Wolves (A) Tuesday 1st April 7.45pm
So, Wolves up next. They're still without the suspended Cunha, but I'm sure ASLEF is just chomping at the bit ready to fill us all in on team news for both us and Wolves, so, take it away ASLEF.
Comments
Thankfully I'd typed up most of this last week
As Buffy says Cunha misses this one, third of what is now a four match ban. There was much speculation he'd be off in January but instead he signed a new 4 year contract with a £80m release clause even though he had 3 years left on previous contract
In his absence Vitor Pereira has fielded the same starting XI twice in a row with good results, a 1-1 draw with Everton and a 2-1 win over Saints
Sa
Doherty Agbadou T.Gomes
Semeda J.Gomes Andre Ait=Nouri
Munetsi Bellegarde
Larsen
LW/RW/AM/CF Gonçalo Guedes, AM/RW Pablo Sarabia, DM/CM Tommy Doyle and CB Santiago Bueno make regular appearances off the bench
Pereira - the name that was on absolutely no one's lips when talking about the next Wolves manager - has stuck with a 3-4-2-1 formation regardless of the quality of opposition so fairly predictable he will do so against us.
He’s Wolves fifth manager in eight seasons and the third manager out of those five from Portugal. Why? What is it about Wolves and Portugal?
Three players joined in the January window, 27yo Ivorian CB Emmanuel Agbadou, 28yo Zimbabwean CM/AM Marshall Munetsi, both from Stade Reims, both for around £16m and 22yo Burkina Faso CB Nasser Djiga, £10m from Red Star Belgrade.
Agbadou went straight into the starting line up, Munetsi has taken Cunha’s place for the last two games while Djiga is mostly a bench warmer.
The front three are doing well without Cunha, Munetsi scored in the 1-1 draw at Everton, Jorgen Strand Larrsen scored both goals in the 2-1 win at Saints while Jean-Ricner Bellegarde provided all three assists
The only issue is Larsen's hand. He suffered a fracture during the Everton game, played through the pain against Saints but withdrew from the Norway squad although they were only playing Moldova and Israel and won both games easily
If he isn't available then the options are Hee-chan Hwang who has only played 18 minutes since recovering from a hamstring or 20yo Nathan Fraser who was recalled from a reportedly unsuccessful season long loan with Zulte Waregem of the Belgian 2nd tier.
Sasa Kalajdzic is still out with a ACL he suffered last season
Another player we won't be seeing is Manuel Lemina
Signed from Nice for £10m things looked good in August, he'd been voted player of the season by the fans and made captain when Kilman left but was stripped of the armband for starting the handbags after the final whistle at the London Stadium.
He missed the first three games under Pereira with a knee injury and played 30 mins against Forest. Before the FA Cup match against Bournemouth Pereira announced that Lemina was "ill" but ominously added that he needed to decide if he wanted to stay. Then Lemina refused to travel to Newcastle, demanded a transfer, apologised but was left out of the squad and eventually left for Galatasaray for a pitiful £2m
And another player we won't be seeing is Craig Dawson
His contract expires at the end of the season and with the arrival of two new centre backs Pereira told him he has no future at Wolves. They tried to do a straight swap with Leicester for Conor Coady but when that didn’t come off they offered to terminate his contract early and since then its reported that he’s not allowed to train with the first team.
Admittedly Dawson wasn’t the greatest defender in the world and he didn’t help his cause by scoring two own goals against Everton at the start of December but it seems a pretty shabby way to treat a player who has always given 100%.
And for that reason alone I hope we utterly humiliate Wolves
On paper, I think this is a really good side, we just haven't ever seen it.
Areola
AWB Todibo Kilman Scarles
Soucek JWP
Bowen Kudus Paqueta
Fullkrug
Potter has been pretty consistent playing three at the back, I don’t think he’s started with a back four on a regular basis since he was at Swansea
Wan-Bissaka - Todibo - Kilman - Scarles
Ward-Prowse - Souček - Paquetá
Bowen - Kudus
Ferguson
Fabiański, Mavropanos, Coufal, Cresswell, Emerson, Álvarez, Guilherme, Füllkrug, Ings
He did a few interviews during the international break and used rather "fruity" language (in German obvs) to describe his frustration with his injuries this season so I would imagine he'll be keen to get back on the pitch asap
Apparently he told Lopetegui he didn't come here to be anyone's back up
Good attitude
We try all these kids, decide they are hopeless, end just above the relegation zone as a result, and are going into the transfer window in a weak position, recruitment- wise.
This summer we are not going to be as attractive a proposition to better players as the way it’s looking almost the top half of the table will be in Europe.
Pereira says no new injuries
Its all a bit of a mess, isn't it
Subs: Fabiański (GK), Coufal, Emerson, Todibo, Rodríguez, Álvarez, Soler, Souček, Füllkrug
Didn't see Guilherme getting a start. Shame Todibo is back on the bench. Kudus is out injured apparently.
For goodness sake