It seems to be becoming a regular occurrence for Wolves fans, worrying about who will be missing from the team sheet when it arrives an hour before kick off. This was the case yet again with Willy Boly to add to the injury list (along with Daniel Podence), but it was even more of a surprise to see Jonny Otto in the starting line up. Almost six months to the day that he suffered a terrible knee injury in the Europa League last sixteen tie with Olympiacos, he returned to play at Molineux.
It seems unlikely that it is a coincidence that with him in the team Wolves produced one of their most cohesive performances of the season, at home to 3rd in the league table. Wolves were able to work their way into the game that we have become accustomed to under Nuno, counter attacking with great speed and controlling periods of the game.
Like he’d never been away
Defensively, Jonny put in exactly the type of performance we are so used to from him, and how Wolves have missed him. His timing and reading of the game was immediately evident as he protected his side of the pitch well.
In possession, he looked quite rusty, particularly Leicester looked to regain the ball so quickly after losing it. There were some loose or heavy touches at times but as the half went on we saw more of the tidy play that we can rely on from him. This level of opponent will have prepared him well with games to come against Southampton and Leeds in the next two weeks.
As I’ve mentioned, Wolves suddenly looked far more confident and comfortable in their defensive shape with Jonny back on the pitch. I’ve bemoaned how passive Wolves have been, particularly in midfield, for a while now but against Leicester Rúben Neves and João Moutinho were much more prepared to pressurise opponents and win the ball back more aggressively.
Moutinho (23) and Neves (17) made the most pressures in the Wolves team, with only the Leicester full backs Ricardo Pereira and James Justin completing more in the entire game. Jonny attempted ten pressures in his 45 minutes on the pitch, so it’s safe to assume he would have been up there had he played the full game. Neves also made the most interceptions (4) of anyone on the pitch, further demonstrating his defensive capabilities.
Struggling with the Leicester counter-press
If there was an area we struggled in at times it was playing past Leicester’s counter-press. Whenever they lost the ball in our half I was so impressed by the way that Leicester reacted. Their energy in that moment was exceptional and they were often able to win it back very quickly or force a clearance.
To be fair to Wolves, unlike recent performances against the top teams, they did try to play their way past it rather than aimlessly clear the ball. When they did beat the initial press, they were able to either play forwards to break or settle into longer spells of possession.
Key chances
While it was a good point earned, it was a little frustrating not to take the three points when you consider Wolves had the best two chances of the game in the second half.
Pedro Neto and Fabio Silva will both be very disappointed not to have scored, and on another day they may well have done so. Silva’s chance will receive more attention for the way the chance presented itself to him, but it is a wonderful bit of goalkeeping to deny him too.
It is key now that Wolves create these type of chances far more consistently. Too often, a game where Wolves have created good opportunities has been followed by one where they struggle for any meaningful openings whatsoever. The more Wolves produce these chances for the forwards, the more we can expect from them.
More injuries
Wolves look set to be without Willy Boly and Daniel Podence for at least a month now. They join Fernando Marçal, Rayan Aït-Nouri and Raúl Jiménez on the injury list. Fortunately, Romain Saïss was back on the bench which means Wolves at least have a returning defender. Without Boly however, it feels less likely Nuno will have confidence to play a back four. Leander Dendoncker dropped into the back three and performed admirably, just as he did last season in similar circumstances. His passing from deeper positions is far better than when he is asked to perform as a number eight, where he lacks creativity.
The injury to Daniel Podence leaves Wolves with just two wide options, which is far from ideal. It puts a lot of pressure on Adama Traore and Pedro Neto to stay fit and fresh to be able to perform. It may present an opportunity for the likes of Vitinha and Morgan Gibbs-White at some stage, however. Neither of those are natural wide options so Nuno may have to change the shape should he need to rest Traore or Neto. That, or Theo Corbeanu may be closer to some first team minutes having performed very well for the U23s this season.
Three games in eight days with Southampton (x2) and Leeds present a difficult challenge, but the performance against Leicester will leave fans with far more hope than beforehand.