Wolves kickstarted their 2025 on a sour note after losing 3-0 against Nottingham Forest on Monday night.
It marked the first defeat of the Vitor Pereira era and saw Wolves go level on points with the relegation zone after Ipswich drew against Fulham.
Despite losing to the surprise Champions League contenders, there were some positives to emerge from the game, including the display of Rodrigo Gomes.
Starting as a left wing-back, Gomes was dubbed Wolves’ most ‘exciting’ player by Dave Edwards, who praised the 21-year-old’s defensive and attacking play.
The fleet-footed Portuguese wasn’t the only one to impress in difficult circumstances, with Pedro Lima flourishing on his Premier League debut.
The 18-year-old showed fearlessness and a huge amount of quality down the right flank while one of his Wolves teammates suffered.
Tommy Doyle blew his chance to impress Vitor Pereira vs Forest
Two of Pereira’s youngest players Lima and Gomes took their chance to impress against Forest while Tommy Doyle blew his.
Doyle made his first start under the Portuguese in the absence of Andre, who flew back to South America for the birth of his son.
Replacing the Brazilian was always going to be a tough ask as he’s been brilliant alongside Joao Gomes, though everyone knows the technical quality of Doyle.
Sadly, the 23-year-old was unable to show it against Forest, winning just 20% of his duels (1/5), and completing zero tackles, key passes and successful dribbles.
Pereira claimed Doyle went ‘missing’ on Monday night and the statistics suggest he’s correct, with journalist Nathan Judah also critical of the midfielder.
“Up steps Tommy Doyle, and we both thought it was great chance to show what he’s made of and impress,” Judah said on Shots TV.
“I thought he made an okay start but a few wayward passes and that is not what we attribute Tommy Doyle to.
“We attribute him to distribution, which is magnificent in a Wolves shirt, but it was poor last night. I thought he was whingy, a little bit whiny, throwing his hands up in the air when things didn’t go according to plan.
“I’m not sure that’s a great look when you’re being positive, the positive mental attitude that we’ve seen under Pereira. So yeah, I think he’ll be a bit disappointed with his performance.”
Doyle may still start vs Bristol City
It was an uncharacteristic performance from Doyle, who would probably get dropped in any normal circumstance but next up is a trip to Bristol City in the FA Cup.
The Englishman will likely keep his place in the starting lineup as Pereira is stretched for options, especially if Andre isn’t available.
This means that Doyle has an instant chance to redeem himself after a poor Premier League display by leading his side to victory at Ashton Gate.
Doyle has some happy memories of playing in this competition, scoring in the third-round tie against Brentford last season, with Pereira hoping for another rare goal on Saturday.