Amidst the plethora of sub-par performances this season, this was by far the worst performance in my opinion, and yet, somehow, Wolves managed to leave the City Ground with an undeserved point. Here are my 2 good and 2 bad to summarise that absolutely horrific waste of my Wednesday evening.
Bad: The set-up
Of course, Wolves fans are allowing Rob Edwards a lot of slack, considering the situation that he has inherited. However, the way that he chose to approach this game was incredibly pragmatic, especially when you consider that Forest sit just a few places above Wolves in the table.
On paper, the lineup appeared to be one that could be capable of seeking victory; with no Hwang and a return to the much more stable back five. However, from the very first whistle, Wolves seemed to be allowing the Nottingham Forest players to do whatever they wanted with the ball, standing so far off their man, and ceding so much territory, as we gradually sat deeper and deeper as the game went on. It was this tactic employed by Edwards that allowed Forest to have THIRTY-FIVE shots, against the most defensive-minded manager in the league, Sean Dyche.
Bad: The overall performances from all outfield players
Wolves fans have had to witness some of the worst football played by any team in Premier League history; yet today it seemed as if it was impossible for a Wolves player to find their teammate for just a five-yard pass.
Furthermore, the lack of effort and aggression was very disappointing, although this may be attributed to the set-up, as mentioned in the first point.
Good: Jose Sa
We’ve not seen Sa have many good games this season, but he certainly salvaged us a point today, with his miraculous double save that prevented Morato from netting a scrappy winner. The defence was sloppy for large periods of the game and Sa, facing ten shots on target, managed to keep a clean sheet, despite Forest having an xG of 2.73 (compared to Wolves’ 0.39!)
Good: We edge closer to the elusive 11-point mark
It’s been clear for some time that Wolves will be playing Championship football next season, but it appeared that, up until January, even the record held by Derby for the lowest points in Premier League history would be beaten. Thankfully, with six points being picked up since the New Year, Wolves are on track to achieve more than 11 points, which demonstrates the absolute abomination of this match (and the season) that I even have to mention this as one of my “good” points from today’s fixture.
Overall, hopefully Wolves can use the FA Cup visit to Grimsby as a reset, ready for the tough run of fixtures that approach in the Premier League, because we cannot afford to play at such a low quality against our next opponent, Arsenal.
