Wolves return to Premier League action against Fulham this weekend and Vitor Pereira has some big calls to make after starting 22 different players in the last week.
Pereira used every inch of his squad, naming an entirely new lineup from the loss to Burnley at Molineux. That drew some criticism, especially when three goals flew in before half-time.
Looking ahead to Fulham, it’s unlikely he reverts back to the same XI from the league again. There’s one reason in particular why he shouldn’t.
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Vitor Pereira must bring Emmanuel Agbadou back into the Wolves XI against Fulham
While Wednesday was admittedly a disappointing display, there were positives to take from it. One such positive was the performance of Emmanuel Agbadou, who was tasked with stepping up into the midfield.
He filled the role well, grabbing assists for two of the three goals Wolves scored.
Agbadou was dropped by Pereira some time ago and is yet to be brought back in as a regular starter. His performances to start the year were nowhere near good enough, and he felt like a mistake waiting to happen at times.
But the message to the Ivorian has been sent, with Pereira letting him know that his place in the lineup is dependent on performance. Marshall Munetsi labelled Agbadou as exceptional, and his talent is sorely missed.
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With just two slots at centre-back, competition is even fiercer than it was at the start of the season, but on talent, Agbadou is easily one of the two best central defenders. Ladislav Krejci continues to make his case to start every week, and that’s a duo we haven’t seen much of.
Form matters, and Agbadou’s hasn’t been great this season, but sometimes you have to gamble on form returning. If Agbadou gets back to the heights of his first few months at Molineux, it could make all the difference for Wolves’ defence.
