Well that was boring wasn’t it?
An utterly forgettable evening at Molineux saw Brentford wheel away with a 2-0 away victory. A dreadfully dull first half was punctuated by a half hour wait for the first attempt on goal. With the scores even at half time, a shallow sense of hope surrounded the home crowd before being brutally burst on the hour mark. Keane Lewis-Potter capitalised on a defensive error to make it 1-0. Soon enough, another poor goal made it two to seal a 15th defeat of the season for Wolves. A missed penalty late in the game by Strand Larsen further added fuel to an already miserable home fire. Written by Tom Davison.
Good: Mateus Mane
Seriously, why isn’t this kid starting every week? In a season where bravery and determination appears to be at an all time low, Mane is a breath of fresh air for Wolves. At just 18 years old, he is by far the most exciting of the Wolves front line. Stagnant performances from the rest of the team leave him deserving of his first Premier League Start. Another good cameo surely has to see him break into the first team for good.
Good: Fer Lopez back in the team
I’m going to be honest, finding a second good for this game was like finding a needle in a haystack. However, it was positive to see Fér Lopez return to the 11 to freshen up the Wolves attack. He was at the forefront of some of our better moves in the first half, mainly winning a free kick after a brilliant passing move. Compared to Jhon Arias, Lopez looks much more comfortable in the number 10 role. The Spaniard has been limited for minutes since the arrival of Rob Edwards, so a start will do his confidence the world of good going forward.
Bad: Laughable defending
Wolves really are awful. We’ve known this for months prior to this game, but today exacerbated all of Wolves’ problems into one neat bow. The pick of the bunch being an incredibly shaky backline, which again leaked unnecessary goals today. Ladislav Krejci, usually our most consistent defender, was at fault for the opener as he allowed a tame ball to sail over his head and into the path of Lewis-Potter to finish. The problems didn’t stop there, as Lewis-Potter found himself unmarked from a cross to add a comically easy second goal for the visitors. At the back, the team looks frail and terrified to battle for the ball at every turn. Defensively, you’d be hard pressed to find a bigger mess in Europe than Wolves this season.
Bad: Jørgen Strand Larsen
It’s been a disappointing season for everyone, but none so more than Strand Larsen. After a fantastic 14 goal season in the league last campaign, he’s been a shell of his former self this season. Off the ball, his movement has been incredibly lazy, offering little to no options for other attacking players. He hasn’t fared better in the air either, failing to win a majority of his aerial duals despite his towering height. For a player who has already shown these fans exactly what he can do, it simply isn’t good enough. Surely he has to find himself out of the team sooner rather than later.
