Wolves are preparing for their biggest game of the season so far against Burnley this weekend, and Vitor Pereira surely has to stick by one player who drew some criticism at Sunderland.
Wolves remain firmly rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table after losing 2-0 at the Stadium of Light.
Fans expressed their anger after the full-time whistle, and some Wolves supporters have even called for Vitor Pereira to be sacked.
But the new contract he was given in September will surely mean Fosun stick by the Portuguese for a little while longer.
Next up for Wolves is Burnley, which has been described by Pereira as a ‘must-win’ game.
Burnley beat Leeds United on Saturday which was huge for them, and they’ll definitely be looking to follow that up with three more points against bottom club Wolves.
Pereira’s team sheet will be very interesting once again, but one man who deserves to start is Sam Johnstone.
Vitor Pereira cannot drop Sam Johnstone
On Saturday, there was a bit of criticism for goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
The Englishman conceded early to Nordi Mukiele, who collected a ball through from Trai Hume and finished.
Mukiele was fairly close to the goal and found space between Johnstone’s legs. There was some power behind the finish, but some feel Johnstone might have done better.
Former Wolves midfielder Dave Edwards said as much in his latest E&S column.
And then some fans also felt Johnstone was a little slow reacting to the ball that Ladislav Krejci tried to cut out for the own goal – although that is slightly harsh.
It was a dip for Johnstone, who has been outstanding in recent weeks for Wolves. Indeed, Marshall Munetsi even called Johnstone ‘exceptional’ before the international break.
Surely, he has enough credit in the bank to keep his place in the side for the upcoming game with Burnley.
Wolves need consistency between the sticks
Last season, Gary O’Neil chopped and changed his goalkeeper – and neither Johnstone nor Sa impressed.
Neither could build any momentum, and Wolves were shipping goals at will.
When Pereira came in, he chose Sa and stuck with him – and the Portuguese’s level was fairly consistent through to the end of the season.
| Sam Johnstone for Wolves this season |
| Appearances – 6 |
| Minutes played – 540 |
| Clean Sheets – 1 |
| Goals conceded – 7 |
| Saves – 17 |
| Save percentage – 69.6% |
Against Sunderland, Johnstone was slightly disappointing, but it is important now that he receives backing from Pereira. His performance was certainly not bad enough to warrant being dropped.
It would surely be to Wolves’ detriment if Jose Sa was brought back in at the first sign of a sub-par display from Johnstone, who has been building a good understanding with the centre-backs in front of him Krejci and Santiago Bueno.