The spirit of Saturday’s resounding win at Fulham is best captured by a moment in added time at 3-1.
Gary O’Neil has just made a group substitution to refresh for the final minutes. Eight Wolves players are within a few strides of Fulham’s Harry Wilson as he probes their penalty area with a short pass. Mario Lemina intercepts, but rather than thinking of keeping possession to use up time, he sprints forward, in a direct line towards Fulham’s goal. Others join the charge and 80 yards, two passes and 12 seconds later, Wolves have scored again.
This felt like a thrilling escape from tactical norms, but you could conclude that there was an impeccable logic to this, and many of Wolves’ other choices at Craven Cottage.
Even before Saturday, Wolves were – with 16 goals in 11 games – scoring at a faster rate than in any of the six full seasons since they were promoted in 2018. They were obviously struggling to defend, even before the injuries that left them with only one fit centre-back. But, at root, the object of the game is not to stop the opposition scoring, but to score more than they do, so when they got a chance they took a punt.
The plan was no doubt far more nuanced than that, but could never have worked in a team that was not convinced it could. There have been reasonable criticisms this season but, throughout, O’Neil and his players have publicly insisted their belief in themselves and each other to improve is unshaken. Saturday’s performance, and approach, supported those claims.
It helps, obviously, to have a forward in such inspirational form as Matheus Cunha, but he could not have operated alone. He combined effectively with Rodrigo Gomes, Jorgen Strand Larsen and, in particular, Joao Gomes. Lemina, out of position, had arguably his most influential game of the season, both defending and creating.
There is much still to do. Wolves’ position remains perilous and their playing resources limited. They still have many more points to gain to fortify themselves against another run of tough fixtures in midwinter.
There were unusual circumstances for the Fulham game, with so many defenders missing, but they found a method that might serve them well. Necessity breeds invention, but this leading-with-the-chin style, backing their strengths, shows promise.
Craig Dawson and Santiago Bueno might, said O’Neil, be ready to play next weekend – “But,” he grinned, “it’s a tough team to get in now!”
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