Wolves will be looking to get one over Aston Villa in Sunday’s West Midlands derby, but fans have been left unhappy with what Tolu Arokodare has said ahead of the game.
The Nigerian striker was given a rare start against Crystal Palace last week, and Rob Edwards hinted he could give Tolu more minutes.
However, in his pre-match comments, the Wolves head coach brought those suggestions back a little bit in regard to the forward’s fitness.
It looks like a change of formation for Wolves vs Aston Villa🤔
“Tolu will need a bit more time as he’s not had as many minutes, but he’s up for it and working hard. Jorgen is fit and feels good.”
Rob Edwards ahead of Aston Villa
The summer signing understands that his game time will be limited at the moment, as he tries to get up to the Premier League speed.
Fans have been asking to see more of him, but that may change for this weekend, as his comments have not landed well.
Tolu Arokodare is treating Aston Villa vs Wolves derby like ‘any other game’
Tolu Arokodare understands that this game is big for supporters, but his mentality is not to treat it as a derby match.
The forward believes that the Old Gold must not get sucked into the excitement surrounding the game.
Ahead of the West Midlands derby, Arokodare said (via Express and Star), “It’s a local derby, so it’s exciting for the fans, but, no disrespect, I’m going to take it like any other game because we haven’t had the right results, so we have to focus on the match.”
Rob Edwards and Unai Emery disagree on the rivalry of the West Midlands derby 😂
His comments have caused some uproar among the fanbase, as that mentality has been questioned heading into the match.
For most fans, the opportunity to get one over on your rivals should be treated as such, and it should especially not be treated as just any game based on how all of those ‘other’ matches have gone this season.
Wolves fans believe Tolu Arokodare has got it completely wrong
Wolves supporters have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express their worry with the mentality Tolu Arokodare has going into the West Midlands derby.
One fan stated, “Personally, I think this is the wrong mentality! I want to see them get nasty. It’s a derby; use it to your advantage! All form goes out of the window!”
With another backing that up, saying, “Probably not the best words; rather, he said he treats it as a derby, as form famously goes out the window.”
And another Old Gold faithful responded with, “Well, considering we haven’t won a game yet, I don’t think that’s the best idea.”
A different fan kept it simple, saying, “Completely the wrong attitude.”
While someone else said, “I couldn’t care less about Villa, but I want it to feel like a derby because that’s the only way we have any chance.”
Wolves’ issues are clear to see in the final third ahead of playing Aston Villa…
No player has scored more than once for Wolves across their 12 games so far in the Premier League this season. Only four sides have had a longer wait from the start of a campaign for a player to score twice – Bradford City (15 games in 2000-01), Huddersfield Town (13 in 2018-19), Tottenham (13 in 2006-07) and Wimbledon (13 in 1994-95).
One Wolves supporter also stated, “How ridiculous; what a statement to make. He must want to lose.”
And a separate fan sarcastically responded by saying, “Great. That’ll go brilliantly.”
Overall, it seems that Arokodare has got it completely wrong ahead of Sunday.
After only signing for the club in the summer, the Nigerian will have to learn the importance of games like this and why they should be treated as they are: A West Midlands derby.
At Molineux News, we have predicted Tolu to be benched, and perhaps after those comments, that may be for the best.
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