Wolves return to the Championship got off to a slow start with a draw at home to Blackburn Rovers. After an 8 year absence following promotion in 2018 and a subsequent relegation last season, Wolves were fancied to hit the ground running as one of the favourites for the title. Despite high expectations, Wolves were hit with the sobering reality of life outside the Premier League in a bitterly disappointing performance. Much like the first game of last season, there’s very little in the way of praise i can try to dish out here, but let’s give it a go eh?
Good: The Quality of Fer Lopez
Underwhelming in his first season in England and rarely given the opportunity to impress under both Vitor Pereira and Rob Edwards, Fer Lopez has been a hot topic amongst Wolves fans. Marked as a player to watch out for under vastly different circumstances this season, Wolves major attacking highlights can be attributed to the Spanish midfielder. A level above the opposition on multiple occasions, Lopez’ deft attacking movement was rewarded when his ball found Marshall Munetsi who opened the scoring. After the goal, Wolves best chances continued to flow through him, including a strike on the edge of the box that came agonisingly close to nestling into the top corner. Wolves looked flat and largely uninspired for a majority of the game, but in Lopez it looks like they’ve found a player who they may be able to rely on in turbulent moments this campaign.
Good: The Return of Raul Jimenez
You wouldn’t think that coming up with 2 positives over 90 minutes would be especially tricky, but trust me when I say i’m desperately clutching at straws here. Subbed on at 2-1 down, the arrival of Jimenez reinjected some much needed life into a stunned Molineux crowd. Crowned as one of Wolves best players in their 8 year stay in the Premier League, it’s safe to say he’s earned cult hero status in Wolverhampton. Despite a quiet half for him, he found himself back on the scoresheet for Wolves with a last ditch penalty to rescue a point. Hopefully for Raul it’s the first of many for him in a vastly competitive Championship.
Bad: Laughable Defending
Against Port Vale, it became massively clear that despite the 3-0 scoreline Wolves were lucky to get away with a clean sheet. On any other night and against a better opponent, they’d have been punished for some shaky moments at the back. Unfortunately, that other night and opposition was tonight. Blackburn equalised after recycling crosses into the Wolves box, with a spectacular ball not being matched by a Wolves defender, visibly rattling Wolves Captain Toti. Things went from bad to worse shortly after the break as an overlapping pass carved Wolves open and left them exposed for an easy tap in. Going forwards, defensive stability needs to be a top priority for Wolves, who looked far too easy to progress past for the visitors.
Bad: Lack of Creativity
On paper the Wolves front four looked a scary prospect for any defence in the division, led by an Adam Armstrong who won promotion with Southampton in 2024. On the pitch however, Wolves spent a majority of the game looking both uninspired and toothless in the final third. Behind for a majority of the second half, they lacked the urgency to drive forwards and drag themselves back into the game. Mateus Mane, another hot property coming into the game, found himself in the book for a dubious dive while Rodrigo Gomes was similarly unable to effect the game in a positive manner. At times Wolves seemed to be feeling more sorry for themselves than eager to react to the score. While Fer Lopez looked promising and Raul Jimenez was able to bail Wolves out, forward play and creating momentum became a real struggle. Heavily fancied before kick off, the performance serves as a harsh welcome back to a league more unforgiving than any other.
