Wolverhampton Wanderers fans would have been largely encouraged by their side’s first 45 minutes post-Vitor Pereira, as the Old Gold were holding Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea to a tense 0-0 stalemate.
However, after Malo Gusto opened the scoring for the Blues early into the second half, it ended up being one-way traffic as the West Londoners picked up their sixth Premier League win of the season, which, in turn, consigned the lowly visitors to their depressing ninth defeat of the campaign.
Journalist Nathan Judah stated at the final whistle that the West Midlands outfit are “destined” to be in the Championship next season, and it’s hard to dispute this claim, with Wolves still stuck at the bottom of the unforgiving division on just two points.
It will be up to Rob Edwards to somehow steer the sinking ship back on course, with their replacement for Pereira ditching the luxuries of being in a promotion race in the EFL with Middlesbrough, for an intense relegation dog-fight in the top-flight.
Interim manager James Collins did state that he thinks Wolves can stay up, despite their pitiful start, after the dust had settled on the 3-0 defeat, as Edwards assesses what players he will stick by and what players he will ditch after the Saturday night loss.
Edwards' immediate selection dilemmas at Wolves
Watching the Chelsea defeat in great detail, the former Luton Town manager will surely stick with Sam Johnstone in between the sticks.
Without Johnstone in goal, Wolves would have been on the receiving end of a far worse battering, with five saves in total picked up by the ex-West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper. He had become Pereira’s first choice over Jose Sa, and that looks unlikely to change.
Hwang Hee-Chan might find his starting spot is on shaky ground, though. He didn’t register a single shot on Robert Sanchez’s goal, with Edwards hoping that his strike partner on the day, Jorgen Strand Larsen, finds his goalscoring mojo again when he enters the Molineux dug-out, as another goalless display passed him by.
While the forward line desperately needs to improve, something needs to drastically change with the backline in front of Johnstone, with Wolves now conceding a horrific 25 goals after the Chelsea defeat, making them the leakiest team in the entire division.
In particular, this ropey Old Gold defender could already be on borrowed time heading into the brand-new Edwards’ era, even with previous shouts from Gary O’Neil, stating he is an “incredible” talent to work with.
Wolves defender is on borrowed time under Edwards
O’Neil was chosen as the first immediate name to replace Pereira, only for advanced talks to go awry last minute.
No doubt, if his return to the Molineux hot-seat did come true, he would have stuck by Toti Gomes, based on his prior adoration, with the Portuguese centre-back also shining under Pereira’s reign in flashes.
During the early days of Pereira’s stint, as Wolves-based content creator Ryan Leister put it, the Old Gold were a far “better side” with him placed in the starting XI.
Indeed, this is backed up by some mightily impressive numbers, with Gomes winning a commanding 18 duels at the end of December last year against Leicester City and Manchester United to secure Pereira his first two league victories in the West Midlands.
In the here and now, however, Gomes looks a shadow of his former self, as the £25k-per-week defender let Gusto have all the time in the world to head the Blues into a one-goal lead, among other shoddy moments from his lacklustre day at the office, which also saw him win no tackles or aerial duels.
Games played
30
8
Goals scored
0
0
Assists
1
0
Touches*
68.1
53.6
Accurate passes*
46.5 (87%)
37.6 (87%)
Tackles*
2.0
1.0
Ball recoveries*
3.7
3.3
Clearances*
4.7
2.6
Total duels won*
4.8
3.0
Clean sheets
8
0
With Edwards priding himself on making his former Luton side more “difficult” to break down – as Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta put it – he is likely to want to axe Gomes based on his porous performances so far this season, regardless of his impressive showings under previous regimes, and when Pereira was at his peak in the Molineux dug-out.
Of course, that isn’t to say Gomes will be completely written off, as Edwards attempts to get a tune out of those who are visibly faltering and can do better.
But, it might be beneficial for the underperforming number 24 to be removed from the starting XIs initially when Edwards enters the building, as the 42-year-old attempts to inject some much-needed fight into his downtrodden troops.
Manager's future takes twist after advanced Wolves talks and "dramatic U-turn"
He held discussions with the Molineux side.
ByEmilio Galantini