Wolves season preview: Nuno's side ready for their biggest test

A year ago they were going into the unknown with a new boss, new players, new formation and new philosophy.

Twelve months of fantasy football and thrilling success later, there is a giddy excitement amongst a throbbing and bullish fanbase about what may lay ahead in the coming nine months.

Wolves may not have kicked a ball in the top flight for six years but there is already a feeling that they belong at this level – and for once that’s not just because of their rich history, big stadium or large, passionate supporter base.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s team played ‘Premier League’ football last season. It was attractive to watch, enacted with devastating accuracy and top level ability.

Defensively they were organised and robust, mentally they were strong-willed.

In Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota and Willy Boly they lured players to Molineux not just with the idea of winning promotion, but also of making them a force in the top flight too.

Now is when we’ll see if the proof is in the pudding.

Every team to have earned 100 points or more in English football’s second tier has gone on to survive comfortably (the six teams to have done so finished between eighth and 14th the following year).

Wolves may have fallen one short of the three-figure mark owing to a last-day defeat at Sunderland when they had five toes on the beach but thanks to the manner in which they coasted to the Championship title you wouldn’t imagine survival to be an issue.

That’s certainly how the Molineux hierarchy are approaching the campaign.

“We’re looking at doing more than surviving,” managing director Laurie Dalrymple said this summer.

“I think the strategy we’ve had, definitely more pertinently in the past 12 months, has been about building a squad and a structure we think is going to be viable to take further, beyond promotion.

“We’ve got a really strong nucleus of people that can do that.

“We want to be excited about the fact we’re going to Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool etc but not overawed by that.

“We want to go with the mindset of we’re going to play a match we think we have a right to win, just as much as they do.

“That will come from self confidence but also a strategy in terms of developing the squad and the club that can stand up and compete.”

They’ve certainly developed the squad.

Portuguese internationals Rui Patricio and Joao Moutinho not only bring established quality, but also top level experience.

Any settling in period will surely be made easier by the fact Wolverhampton will feel as Portuguese as Lisbon, what with seven players and six club staff of that nationality.

Raul Jimenez is more of an unknown quantity given his prolonged use as a substitute for Benfica in the past three years but is another player that Nuno knows well and has international pedigree with Mexico, while wing back Jonny Castro arrives with a burgeoning reputation and the trust of Spanish giants Atletico Madrid who have handed him a long-term deal before loaning him to Molineux.

At the time of writing there are a couple of holes in the squad to fill but the first choice XI Nuno can field looks as good on paper as the majority of teams outside the established top six can offer, particularly that central midfield duo of Neves and Moutinho, apprentice and master.

There’s no obvious 15-20 goal forward in Nuno’s squad but the need for one is a myth – Everton, Newcastle and Crystal Palace finished eighth, 10th and 11th last season despite not having a player score more than 10.

Concerns? There are a couple. While the aforementioned midfield pair can pass the ball as well as most in the league, there is a lack of bite and pace in there.

Wolves worked hard on injury prevention last season but surely won’t be as lucky again this time around.

Expectations are lofty and successive defeats have been an alien notion under Nuno. Wolves will need to deal with both.

But there are far more reasons to be optimistic.

Wolves will approach every game to win, be it Huddersfield at home or Manchester City away, and look to force their possession and brisk counter-attacking ideas on the opposition, rather than take a defensive-minded ‘how do we stop them’ approach.

The likes of Boly, Coady, Neves, Doherty, Jota, Costa and Cavaleiro are all expected to make the step up to the top flight.

Nuno’s team have solid foundations on which to build, they’re ready to do more than compete.

If they avoid the potential pitfalls ahead of them, they can thrive.

The Boss: Nuno Espirito Santo

If this season represents Wolves’ big chance in the spotlight, then the same can be said of Nuno Espirito Santo, too.

While roles at Valencia and Porto saw Nuno manage in the Champions League, the 44-year-old knows that if Wolves can make a big impact in the top flight, his reputation will soar.

