Former Wolves goalkeeper Matt Murray has said Jose Sa has been outstanding for the club, amid a troubling time for the Molineux number one.
Wanderers fell to their worst defeat of the season last Saturday against Brighton, losing 6-0 at the Amex Stadium.
Wolves were shockingly bad.
The players just could not keep hold of the ball, were all over the place defensively and there were so many mistakes.
As good as Brighton were, Wolves made it so easy for their opponents.
It was alarming to see how the goals were being conceded.
Most of them were entirely preventable.
Julen Lopetegui arguably got his team selection wrong which did not help. So in the end, it was little surprise Wolves were on the end of a heavy defeat.
One man who had a pretty awful day at the office was Sa, who is now the subject of a debate.
Some are suggesting Lopetegui should drop him and bring in January signing Dan Bentley. Others feel he has credit in the bank and should be backed by the manager.
Murray was speaking about him on the Wolves Weekly podcast, and defended him amid his current struggles.
He said: “As much as it hurt for Jose… the pass he plays for one of the goals late on and we get caught, he’ll be disappointed with that part.
“But at the same time, he has been outstanding with some of the saves he made against Brentford and Crystal Palace. He’s made a few big, big saves. So, this happens.”
Murray’s defence of Sa comes after Lopetegui subtly suggested past achievements don’t necessarily count for much.
Jose Sa might be playing for his Wolves future, as Matt Murray defends Molineux stopper
Sa is very much under the microscope now at Wolves.
He was outstanding in his first season at Molineux and was ultimately a big reason why the club did not finish any lower than 10th.
It was always going to be a challenge for the £7 million star to match the standards he set. But sadly he has come nowhere close to them this term.
Sa remains a good shot stopper and has a great command of his area.
But he can be rash, and his ball-playing ability is not where it needs to be.
Lopetegui wants Wolves to become a more possession-based team and that starts from the goalkeeper and building out from the back.
In these final games, Sa surely has a great deal to prove to his manager.