Dave Edwards: Wolves needed a time-out against Leeds!
Everything about the Leeds game – the occasion, Friday night, the atmosphere, it being Leeds, the form they are in, their new manager – it all seemed to culminate into this pressure cooker.
It is what the neutrals and the broadcasters want to see. But I almost wished I was watching an American sport, where a coach could call a time-out.
In the middle of that second half, Wolves just needed the game to stop and for Bruno Lage to have two minutes to tell them to calm down.
Everything was all over the place. Conor Coady would’ve been trying his utmost to do that but it felt like it needed a word from the head coach to get together as a unit, defend deeper and be hard to break down.
But those circumstances all contrived for a night to forget. I do genuinely think it was a one off and that Lage can analyse it. He’ll be disappointed but know it was a freak 40 minutes, so I’m not too worried.
That first period was arguably one of the best halves of football Wolves have played this season – and all after losing Ruben Neves who has been the heartbeat of the side.
They tweaked it to 3-4-3 and brought Trincao on. He’s someone I really feel has flattered to deceive this year but he had his best game in a Wolves shirt.
Wolves scored two good goals, pressed really well, Leeds looked completely devoid of confidence. It was amazing to see Jonny pop up in the box to score after that long road to fitness.
Trincao was the difference, some guile in midfield, the assist and then a well-taken shot. He just looked like somebody had injected him with a bit of confidence.
Wolves fans must have been thinking at half-time ‘brilliant, we’re going to kick on here and make a real fist of that top six again’ – but things changed after the red card.
I think the most disappointing thing for Lage is way his side capitulated in that final half-hour. There’s enough experience in that Wolves side to get you safely through to full-time after going down to 10 men.
With Raul Jimenez at times you almost feel he looks too up for the game. I thought he might be sent off for standing over the ball after his first booking, like with his previous red card.
I thought he was very unfortunate with the second one. He did seem like a man possessed chasing it down but I felt it was two committed players. Right at the last second Raul put the brakes on to stop going right through the keeper.
The letter of the law is probably right, but with common sense in mind it was extremely harsh.
I’ve absolutely marvelled at Wolves’ defending this year. The way the back three and back five with Jose Sa have defended consistently has been brilliant, the best in recent years.
But everything about it was just so out of character. It got nervous, desperate at times, slashing at clearances, not together as a unit like they usually are.
The biggest indicator to it all was Sa. He’s been unbelievable, a revelation of a signing, but he looked anxious, he was running all over his box to win the ball and for a couple of the goals he wasn’t guarding his net to save them.
