Wolves crashed to a 2-1 defeat against Newcastle United on Sunday – and it may be that the team is already missing Hugo Bueno.
Wanderers missed a chance to pull away from the relegation zone.
Heading into the game, the Magpies were in poor form and were there to be got at.
But Wolves struggled against Eddie Howe’s side, with their pressing difficult to deal with.
A number of Wolves players looked uncomfortable on the ball, and the home crowd appeared to unsettle Wolves.
The game could have panned out very different had Nick Pope been sent off for his challenge on Raul Jimenez. The decision by referee Andy Madley not to do that was difficult to understand.
After going 1-0 down Wolves did well to get back into the game, with Hwang Hee-chan pouncing on a slip by Kieran Trippier.
But Julen Lopetegui’s decision to go to a back three with wing-backs didn’t work.
Rayan Ait-Nouri left a lot of space in behind him after he came on. And it was in his area of the pitch that Newcastle got their winning goal.
The man he replaced, Jonny Castro Otto, also struggled in the game and it’s hard not to think about how Wolves might already be missing Hugo Bueno.
The Spanish youngster is out of action for another couple of weeks after picking up a hamstring injury against Liverpool.
Wolves may already be missing all-rounder Hugo Bueno, as Jonny and Ait-Nouri struggle against Newcastle
Bueno has been unavailable for the past two Premier League games for Wolves.
While Jonny was steady against Tottenham Hotspur, he looked very shaky against Newcastle.
He was one of the players that really didn’t deal well with the Magpies’ pressing.
And Ait-Nouri did not cover himself in much glory when he came on for Wolves. He was caught so high up the pitch just before Almiron’s goal.
Since coming into the team, Bueno has shown himself to be a fantastic all-rounder.
He is very calm and composed on the ball.
And he strikes a brilliant balance between defending and attacking.
After the recent draw with Fulham, Jamie Carragher told Bueno he thought he was ‘excellent’, before giving him the Player of the Match award.
Hopefully, he can return to fitness as soon as possible. Because Jonny and Ait-Nouri are currently not convincing.