Wolves may be permanently plunged into a relegation battle but competition for places in Vitor Pereira’s squad is high.
Wolves were beaten 2-1 by Liverpool on Sunday, although Pereira’s men were unfortunate not to come away with at least a point.
As Matheus Cunha’s strike halved the deficit, Liverpool registered zero shots on target in the second period at Anfield for the first time since 2003/04, telling of how well the Old Gold played.
Several players can take credit for a performance that offered hope of achieving Premier League survival as Andre went under the radar with his display while Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was excellent off the bench.
Meanwhile, there was one other star who cemented his place in the starting lineup even further despite the £10m arrival of Nasser Djiga.
Nasser Djiga could struggle to start over Matt Doherty
Djiga was signed on transfer deadline day alongside Marshall Munetsi.
While Munetsi made his Premier League debut at Anfield, Djiga was stuck to the bench and is yet to make an appearance for his new club.
The 22-year-old was expected to instantly replace Matt Doherty on the right side of defence, with the Republic of Ireland star playing out of position.
However, Doherty has surprised many with his performances as the 32-year-old has been excellent, making himself undroppable.
- READ MORE: Why Wolves fans won’t see Nasser Djiga in the starting XI for a while yet – it’s ‘fascinating’
Although Djiga has explained why he’s perfect for the Premier League, experts Liam Keen and Nathan Judah agree that he could ‘struggle’ to start this term.
Speaking on The Keen & Judah show, Keen said: “I think his intelligence, his positioning, his experience, he’s been there and done it at the very highest level, means that he’s bringing a certain calmness to this Wolves side.
“As you say, he’s had to be patient, he’s not had his chances consistently under any manager since returning back to Wolves and he’s finally getting that consistency and that opportunity to prove himself. Djiga’s going to have a bit of a challenge getting into this team I’m afraid.”
Judah then replied: “Yeah he is, I mean Djiga’s obviously a young lad and he might get more opportunities next season.
“This season Wolves need some senior players, players who are tried and tested, who they can rely on, especially when they are battling against relegation. So, I think if Doc keeps this up like you say, I think Djiga might struggle to get in barring an injury if Doc keeps these levels up.”
Doherty’s impressive performance in numbers vs Liverpool
Since returning to the club in 2023, Doherty’s game time has largely been restricted and he hardly ever played under Gary O’Neil.
Fast forward to February 2025 and the former Tottenham star is more important than ever, becoming a surprise cog in Pereira’s much-improved defence.
Doherty was dubbed a club legend by fans during the win over Spurs in December, while he’s continued his form into the New Year, displaying his talents as a defensive weapon.
Matt Doherty’s stats vs Liverpool
- 90 minutes played
- 4 clearances
- 2 tackles
- 4 ground duels won
- 48/56 (86%) accurate passes
- 2 accurate long balls
- 1 successful dribble
Against Liverpool, the veteran defender was arguably one of Pereira’s most influential players, mostly dealing with the threat of Andy Robertson and Luis Diaz down the right, despite the latter scoring.
So, whilst fans will be excited to see Djiga in action, they’ll accept that based on his current form, Doherty has simply become undroppable.