Wolves FancastWolves FancastWolves FancastWolves Fancast
  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
  • PODCASTS
  • BLOGS
  • Video Content
  • CONTACT US
  • SHOP

Match Preview | Wolves vs West Brom

    Home Match Previews Match Preview | Wolves vs West Brom
    NextPrevious
    Wolves FA CUP

    Match Preview | Wolves vs West Brom

    By Josh Howells | Match Previews, Premier League | 0 comment | 15 January, 2021 | 0

    Well, here we go again. It’s been a while, but it has been sorely missed. There’s only one game that can make a Wolves fan feel physically sick for the majority of the week leading up to it; the Black Country Derby.

    Saturday lunch time sees a game against West Bromwich Albion for the first time in nine years (don’t even go there). It was the first fixture to look out for when the fixtures were announced and at the start of the season, you would be forgiven for thinking this was a season where Wolves could dominate their rivals. But with both teams in identically turbulent form, with 3 losses and two draws in their last five games, the stakes could not be higher. 

    What a frustrating night Tuesday was, with Wolves falling to a 77th minute header to give Everton victory. The performance wasn’t as bad as Wolves Twitter might have you believe, but it was a performance that typifies the current state of affairs at Molineux.

    The night started with an injury riddled side being pummelled again with the blow that Adama Traore was not in the squad. Seemingly cramp had quickly transformed into a hamstring problem.

    A further surprise saw Morgan Gibbs-White return to the starting line-up and throughout the game he adopted a false nine role. Gibbs-White looked decent in his time on the field, but without match fitness and being unfamiliar with the role given to him, it was never going to be easy.

    We know all too well about the lack of fire power that Wolves currently possess. Without Jimenez this was always going to be an issue. Fabio Silva has struggled to adapt to being the focal point of the Wolves attack, and he looked timid again on Tuesday.

    Everton knew the major attacking weapon that Wolves possessed was Pedro Neto, who was circled by a myriad of defenders throughout the evening. It was all too easy for Everton to stifle Wolves, and would have been a promising sight for Big Sam. He would have also been thrilled to see a Wolves back line struggle to defend set pieces and crosses into the box.

    On a positive note, defensive vulnerabilities aside, Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri both looked promising going forward, and if they can maintain an attacking threat, they could help Wolves’ fortunes going forward. Ruben Neves was a bright spark on Tuesday, capping a dominant midfield display with a goal. Dendoncker again brought a solidity to the middle of the park and the only thing missing to his game is his finishing touch in front of goal. Wolves should in theory win the midfield battle on Saturday, however this is not where the game will be won or lost.

    West Bromwich Albion make the short trip to Molineux looking to get their first win under Sam Allardyce. Their last and only league win came in November against bottom team Sheffield United. Since then, they have lost five games and drawn two, conceding twenty-one goals along the way. This looks quite bleak for our rivals, but they do have the ability to grind out a result, as emphasised in away ties with Manchester City and Liverpool. As well as their vulnerable defence, they too have issues in front of goal, scoring only six goals in their last fourteen matches. They will most likely come with a plan to frustrate Wolves, soak up pressure and nick a goal from a dead ball scenario when possible. 

    New signing Robert Snodgrass will have been brought in to execute this exact plan, and he could make his debut on Saturday. 

    A bonus for Wolves will be that Connor Gallagher, who has been promising throughout his loan spell, misses out due to suspension. Matheus Pereira always poses a threat for the visitors; as does the towering Semi Ajayi, who has taken on the mantle of being the main goal scoring threat for West Brom and will no doubt be a target for the deliveries of Snodgrass.

    It is probably easier to predict the next time you will be able to go to the pub than it is to pick a Wolves starting eleven at the moment. Of course, injuries will mean there will be no Jimenez, Jonny, Marcal, Podence and Boly. Wolves fans will be praying to the Hamstring Gods that Adama Traore will be fit come Saturday. If he is fit, he could be the difference in causing huge issues for the Baggies backline, as well as freeing up Pedro Neto to work some magic of his own. As much as some of the fanbase may want to see the passionate pasta merchant given a chance, Nuno seems to be sticking with his man Silva for the time being, and I wouldn’t expect Saturday to be any different. 

    Nuno finds himself in a Catch 22 situation; address the defensive frailties by reverting to the tried and tested three at the back or; take a leaf out of the ‘how to defeat West Bromwich Albion’ play-book of Leeds and Aston Villa, go all-out attack with four at the back and four attacking options. The fitness of Traore will determine this which could work to the advantage of Wolves in terms of being unpredictable going into the game.

    You don’t need me to tell you how important this fixture is. Wolves have won just one of the past eight meetings with West Bromwich Albion in all competitions and this feels like a pivotal moment in the season. It’s not even worth thinking about what a loss could do. With a win, not only will Wolves players write themselves into club history, they could give themselves the impetus to turn this wretched season around and give a downbeat fanbase something to smile about once more. 

    Please Wolves. Please.

    Predicted 11- who knows?

    Desired 11- Patricio, Coady, Saiss, Ait-Nouri, Semedo, Neves, Dendoncker, Moutinho, Neto, Traore, Silva. 

