the transfer window.
There were a number of players who struggled on Sunday.
The defence has come in for particular criticism, with Rayan Ait-Nouri and Toti Gomes getting run ragged at times. Some have really questioned Ait-Nouri’s ability to play at left-back following the result.
But for Andy Thompson, there are also question marks over Hwang Hee-chan right now.
Andy Thompson concerned after seeing Hwang Hee-chan performance v Chelsea
Most Wolves fans came away from Sunday’s game thinking the defence is a concern, but the attack is decent.
Wolves created some good chances in the first-half and found the net twice through Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen. Those two appear to have a good understanding of one another already which is encouraging.
But the other member of Wolves’ attack on Sunday, Hwang Hee-chan, wasn’t very effective.
The South Korean had just 21 touches in the game as per Sofascore. Of the Wolves players who started, only Jean-Ricner Bellegarde had fewer (14). Hwang also had zero shots, two dribbles both of which were unsuccessful, and one cross which did not find a teammate.
It wasn’t his day, and Thompson expressed his concerns about the player on Matchday Live Extra.
He said: “I’m hoping this is just an off day today, because he didn’t look himself. He didn’t look his sharp self. Usually he’s as sharp as anything in the way he plays.
“I just thought he looked leggy and tired. I’m just hoping it was a one-off game with him. He just didn’t look as if he was in the game at all. That’s very unlike him.”
Hwang must improve
It has not been a good start to the new season for Hwang.
On Sunday he was hardly involved, and he was also quiet in the opening game with Arsenal.
Last season, he was superb under O’Neil and finished the season with 13 goals to his name. The manager selected him whenever he could, and clearly loves what he is all about.
But it hasn’t happened for Hwang – who is staying at Wolves after transfer interest from Marseille this summer – in these opening games and he needs to improve.
There are players like Pablo Sarabia and Chiquinho waiting for opportunities, and there could also be further options in Daniel Podence and Goncalo Guedes if they are still here beyond the transfer deadline.