Opinion

Vitor Pereira’s biggest problem is clear as Wolves top alternative Premier League table

Wolves have a number of issues at the moment, but data suggests there is one glaring problem Vitor Pereira needs to fix.

There is real concern about Wolves at the moment with the club having taken just two points from their first eight Premier League games.

Wolves are yet to win in the competition this season, and the pressure is starting to crank up on Vitor Pereira.

Some Wolves fans have called for Pereira to be sacked. And anything other than a win against Burnley this weekend will see more supporters call for a managerial change.

Pereira backs himself to turn things around.

But there are still so many issues with the team, and seemingly the manager is still unsure what his best team is, and some have suggested there is no clear identity.

But for Wolves right now, the biggest issue is clear, with data placing the club top of one metric.

Wolves are the best converters of big chances in the Premier League

Wolves manager Vitor Pereira barks orders from the touchline.
Photo by Stuart Leggett/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The losses of Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri were always going to be felt.

The duo were at the heart of all of Wolves’ attacking play last term, and created 21 of their 60 big chances (35%) in 2024/25.

The Athletic have published an interesting piece today about ‘big chances’ in the Premier League, and the table compiled within that article makes for fascinating reading.

Currently, Wolves sit top of the ‘big chances converted’ table, with a value of 80%.

So Wolves are the best team in the Premier League when it comes to scoring from golden opportunities.

The problem for Wolves is that these ‘big chances’ simply do not come along often enough, pointing to a major creativity issue.

While Wolves have the highest percentage in terms of big chances converted, Wolves have actually created just five so far. This is the fewest of all 20 Premier League clubs. Even Burnley have created more big chances than Wolves with eight.

This new data comes after it came to light before the Sunderland match that Wolves had recorded their lowest shots-per-game ratio ever in the Premier League.

Wolves need a creative spark

Cunha and Ait-Nouri’s exits were always going to be felt, but Pereira has simply got to find a way of increasing the creativity.

We saw against Sunderland how Wolves created chances. But the quality of those chances was ultimately very low and the visitors could not breach their opponents.

The team is crying out for a creative spark.

Hugo Bueno has been doing his bit this season to his credit, but Wolves need actual attackers to be delivering.

Fer Lopez plays a ball for Wolves.
Photo by Wolverhampton Wanderers FC/Wolves via Getty Images

People like Jhon Arias, Hwang Hee-chan and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde are going to have to step up.

Fer Lopez has a shot-creating actions per 90 metric of 5.25 so far this term, suggesting he could be the creative spark to help Wolves in the final third.

Certainly, Lopez has a strong case now to be starting for Wolves, and would potentially suit playing as a sole number 10.

Frustratingly though, he has not yet convinced Pereira to make him a regular starter.