Wolves return to Molineux under fresh management, looking to put an end to a record-breaking poor run against Crystal Palace on Saturday. Jack Johnson speaks to Henry Swain (hentalksball on TikTok) to get the opposition perspective ahead of this weekend’s fixture.
Palace have played well in every competition they’ve been in so far, mirroring their success of last season. What have you made of the results so far?
To be honest, if you ask most Palace fans they’d probably agree that we’ve not quite reached the levels we did last season so far this term. We’ve created the third most big chances, but missed the second most in the league this season. I’d describe our campaign as solid, but there’s certainly another level or two that this squad is capable of reaching. The exciting part is that the league is so close this year, so a good 2-3 game run could really propel us up the table!
When Christantus Uche chose Palace, Wolves fans were disappointed to have missed out on what felt like a strong option going forward. What do you think has gone wrong with his move to Selhurst Park?
Uche has been a bit of a mystery so far. He’s played just 26 league minutes so far, and has, understandably, struggled to make a real impact in that time. The issue for any player joining our squad is that Oliver Glasner isn’t one to rotate when he doesn’t need to – it’s very difficult to break into his core group of starters. In hindsight, a move to Molineux may have suited the Nigerian more, but with heavy fixture congestion and Uche currently an unlikely shout for an AFCON call-up, we may yet see what he can really offer. There’s certainly a player in there, and he has a very unique skill set, so hopefully he gets a chance and can prove his talents.
Rob Edwards will be spending the week firing his side up to try and get their first win on the board. Which players in the Wolves side do you feel most threaten a Palace win?
In recent seasons it would always be Matheus Cunha, but I think it’s fair to say Wolves’ biggest struggle this season has been creating chances. In Jorgen Strand-Larsen, there’s a profile that can certainly cause issues. If the likes of John Arias and Joao Gomes are able to create openings for the Norwegian, I’d certainly be fearful of his finishing ability. It will potentially be his toughest challenge though, because our defence has been ridiculously solid and compact. I have been impressed with Marshall Munetsi too, and his ability to create a moment out of a small opening could prove beneficial to Wolves’ chances of a good result.
Palace’s transfer window felt relatively modest in comparison to the rest of the league, especially given their venture into European Football. What did you make of the summer window?
It’s always the same with Palace; if you offered the outcome of the window before it opened, we’d all take it, but we tend to delay and leave it very late. I still don’t think we bolstered the squad enough, considering Glasner wants to fight for every trophy he can, and the next month or two will be very telling in whether or not we need to go big in the January window. We saw what can happen if you don’t strengthen adequately ahead of a European campaign, and I think the whole Europa League debacle derailed what should have been a very focused window. The signings of Yeremy Pino and Jaydee Canvot have proved to be very astute acquisitions, but I’d certainly expect us to be active in the New Year.
Last time the sides met, Palace ran out 4-2 winners in a strange game that had Wolves dominating the ball, and Palace having 10 shots on target. With Wolves needing a win, what sort of game are you expecting to see on Saturday?
Don’t be surprised if Wolves are dominating the ball once again. We’ve averaged 41.7% possession so far this term, and that is solely down to Glasner’s philosophy. Defend compactly, draw the opposition forward and look to exploit them on the counterattack. I’d expect Wolves to come out strong, you’d expect the atmosphere to be good, but the best thing Palace could do is ride the initial pressure and then score the first goal. If we’re able to play the game and not the occasion, as we did against Manchester City on that remarkable day, I’d expect a Palace win, but with the numerous factors making this such an important game for Wolves there’s always a part of us Palace fans that would deem it ‘typical Palace’ to be the first side to suffer defeat against you this season.
It’ll be a tightly contested game, but you’d have to say that the ability in Palace’s squad edges that of Wolves’. Palace will create lots of chances too, and good ones at that – it’s just a case of whether or not we take those chances and don’t go on to regret not doing so as we did against Everton. The last four games have seen 19 goals scored, so hopefully that trend continues and we get to enjoy an entertaining 90 minutes.
What is your predicted lineup for Crystal Palace?
In simple terms, if Glasner doesn’t need to rotate, he won’t. The only area of the pitch he has tended to change, opposition dependent, is central midfield. Glasner will likely want creativity in this area, and so Daichi Kamada seems a likely partner for Adam Wharton, which allows Will Hughes to come into the game and see it out IF Palace are ahead. With question marks over Marc Guehi’s fitness, I’d expect something like this:
Henderson; Munoz, Richards, Lacroix, Canvot, Mitchell; Kamada, Wharton; Sarr, Mateta, Pino.
And finally, what is your predicted scoreline for Saturday’s fixture?
This is a tricky one for me. I do think that we’ll see a rejuvenated Wolves side, and a manager like Rob Edwards is always good at jeeing up the fans and players. But as I said, if Palace can ride those first 15-20 minutes of excitement and anticipation, we certainly have the quality to win. The first goal is going to be massive in this game, but of course, I have to back my boys. I’m going with a 3-1 Palace win, with goals from Mateta, Sarr and Pino.
