Although worthy of a point against Manchester City, a last-minute goal, mired in controversy, was just another instance of Wolves facing poor officiating. Moments before City’s winner, Goncalo Guedes was closing in on goal but shoved with two hands from behind – a clear foul. Yet Chris Kavanagh ignored it, and City launched the attack that led to their win.
It feels like officials are punishing Wolves for their stance on VAR while all fans are asking for is fair and consistent refereeing.
However, this is all a distraction from the real problems at Wolves. In many respects, the performance highlighted how much more robust they become when we switch back to a five-man defence.
Wolves’ defensive weaknesses have been glaring and opponents have taken full advantage. A back four at Molineux has troubled many managers and, despite its potential benefits, it has always failed because Wolves lack the right players for this system.
Instead, they have two fantastic wing-backs in Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri. Many fans felt that returning to the reliable back five would strengthen the unit and it also played more to their strengths.
In the centre, positioned between Toti Gomes and Hugo Bueno, Craig Dawson displayed authority and true leadership. For a second time, he marked Erling Haaland out of the game. The Norway striker did not even get a sniff at goal and for once, the Norwegian name on the scoresheet was not Erling but Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Considering the game was always going to be a defensive slog, it is hard to determine if this is enough to restore faith in O’Neil or if he has addressed our current tactical issues.
We will have to wait and see, but it was a step in the right direction.
Find more from Dazzling Dave at Always Wolves
