Wolves will again go in search of their first points of the new season this weekend, and Vitor Pereira surely has to turn to a player many fans are clamouring to see start.
Wanderers crashed to another defeat in the Premier League on Saturday against Newcastle United, meaning it’s four defeats from four.
As a result, Wolves have made their worst-ever start to a season, and many are very worried about what the coming months will bring.
Thankfully though, Wolves’ fixture list relents somewhat over the next few weeks, and there will perhaps be better opportunities to get points on the board.
Pereira is confident he can raise the level at Wolves, and fans will be optimistic of a turnaround after the manager showed his capabilities last season.
One man many people would like to see given a start is Fer Lopez, and this is surely something Pereira is considering doing.
Fer Lopez is the creative spark Wolves need right now
Lopez is still very young and inexperienced.
Wolves probably overpaid to sign him from Celta Vigo, for whom he made just 20 first-team appearances.
But the early signs with the Spaniard have been promising.
The £19 million signing (BBC Sport) was lively in pre-season, and has looked handy across the few appearances he’s made so far.
Lopez really impressed against Everton recently, which saw fans call for him to start against Newcastle United.
Perhaps that was always unlikely, given how tough St. James’ Park is to go.
Wolves fans then expressed their annoyance as Marshall Munetsi was brought on before Lopez in the second-half.
But this game with Leeds now feels like the perfect opportunity to get Lopez in from the start. The game is at Molineux, and that home crowd could serve Lopez well.
The sample size is small so far, but it is already clear that Lopez provides something a bit different to the other attacking players at Pereira’s disposal.
Against Everton, he was picking the ball up in pockets of space and looking to play forwards, either by carrying the ball or playing a line-breaking pass. He also looks very good switching the ball from one side of the pitch to the other.
Wolves have scored just two goals in the Premier League so far, suggesting a creativity issue – and Lopez looks like he can help with this.
Over the last 365 days, as per fbref, Lopez has averaged 4.06 shot-creating actions per 90. He’s also had 6.38 progressive passes per 90, which puts him way above average (3.98) for attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe.
Lopez deserves start vs Leeds after impressive start
Fans are clamouring to see Lopez get his first Premier League start, and it is understandable.
There is a lack of a spark in and around the final third at the moment, and Lopez has the technical quality and vision to supply the striker.
Over the international break, Lopez was asked to train with the Spain seniors, indicating that he is on a good trajectory at the moment.
Dave Edwards hailed Lopez’s off-the-ball intelligence after the defeat to Everton, and this could be something that sees him thrive against Leeds.
If Pereira is thinking of reverting back to a 5-2-3, then Lopez surely has to play as that right-sided number 10.