Former Premier League goalkeeper Tim Howard believes Wolves are a side with ‘quality’ despite being comfortably beaten by Arsenal on Saturday.
Wanderers fell to a 2-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, which was probably a result most people saw coming.
That was because Wolves don’t have a particularly good away record, and also Gary O’Neil was missing two key players in Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes through suspension.
Arsenal played some really good football at times and also just made life very hard for Wolves with their pressing. Pundit Craig Burley noted that Wolves just couldn’t get out in the first-half and were ‘smothered’ by the Gunners.
Matheus Cunha grabbed a late goal for Wolves, who then pushed for an equaliser but couldn’t breach the Arsenal defence.
Following the game, Wolves came in for praise from Tim Howard…
Tim Howard gives credit to Wolves after defeat to Arsenal
In truth, the 2-1 scoreline did flatter Wolves. Arsenal had plenty of chances and might well have given Wanderers a real hiding.
Dan Bentley, who had replaced the injured Jose Sa, pulled off a few good saves to keep Wolves in it, prompting O’Neil to brand him ‘excellent’.
Despite Arsenal winning fairly easily, Howard did have praise for Wolves, saying on NBC Sports: “They just got a little bit comfortable. We thought maybe at half-time Arteta would just say ‘Hey let’s get back on the boil’, because they were playing absolutely sensational football.
“But credit Wolves, it’s the Premier League, ultimately. In the end, they have quality in certain areas. Particularly up front. They played a little more direct. Arsenal, naturally you have a two-goal lead, you’re not going to take as many risks.”
Wolves definitely have quality
It is nice to hear Howard giving a little bit of credit to Wolves, who showed good character to stay in the game when Arsenal were clearly on top.
Perhaps under previous managers, this would have been a real thrashing.
There is indeed a lot of quality in the squad right now. Hwang Hee-chan and Cunha are both in really good form, as was Pedro Neto before his injury.
Players like Lemina and Gomes have become crucial, with their styles making them huge crowd favourites at Molineux.
Then you have people like Craig Dawson, who has come in and had a major impact on the defence, and players who have only just signed who look like being really astute additions, like Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.