Who would have predicted Wolves' demise in the early parts of the 2022/23 Premier League season?
Now the previous manager Bruno Lage was unlucky in the fact that new signing Sasa Kaladjzic ruptured his ACL in events which were far from ideal but goalscoring was a problem that carried into this term from last season. Diego Costa has been brought in as a free agent to try and help sort this issue out.
Whilst the former Premier League title-winning striker is getting settled into English football once more on his return, those higher up in the club decided it was time to see if a new manager could get something new out of an exciting group that went stale under Lage's watch.
“It’s very sad because it means that us as players didn’t make a good job because we haven’t been playing in a good way," attacker Daniel Podence told in-house media ahead of this game week 9 clash this weekend. "We are not winning points, we are not winning games, so it’s not all about the boss, it’s about us as well. But of course, when a boss doesn’t have the right results, it’s easy to blame him.
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“Changing the system was also a tough decision because we have been playing for four or five years with a back five and now we are trying to build something new and the boss needed time to build it and he had no time, but that’s what it is. Football has things like that.
“It makes us feel bad as well because we are the 20 players going out on the pitch every game, but at the same point, I think we needed something new or a different way to do things because the players we not doing so good in the training sessions or in the matches.
“Something had to change and the club realised the boss had to go. We have to accept it and we have to deal with it, but as players, we have to demand much more from each other. We have to take responsibility.”
Having only scored three goals in eight matches to date with the latest West Ham defeat an indication of the trouble the West Midlands side is in currently is simply unacceptable and change was arguably inevitable, It was more a question of when and not if.
On the lack of goals, Podence opened up: “It’s really unbelievable. We are so ashamed of us because we are there and we are not delivering. I have been speaking about how we have had no strikers, but it’s true and it’s difficult for us as players and as a team to play without one.
“It’s difficult, but now we have Diego [Costa] and it’s time to start believing we will score and it will not be like that all the season. We have to believe it will change and the first step is to believe that we will have our goals in the future and they will come.”
Julen Lopetegui is the early frontrunner for the new role with some Spanish reports even indicating that a verbal agreement was in place before the Sevilla boss played out his last game in that 4-1 thumping by Borussia Dortmund.
The reality is that unless the unexpected occurs, the experienced coaches of Steve Davis and James Collins will be overseeing this one with it possible that Lopetegui could watch on from the stands in SW6 if talks continue to progress well.
Are Wolves players confident they can cause a major upset against a team that are on the up under Graham Potter following confidence-boosting wins against Crystal Palace and most recently AC Milan?
Wolves' number 26 pointed to past results at Stamford Bridge including the most recent 2-2 draw last campaign, a game where now Everton defender Conor Coady netted in injury time, as reasoning for his prediction made.
He concluded: “That’s what I believe. We have been so good against teams like Chelsea, especially against Chelsea, so I think it’s one of the best matches we can play now.
“First, because Chelsea is one of the biggest teams – and we are all aware of that – so it will make us be more alert and pay attention to every detail, and the second is the fact that against Chelsea we have beaten them, we’ve drawn against them, so we have been in a good position against them, even at Stamford Bridge, so I think it’s the right match to play now.”
Chelsea fans - Are you worried that an upset could be on the cards this weekend even without the new manager bounce for the visitors? Leave your predictions in the comments section below!
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