After losing 1-0 on the opening day of the season against Leeds, Wolves got their promotion challenge up and running with 3-1 success against Barnsley on Tuesday night. Teams who have been relegated the previous season often find it difficult to hit the ground running due to the fact that they have become accustomed to losing games. Add that to the typical turnaround in players then it can take a couple of months before you see the true ability of a side. Well Wolves have had to deal with both those factors as well as introducing a new manager to the fray, so there’s been an awful lot of upheaval over the summer. Stale Solbakken is the new man in charge and he will have been pleased with his new player’s response to their opening day defeat. The win against Barnsley highlighted the good and he bad of Wolves play as they were very impressive when attacking but there still remains plenty to work on in a defensive aspect as they could have lost more than the one they conceded.
Having previewed Derby’s latest match when they were away to Bolton, my opinion of them is well known. In truth, they performed with credit at the Reebok and it was a case of Bolton having slightly too much quality for them in the end. Nigel Clough can take plenty of heart from the battling qualities his side showed and it will no doubt see them pick up more than enough points throughout the season in order to be safe from relegation but I would have my doubts if they have enough quality in the squad to finish any higher then mid-table again. They now prepare to face another of the relegated sides from last season, again away from home. They may be ruing their luck because of that but they are certainly not without hope for the reasons mentioned previously.
As well as losing Fletcher to Sunderland, Wolves have also lost Matt Jarvis today as the winger moved to West Ham. It means they have recouped well over £20m in transfer fees so it will be interesting to see whether or not Solbakken is allowed to further invest in the team. The manager does have plenty of players who are proven at this level and he will be expected to get the best out of those. One player who found it difficult to make the step up to Premier League level is Sylvain Ebanks Blake. The striker is prolific in the Championship though and got off the mark for the season on Tuesday.
Derby managed to hold Bolton at bay for over 75 minutes and had frustrated Owen Coyle’s side throughout. If they can turn in another dogged and determined display then they could well pick up their first away points of the season but again, the concern is that it’s another away game against a side with more quality than themselves.
Wolves impressed on Tuesday but were poor against Leeds so their inconsistency is a concern. That aside, there was enough in their victory against Barnsley to suggest they will be strong at home and they can get the better of Derby tomorrow.
Wolves 3/4 @ William Hill
