Things have not started well for Rob Edwards at Wolves, with five losses from five.
However, there have been a few signs that point towards the Old Gold heading in the right direction.
It seemed like the Wanderers completed a shock upset at the Emirates on Saturday when Tolu Arokodare equalised in the 90th minute.
However, more late drama, in which the Nigerian striker proclaimed ‘poor defending’, handed the lead back to Arsenal, and the hosts picked up all three points.
In truth, it was one of Wolves’ best performances all season, and Bukayo Saka’s interview after the game had one comment that highlights Edwards is doing a good job despite results.
Despite defeat, there were plenty of positives to take away from that Wolves performance.
Wolves almost beat Arsenal at their own plan
At the Emirates, Arsenal looked far and away the typical title-challenging side they have been for most of the season.
And that was largely down to Wolves’ defence blocking and covering the spaces to prevent them from creating a clear-cut chance.
The tactics by Rob Edwards frustrated the Gunners, and that became even more abundantly clear after the final whistle.
Bukayo Saka spoke to TNT Sports (via BBC Sports) and said, “Coming to the Emirates, we want to make the teams know that it is going to be tough here and it is not going to be an easy game. It was frustrating at times, I’ll be honest.”
Wolves fans, was the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal the hardest loss to stomach so far this season? 🤔
The final statistics don't really tell the full story!
In fact, it ended up being the Old Gold who let Arsenal know it would not be easy to beat them, and that would have been the case if it were not for two moments of misfortune.
Arsenal failed to score a goal of their own, with Wolves conceding two own goals from Sam Johnstone and Yerson Mosquera.
Despite the obvious disappointment, that performance has offered encouragement.
Brentford are now a winnable game
For most games this season, Wolves fans have not held much hope heading into them. However, after such an inspiring performance against Arsenal, there is surely set to be some optimism against Brentford.
If the Old Gold can make things difficult for a side at the top of the Premier League, they must follow that up against the Bees. Alan Shearer described Wolves as brilliant, and that needs to continue.
Brentford will be without Dango Ouattara, who heads off to AFCON, while Wolves will be without Emmanuel Agbadou.
Both are blows for either side, and Edwards will have to find a solution for the Ivorian’s absence after he has produced some excellent displays recently.
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