Wolves have started the new season with back-to-back defeats and are looking to beat Burnley in the Carabao Cup this evening.
Wanderers were dealt a tough fixture list to begin with this term, and fans half-expected the team not to pick up any points from the first two games against Arsenal and Chelsea.
But despite the two losses, there have been positives to take for Gary O’Neil. Mainly to do with how Wolves have looked up top.
Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen look to have a good partnership already, and Wolves have looked energetic and creative.
The issues right now are at the back, with eight goals conceded in the first two games. Against Chelsea, Wolves were carved open with ease.
But O’Neil will keep working his players hard on the training ground – and Dave Edwards has shared what he noticed after recently watching a session at Compton Park.
Dave Edwards amazed by ‘the pace’ of Wolves’ training session, as he name-drops three players
It is all well and good having quality players who are technical.
But these days, the most successful teams have a blend of players who are both technical and hardworking.
The game has changed a lot over the years, and there is now a real emphasis on doing things at pace – both in and out of possession.
Dave Edwards left Wolves in 2017 after a nine-and-a-half-year stint at Molineux.
He was recently invited back to the club’s training complex to meet with former teammates such as Adlene Guedioura, and to take in training that was taking place that day – and one thing struck him the current crop.
He said (via Wolves official): “It’s completely changed. Great to be back. It hasn’t felt like seven years. Come down to watch training, really good fun, the pace at which the training was played at. How athletic they all are.
“Players like Rayan Ait-Nouri, how good his feet are, Joao Gomes, Mario Lemina, all of them. Got to watch finishing drills.
“My son Jack was asking ‘Was it this quick when you played here?’, and it definitely wasn’t! The quality has definitely gone up.”
Wolves’ pace can hurt teams this season
Wolves under O’Neil have always been a quick team.
Pedro Neto may have been sold, but there is still plenty of pace in that squad with the likes of Matheus Cunha, Hwang Hee-chan, Nelson Semedo, Yerson Mosquera, Pedro Lima, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Chiquinho, Rodrigo Gomes and Ait-Nouri.
These players have the potential to really hurt opponents this season.
Wolves also have workhorses, and as Ben Foster claimed recently, there will be games this term where Wolves will outwork their opponents.