aStart with what could have been… and it wasn’t. In 2016, Julen Lopetegui was on the verge of signing with Wolverhampton, but he returned to Spain to manage the team. Now it’s official.The former Seville coach will participate with the “Wolves” team against Arsenal, led by Mikel Arteta. He has a job ahead of him. His new team penultimateThree of salvation After adding 10 points in 14 days. We analyze the suspended accounts of the Spanish coach:
Official: Julen Lopetegui is the new coach of Wolverhampton
Find the target
Wolverhampton is not described as a defensive team, but it is, to a large extent, The player who has scored the fewest goals (8, two of them from penalties) in a PM to date. He averages 0.57 goals per game…having scored no marks in 7 of the 14 matches he played. The Wolves recorded the worst conversion rate (5%, excluding penalties) in the entire Premier League. It is followed by West Ham with 8.85%. At the opposite pole is the city (23.23%).
It’s a problem of quantity – it’s the fourth team that generates the least obvious chances (15) – but above all, quality. Wolverhampton is the fifth team to shoot at least from inside the area (97), and on the other hand, is the third to shoot more from outside (69).
By possession it will not be: Team 10 is the most accumulated: 50.37%. It is true that the amount of passes lost when approaching the opponent’s area. Nor is it a problem of creating imbalances: the “wolves” are the fourth team to complete the most dribbling (108) And the eighth, which places the largest number of centers in the region (259). It lacks clarity and power.
No offensive signal
To the problem of quantitative and qualitative opportunities, we must add that the new team Lopetegui lacks the “killer” at the front. Remember that Rben Neves (pivot) is the top scorer with 4 goals, 2 penalties. Only three other players could see the goal: Daniel Bodens (2), Junalo Geddes (1) and Adama Trauer (1).
Wolverhampton sign Diego Costa
It must be said that the wolves were not so lucky. Sasa Kalajdzic, Strengthen his star for the forehead, He was seriously injured still continued. Raal Jimenez also suffers from muscle problemss and has barely been able to play 211 minutes in the league this season. for this part, Diego Costa , Which arrived as an emergency replacementfar from his best shape with 34 “springs”. just completed
“Rely on Robin Neves”
All roads in Molino lead to Robin Nevis. It’s the “beacon” of Lobos. This causes that, if the former Porto goalkeeper was or did not have a high guard today, Wolverhampton is “blind”.
The adoption and importance of Neves is shown in the game … and with the data: He is the third player in the Prime Minister to achieve the most passes in the last third (82) and the fifth to make the most passes (64). He also shines in defense: he is the sixth footballer in the English Premier League to have successfully made the most “intercepts” (38).
problems behind
Lopetegui should reclaim the defensive reliability that Wolverhampton was so proud of in the “Nuno Esprito Santo era” and for so long with Bruno Lage. This security is largely built on the names that They have already left Molino: Rui Patricio (Rome), Willie Polley (Nottingham Forest), Matt Doherty (Tottenham), Conor Coady (Everton), Roman Sass (Besiktas) …
Without them, the “wolves” would become weak. Only six teams have conceded more goals (22) so far in the Premier League. They come easy: the seventh team with the most shots (183). Just Max Kellman, who changed futsal football, The cut is made in depth. The second captain is the eighth player to complete the most matches (58) in the Premier League and the eighth to win the most aerial duels (33).
At first glance, it does not appear to be a density problem. Wolverhampton is the fourth most duels (1,363) and the seventh with the most wins (655). It is also the fifth with the most number of recoveries (837) and the fifth with the most interventions (250). Therefore, a cursory glimpse can be given to the problem of group organization and the occasional individual failure.
Bring back the best Adama Traor
The Spanish international has, season after season, become a “classic”: He alone, comfortably, leads the list of attempted and completed dodges within the five major leagues thanks to his driving power. Sometimes out of control. There has been speculation about a possible €50-60m transfer, but he ended up last year, with no purchase option, to Barcelona.
He returned to Molineux and, all of a sudden, started the campaign with little importance. In the first six days of the premiership I barely played 53 minutes. But in the last matches, he earned a place in eleven. He even scored, but could not avoid the defeat to Palace. It will be up to Lopetegui to get his best version back.
Get the most out of your conversions
Wolverhampton has not skimped on signings in recent years. This summer, without going further, 136 million euros were spent. Good players arrived… but They just don’t perform as expected. Former Valencia Junalo Geddes, for example, He has only scored one goal and one assist in 13 matches.
Geddes is already a Wolverhampton player
Same thing happens with Matheus Nunes (11 games, 1 assist). The international ‘multi-skilled player’ with Portugal is a far cry from the level he displayed at Sporting Lisbon. The same can be said aboutNelson Semedosigned for 32 million in 2021. The former Barra player didn’t make a difference as expected. Add two goals and four assists in 76 games.