After guiding Wolves to runaway title glory in his first season in English football, another successful campaign will open hitherto unlocked doors for Nuno, should he want to open them.

In the words of his new (and also old) assistant Ian Cathro, who has known Nuno for nine years, the Portuguese head coach will “without doubt” become one of the top bosses in football.

“The top guys reach a point where they see things really clearly and there are very few things that could happen that would knock them off track,” Cathro said recently.

“That’s something that comes from inside, from your own strength and what you commit to and are convinced of.

“Nuno has the strength of vision to go through with his own convictions.”

That strength was a key factor in Wolves’ promotion campaign. Nuno set out his stall from day one, drilling his favoured 3-4-3 system into the players who acted it out with military precision.

Training was repetitive and relentless in pre-season and players were brought in to fit the formation, rather than the other way around.

Nuno had a vision – and that vision became a reality. This time around pre-season has been about refining and honing what’s already in place – and adding serious quality to an already strong base.

The system and tactics look set to stay the same (why change a winning formula?) but Nuno may need to be more flexible in the Premier League where tactical sophistication is far more prevalent than in the Championship.

Whenever Wolves changed system last season, through necessity or otherwise, the team looked weaker for it. A functioning ‘Plan B’ will be needed.

For now though Nuno can do no wrong and with the ink still wet on his new three-year contract the marriage between him and the Wolves fans remains as harmonious as any manager/head coach relationship the club has experienced for decades.

And he knows full well the challenge ahead.

“In year two we know the challenge is even more difficult, but we have something that we hold on to – we have our own identity,” Nuno said recently.

“The players know how we play, they know and understand our game.

“We have to hold on to it, further develop the performance of some players, getting them to a higher level, and at the same time we will increase the quality.

“When you speak about increasing the quality, of course the squad is going to change.

“The way we did it last year was absolutely amazing – I cannot thank the supporters enough. But at the same time I humbly ask, let’s do it again. Together we are stronger.”

The Key Men

Rui Patricio

Patricio is a crucial signing in two respects.

Number one... Patricio is classed as one of Europe’s top keepers and brings with him a wealth of experience.

Number two... His capture felt like a pivotal moment to attract other top names.

It’s surely no coincidence his international team-mate of many years Joao Moutinho has duly followed.

The saga of signing him from Sporting Lisbon (or rather, as a ‘free’ agent) looks set to run and run and could head for the courts but Patricio will want to do his talking on the pitch.

If he can stay focused then Wolves have one of the league’s best keepers on their hands.

Ruben Neves

Wolves’ talisman last year, who captivated fans with his sublime passing and long range goals, will be looking to showcase his talents on the big stage.

The 21-year-old is still developing as a player and will only keep on improving – especially under the guidance of boss Nuno. He is of Champions League pedigree.

His attributes – his vision, ball accuracy and tactical awareness – will be well suited to the Premier League.

And, of course, now he will have the support of experienced Portuguese midfielder Joao Moutinho alongside him.

Conor Coady

Conor Coady has come on leaps and bounds under Nuno.

He has transitioned from a midfield role to being a formidable defender.

The 25-year-old was a stand-in captain behind Danny Batth last season and was a commanding presence on the pitch.

He was a key part of Wolves’ defence that kept the joint-highest number of clean sheets.

Nuno will be relying on his leadership on the field this season. He, like all his teammates, are preparing to step up a level.

Another player with huge potential ahead, if he keeps on developing at this rate, England could soon be calling for him now he is playing in the Premier League.

Raul Jimenez

Jimenez has plenty of experience behind him having plied his trade in Spain and Portugal’s top flights and represented his country Mexico at the World Cup.

But can the 27-year-old deliver the goals for Wolves?

There’s no questioning his talents and Nuno knows how to get the best out of his players.

Jimenez has pace, good dribbling skills and is a good finisher.

He can be used as a secondary striker but preferably as an all-out centre forward.

He will need to fire the goals to help Wolves in their first season back in the Premier League.