Wolves wing-backs Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri have an important role to play in their match against Tottenham tomorrow afternoon.
Wolves will be aiming to bounce back from their disappointing 2-0 defeat against Brentford last weekend.
It was an uncharacteristic performance from Gary O’Neil’s side, who were unfortunate to lose Matheus Cunha to injury 20 minutes into the contest, which will leave him out of action for the next few weeks.
Luckily for O’Neil, Hwang Hee-Chan is expected to return to face Spurs following his Asia Cup exertions, forming a potentially devastating duo with Pedro Neto in the attacking third.
While that pairing will carry huge amounts of threat for the Wanderers going forward as they look to spring on the counter-attack, the damage that wing backs Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri can cause in transition shouldn’t be overlooked.
Why Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri are important against Spurs
As reported by journalist Paul O’Keefe, Spurs look set to be without instrumental full-backs Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie for the clash against Wolves.
He revealed that Porro was struggling with a muscular issue while Udogie had not trained all week.
In a video from an open training session (via Scarfey Spurs Talk) Emerson Royal and Ben Davies could be seen lining up for a drill alongside Christian Romero and Micky van de Ven, suggesting they would be starting the game on Saturday.
Given Royal and Davies don’t possess the same pace or defensive nouse as Ange Postecoglu’s first-choice full-backs, there could now be the chance for Semedo and Ait-Nouri to exploit Spurs on the counter-attack.
In what is an encouraging update for Wolves in their pursuit to make it three wins on the bounce against the Lilywhites, Semedo and Ait-Nouri will feel they can cause some serious damage, especially after contributing to the demolition of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The stats that show Ait-Nouri and Semedo can hurt Spurs
No matter the quality of side that Wolves come up against, O’Neil encourages his wing-backs to bomb forward and use their blistering pace as an added dimension in the attack.
As highlighted by FBref, Ait-Nouri ranks in the top 2% for successful take-ons in the Premier League this term while Semedo is in the top 4%.
This demonstrates their ambition as wing-backs to pick up the ball and drive at their opponents.
The pair are also successful at carrying the ball long distances for their team and against a Spurs side who like to dominate possession, Wolves need players who can drive the ball out from deep.
Luckily, Ait Nouri and Semedo both rank in the top 20% and top 4% respective for progressive carries, which highlights where the Wanderers can do damage against the Champions League chasers.