Wolves secured a massive three points at home to West Ham on Tuesday night. The Old Gold are now within touching distance of securing their top-flight status.
Wolves’ 1-0 win against West Ham improved the side’s tally to 29 points leaving just eight games to play. Ipswich Town’s surprise 2-1 victory over Bournemouth the following night has kept the Old Gold’s lead to nine points.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 16 |  West HamWest Ham | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 33 | 50 | -17 | 34 |
| 17 |  WolvesWolves | 30 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 41 | 58 | -17 | 29 |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich | 30 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 30 | 63 | -33 | 20 |
And although Vitor Pereira was delighted with Wolves’ overall performance against West Ham, one player has drawn both criticism, and praise, from supporters.
Marshall Munetsi’s stats against the Hammers suggest he’s doing a lot more than what meets the eye though.
READ: What Vitor Pereira has done recently proves how ridiculous new Wolves manager rumours are
Marshall Munetsi’s best work going under the radar
Munetsi was named in Wolves’ starting lineup against West Ham — his fifth league start since joining in January.
Despite being on the pitch for the duration, Munetsi’s lack of action has been criticised. For example, the midfielder managed to complete just six passes all game — a shocking average of just one every 15 minutes.
But does his limited on-the-ball contributions mean he’s not positively affecting the game? — We think not.
While the Zimbabwean’s lack of passing may raise some eyebrows, his importance in other areas is becoming clear.
Munetsi’s best, and most effective, work is being done in two key areas — at left-wing back and right-wing.
Not only does this showcase the African’s ability to get around the pitch, but his presence and defensive domination are allowing Rayan Ait-Nouri to roam into more advanced positions.
The downside?
Although Munetsi’s stamina and versatility cannot be questioned, as his Sofascore heatmap shows, his presence is most required at left-wing back, and that suggests Ait-Nouri is leaving him with too much to do.
Ait-Nouri is a natural attacker. The Algerian is incredibly technical on the ball and is capable of beating his man in wide positions.
Because of this, it’s hard to make a case against Ait-Nouri being included in Pereira’s matchday plans. However, the wing-back’s style of play and lack of defensive nous appear to be a double-edged sword.
Pereira has already admitted Ait-Nouri must improve defensively and that was once again proven by the 23-year-old losing possession a whopping 19 times against West Ham.
Ait-Nouri’s contributions in more forward areas make him a constant threat, but his failure to detect danger is forcing Munetsi to cover, and acting as a secondary left-wing back probably wasn’t the reason he was signed.