Passing judgment on a team after just one match feels a bit hasty, but that’s what Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have done to Wolves on the first Monday Night Football of the new Premier League season.
In true MNF tradition, the two sat down to discuss their predictions for the season ahead, and Wolves were brought up by both in one category.
This came shortly after Man City’s dismantling of Wolves at the weekend, something that won’t have inspired confidence in the former Man United and Liverpool defenders.
Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher pick Wolves to be relegated from the Premier League
Yes, yet another pair of pundits have Wolves going down this season. We really shouldn’t be surprised.
The MNF regulars join Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker in condemning Wolves, though when you hear the explanations from the two, it’s just the slightest bit confusing.
When asked about his pick, Neville said: “I think maybe this could be the year for Wolves.”
Brief but okay. What about Carragher?
He said: “It’s easy to put the three promoted teams there, it is. I’m just so desperate for someone to stay up.
“Am I sitting here convinced that Wolves will get relegated. Not really. I think the manager’s top. I think he’s a really good manager, but they have lost some big players. Obviously, Ait-Nouri’s gone. Semedo’s gone. Cunha’s gone as well.”
So basically, Carragher does not think Wolves will be relegated, but rather hopes they will.
Wolves are the popular pick to buck the recent Premier League trend
Carragher’s point about promoted teams is a fair one. It would be better for the Premier League not to have a repeat of the last two seasons, where promotion has quickly turned into relegation for all involved.
It seems he picked Wolves to accommodate that hope, and he’s not the only one who sees Vitor Pereira’s side as the worst of the rest.
Pep Guardiola’s comments to Pereira at the weekend support this line of thought, where he voiced his own concerns at Wolves’ lack of signings.
Whatever thoughts you have on football punditry, the pattern of Wolves consistently popping up in these discussions points to a clear problem, particularly evident to those on the outside.
We’ve lost too many players and bought too few.