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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Jonathan Wilson

Wolves’ freefall leaves even Derby’s dismal record low a lofty goal

orgen Strand Larsen of Wolverhampton Wanderers reacts following a penalty miss on Saturday.
Jørgen Strand Larsen of Wolverhampton Wanderers (middle) reacts following his penalty miss on Saturday. Composite: Guardian Pictures; Reuters; Getty Images; ProSports/Shutterstock

Saturday’s defeat at home to Brentford means Wolves have taken just two points for 17 games. No side in the entire history of English league football, in any division, has ever made a worse start than that. To reach 11 points, the record low for a Premier League season set by Derby County in 2007-08, would require a significant improvement.

How can this have happened? Wolves finished 16th last season, recovering after a dismal start. When Vitor Pereira took over on 19 December last year, they were second bottom on nine points from 16 games. They picked up 23 points from the final 22 games of the season and effectively ended any prospect of relegation with a run of six successive victories in the spring. How can a team go from averaging near enough a point a game to a 10th of that? The drop-off is extraordinary.

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