Why the Wolves Shouldn’t Have Finished 7th
This is a compilation of insights from fans and journalists from Twitter, as well as my personal thoughts, on why the Wolverhampton Wanderers should not have finished 7th in the recently concluded Premier League season.
First off, the Wolves can no longer use the excuse of being a ‘Championship side’. While it is true that they were promoted only 2 years ago, they have clearly established themselves as a mainstay and a key contender for the top 6.
The quality of the side has been amazing this year, with breakout performances from Raul Jimenez, Adama Traore and Diogo Jota in the attack as well as Joao Moutinho and Dendoncker in the midfield.
However, in the back half of the season, there has been a consistent struggle to maintain their top class form and instill the same fear in their opponents as they used to before.
Their performance took a considerable dip after the pandemic and restart, just not looking and playing like themselves. A string of poor performances saw them lose their grasp on the Top 6, before a small run of victories to propel them back, their fate ultimately lying in the last matchday of the season.
A trend we noticed this season was the lack of squad depth, as well as a low squad number which seriously affected performances. The substitutes this season proved extremely ineffective, with only 3 goal contributions which did not add any points. Last season, however, they had 5 goal contributions from substitutes which added points to their season total.
The Wolves also made a lot of ineffective signings, who did not have many goal contributions throughout the season. This includes Podence and Neto, who have a combined 4 goals in more than 30 games. Although they have contributed to the attack and play of the team, there is almost no concrete addition of points from their side.
Despite all of these setbacks, the Wolves found themselves in a position to make it to the top 6 in the last game of the season, against formidable opponents, Chelsea, who themselves were looking to seal their place in the top 4.
Riding along the coattails were the Spurs, who were a point behind the Wolves but had a higher goal difference. It was a must-win game for the Wolves.
What followed was a dismal performance, where they barely got going and were utterly dominated by an inspired Chelsea side. Two goals were fired in quick succession at the end of the first half, which proved to be enough to deny the Wolves guaranteed European play, and cement Chelsea as a Champions League contender next season.
It was a game where Wolves should’ve stepped up, but didn’t, and despite making it through all the setbacks of the season, should’ve capitalised and found themselves in the Europa League next season.
