Bruno Lage suffered defeat in his first game in charge of Wolves after a first half Jamie Vardy goal gave Leicester all three points at the King Power Stadium. It was an impressive performance from Wolves and the noisy travelling support showed their appreciation at full time ahead of a full return to Molineux next week. With five senior players unavailable, and new signings expected in the coming weeks, Wolves’ opening day performance was certainly something to build on as the new era gets underway.
Jose Sa
A Premier League debut for the new Wolves number one who put in a confident display. He dealt with everything that came his way with good shot stopping and aerial ability but could do little with Jamie Vardy’s clever flick which led to the winning goal. Wolves’ fans saw glimpses of what he can do with his feet too, with the Portuguese looking like a solid replacement for Rui Patricio. 7/10
Max Kilman
A very impressive defensive display from Max Kilman who limited Leicester’s threat down the left flank. Kilman was impressive on the ball and looked to link play with the midfield which meant he found himself in advanced positions frequently in the second half. He had one shot blocked at close range and has done himself no harm at all in staking a claim to be a first team regular under Bruno Lage. 8/10
Conor Coady
A poor display from the Wolves captain following his return from the England Euro 2020 camp. He was partly at fault for the goal, failing to move towards the cross and clear despite having an obvious special advantage on Jamie Vardy. Vardy caused problems all afternoon with Coady’s lack of pace a concern. He did redeem himself on more than one occasion with a last-ditch tackle, but his performance will have to improve if Wolves are to persist with a higher defensive line. 5/10
Romain Saiss
Like Coady, Saiss struggled with the pace of the Leicester forward line and was often found slacking in the higher defensive line which Lage wants to implement. He was strong in the air when defending set pieces, but his struggles have highlighted the need for defensive reinforcements before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. 6/10
Ki-Jana Hoever
Given his chance from the off with Nelson Semedo having missed a week’s training due to COVID-19 isolation and Hoever certainly did not do himself any harm with an impressive performance. Hoever was strong in the challenge and defended well in partnership with Kilman. He looked far more comfortable on the ball in comparison to last season and looked to link with Trincao down the right-hand side. If he improves his final ball Hoever could become an excellent option at right wing back this season. 7/10
Joao Moutinho
Was widely tipped to leave Molineux this summer but Moutinho looks set to stay for a fourth season in the West Midlands. He produced a solid display on the ball with an obvious increased intensity in comparison to last season. His pass through for Traore to create the chance of the first half was sublime, but his set pieces were poor and led to him giving up duties to Trincao in the second half. 6/10
Ruben Neves
Like Moutinho, Ruben Neves was solid in the midfield and didn’t really put a foot wrong. He will have wanted to have a greater impact on the game in the final third as he plays in a slightly more advanced role under new Head Coach Bruno Lage. 6/10
Marcal
The forgotten man from last season had an excellent pre-season and continued this form into the league. He looked comfortable at left wing-back and looked to contribute to attacks where possible. He will perhaps be disappointed to have let Ricardo put the cross in for the goal but otherwise had an impressive afternoon and could be a very useful option if he can remain fit this season. 7/10
Francisco Trincao
Wolves’ second Premier League debutant showed glimpses of quality and technical ability without having a real impact on the game. He had one good chance cutting in on his left foot in the penalty area, but his shot was blocked. He also showed to be a competent set piece taker which will be a welcome sight to many fans after causing much frustration last season. 6/10
Raul Jimenez
A very welcome sight to see Wolves’ number nine back out in competitive action again in front his adoring fans. Jimenez did not get into the game as he would have wished, but still showed glimpses of his old self in his hold up play and aerial presence in the penalty area. Hand any of Traore’s glaring chances fell to the Mexican Wolves would almost certainly have walked away from the King Power with something to show for it. 6/10
Adama Traore
The main talking point of the afternoon was most definitely Adama Traore. Used his pace to great effect all afternoon and terrorised the Leicester defence who quite simply could not cope with him. Quite how he didn’t score one of his three glorious chances only he could answer, and he will no doubt feel responsible for Wolves not taking at least a share of the spoils. There is no hiding it, Traore should be scoring the chances that he created. 5/10
Subs:
Leander Dendoncker
Came on to add more physicality to the midfield as Wolves pushed more men forward in the second half. Did his job well without having any real impact on Wolves going forward in their search for an equaliser. 6/10
Morgan Gibbs-White
His fresh legs injected great energy into Wolves just as they started to tire, and he was at the heart of the late spell of pressure from the away side. Unfortunately, none of the half chances that he created resulted in the equaliser Wolves so desperately wanted. 6/10
Fabio Silva
Played the final five minutes meaning he had little chance to get into the game. Would have perhaps been better to bring him on earlier and try to stretch the Leicester back line more. N/A
Ciaran Barker is part of the Talking Wolves editorial team – you can follow him on Twitter here.
