Four things we learned as Rob Edwards loses first game as Wolves boss vs Crystal Palace

There was to be no new manager bounce on Saturday for Wolves, as Rob Edwards opened with a 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace.

Wolves are nine points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League table and remain in huge trouble.

There was renewed optimism ahead of kick-off yesterday with fans excited for the Rob Edwards era.

But the mood is low again after Wolves’ lack of quality was exposed by Crystal Palace, who were nowhere near their best.

Here were a few takeaways from the game.

• READ MORE: Wolves player ratings vs Crystal Palace, Andre gets 7/10 and plenty of 5/10s in Rob Edwards’ opener

Wolves’ lack of creativity is a colossal issue

Palace were there for the taking yesterday.

The Eagles did not play particularly well, but still ran out 2-0 winners, which just shows that Wolves really lack quality.

There was an element of fortune about the opening goal which was frustrating.

But before that Wolves just couldn’t threaten, with the hosts having just one shot on target all game.

Palace midfielder Adam Wharton complimented Wolves on their defensive shape, but in the final third it just didn’t click. Again.

Jorgen Strand Larsen and Tolu Arokodare put themselves about, but were again feeding off scraps, and this is something Edwards has to try and fix.

Seven goals scored in the Premier League so far is just abysmal.

Miracle needed for Wolves to stay up with this squad

As a follow-on from the first point, Wolves are lacking quality all over the pitch this season, not just in and around the final third, and that means Edwards has a mountain to climb.

Ultimately, his predecessor Vitor Pereira has played a part in constructing a squad that can now be considered the worst that Wolves have had since promotion back to the Premier League in 2018.

There are no game-changers and no leaders, and it feels like the gap to safety will only increase.

It is serious cause for concern that Wolves can have spells where they’re better than Palace, but still end up losing 2-0. It clearly indicates that the squad isn’t good enough.

• READ MORE: Rob Edwards releases statement following Wolves’ 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace

Edwards’ passion is admirable

Edwards got a great reception from the Wolves fans at Molineux yesterday, with everyone wanting him to succeed.

As terrible as the situation is, this is a dream job for Edwards, and it was clear yesterday that he was trying to take the fans with him with his passion on the touchline.

He was very animated, and could be seen trying to gee the crowd up when Wolves were going forward.

Edwards was also calling for calm, and for his players to communicate.

That infectious passion, from a man who deeply cares about this club, is sure to go down well with the fans.

However, the unfortunate reality is Edwards’ passion alone will not lead to wins. He needs the players to compete, and the quality just isn’t there.

Much better from Emmanuel Agbadou

It’s always interesting to see which players a new manager will call on and on Saturday there was a return to the starting XI for Emmanuel Agbadou.

Agbadou has largely been woeful this season and has made so many errors at the back.

But a new manager coming in means a clean slate for everyone, and Agbadou was back on the right of Wolves’ defence against Palace – and to his credit, he was one of Wanderers’ better performers.

The Ivorian was assured and just looked much more like his old self. He was certainly a small positive from the defeat.

If Wolves are to have any hope whatsoever of surviving then Agbadou must build on this and ideally rediscover the level he showed last season.