    Adama Traore, black country derby, Raul Jimenez, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, Wolves, Wolves FC, Wolves preview

    Josh Howells

    More posts by Josh Howells

    Related Post

    • Wolves V West Brom

      Wolves vs The Dementor

      By Gully Kular | 0 comment

      We’ve all got one. Perhaps more. For me it’s Diomansy Kamara careering down the left channel before scoring and doing that utterly ridiculous and inexplicably infuriating celebration. Also, Gary Breen’s pure anguish after miscuing aRead more

    • Wolves FC

      Why Wolves should take the FA Cup seriously

      By Edward Marshall | 0 comment

      Following the 3rd round victory against Crystal Palace, Ed Marshall looks at why Wolves should go all out to win the FA Cup. The FA Cup conjures up images of nostalgia, especially as a WolvesRead more

    • It’s time for Wolves to start fulfilling their potential

      By David Evans | 0 comment

      Image via sport.netIt’s nice when Wolves get gushed over in the media, says Wolves Fancast host David Evans. Following Wolves’ 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Molineux, you would be forgiven to think that it wasRead more

    • Wolves Earn Their Spurs

      By Gully Kular | 0 comment

      Image via guardian.comIt’s a funny old game and Gully Kular from Musings from Molineux has plenty of positives to speak about in the aftermath of Sunday’s defeat.  Football can often throw up a bitter pillRead more

    • Wolves Pop Their Cherries

      By Gully Kular | 0 comment

      Images: Twitter – @OfficialFPLWolves returned to Premier League action against Bournemouth on Saturday, but continued their strong form with another three points. It wasn’t without it’s challenges though and Gully Kular sifts through the 90Read more

    Leave a Comment

    Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    NextPrevious

    Recent Posts

    • The Impossible Job…Except For Those That Pursue It
    • In Defence of Bruno
    • Hwang Hee Chan: The new Bull
    • Oh Adama Traore
    • Bruno Ball: Initial Thoughts on how Wolves have played under Bruno Lage

    Recent Comments

      Archives

      • March 2023
      • December 2021
      • September 2021
      • August 2021
      • July 2021
      • June 2021
      • May 2021
      • January 2021
      • December 2020
      • November 2020
      • September 2020
      • August 2020
      • July 2020
      • May 2020
      • April 2020
      • February 2020
      • January 2020
      • December 2019
      • November 2019
      • October 2019
      • September 2019
      • July 2019
      • June 2019
      • May 2019
      • April 2019
      • March 2019
      • February 2019
      • November 2018
      • October 2018
      • September 2018
      • August 2018
      • July 2018
      • June 2018
      • May 2018
      • April 2018
      • March 2018
      • February 2018
      • January 2018
      • December 2017
      • November 2017
      • October 2017
      • September 2017
      • August 2017
      • July 2017
      • June 2017
      • April 2017
      • March 2017
      • January 2017
      • December 2016
      • November 2016
      • October 2016
      • August 2016
      • July 2016
      • June 2016
      • May 2016
      • April 2016
      • March 2016
      • February 2016
      • January 2016
      • December 2015
      • November 2015
      • October 2015
      • September 2015
      • August 2015
      • July 2015
      • June 2015
      • May 2015
      • April 2015
      • March 2015
      • February 2015
      • January 2015
      • December 2014
      • November 2014
      • October 2014

      Categories

      • Alex Richards
      • Andy Gillard
      • April 2015
      • August 2015
      • August 2017
      • Ben Husband
      • Billy Price
      • Blogs
      • Charlie Meyler
      • Compton Stars
      • Craig Talbot
      • Dan Butler
      • Dan Jones
      • Daniel Hall
      • Daniel Sherriff
      • David Evans
      • David Handley
      • December 2014
      • Edward Marshall
      • FA Cup
      • fancast advent
      • Fancast Debate
      • fancast flutter
      • February 2015
      • February 2016
      • February 2018
      • Graham Large
      • Guest bloggers
      • Gulraj Kular
      • Jake Howard
      • Jamie Allen
      • Jan Hogen
      • January 2015
      • January 2016
      • January 2018
      • Joe Hill
      • Joe Williams
      • Josh Lemans
      • Luke Regan
      • March 2015
      • Match Previews
      • Match reports
      • Matt Cooper
      • Matt Guy
      • May 2015
      • Michael Spencer
      • News
      • NIck Perkins
      • November 2014
      • November 2015
      • November 2017
      • October 2017
      • Oliver Floyd
      • Ollie Lewis
      • Paul Berry
      • Premier League
      • Richard Hobbs
      • Ross Watson
      • Ryan Plant
      • Rye Hoops
      • Sam Astley
      • Sam Lamberth
      • Sam Murphy
      • Sam Pickering
      • September 2015
      • September 2017
      • Stu Hall
      • Stu Hawk
      • Tom Bason
      • Tom Tracey
      • Uncategorised
      • Uncategorized
      • Wolves Analytics

      Meta

      • Log in
      • Entries feed
      • Comments feed
      • WordPress.org
      • PRIVACY POLICY
      • COOKIE POLICY
      • CONTACT US
      Copyright 2020 | Website designed & Sponsored by Pixel Yeti Media
      • HOME
        • ABOUT US
      • BLOGS
      • PODCASTS
      • Video Content
      • CONTACT US
      • SHOP
      • PRIVACY POLICY
        • Cookie Policy
      Wolves Fancast

      We use cookies to give you the best experience on our website. Learn more about the cookies we use and how to control them here.

      You can control certain cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

      wolves football fancast
      Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
      Privacy Overview

      This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

      Strictly Necessary Cookies

      Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

      If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

      3rd Party Cookies

      This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

      Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

      Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!

      Cookie Policy

      You can find out more information about our Cookie Policy.