Wolves blog: End of (half) season awards
As Wolves are set to play their final game of the calendar year, I thought I’d look back at the season so far.
With 22 league games to go, Wolves look set to rival Reading’s 2005/06 record of 106 points, writes Wolves blogger Tom Tracey.
A draw at Millwall on Boxing Day was enough to extend their lead on the league table to eight points, ahead of the top-of- the-table clash with Bristol City.
Crowds are up at Molineux and the style of football is far superior than anything Wolves have played in recent memory.
That’s why it is so difficult to choose a player of the half-season.
Ruben Neves has proven himself worth his transfer fee – he is exquisite on the ball and can pick out a pass anywhere on the pitch. Diogo Jota is another masterstroke signing who has notched ten goals
and is an incredible talent, able to handle the physical side as well as showcase his technical excellence.
Leo Bonatini has hit a dozen goals and has led the line far beyond anybody’s imagination would have allowed when the unknown player was signed from a Saudi Arabian club.
Ivan Cavaleiro looks a revelation after last season and it feels as though he is much happier on the pitch – he has already managed seven goals.
But my player of the season so far has to be Conor Coady. The fanbase was split in the summer about whether he should be sold, but he has been deployed in the back three to incredible effect.
His passing rivals Neves’ and, aside from an early red card at Sheffield United, he hasn’t put a foot wrong – and has proven himself a worthy captain.
The unsung hero of the season, for me, is a toss-up between the two wingbacks, Barry Douglas and Matt Doherty.
The wingback position is crucial to the way Wolves play under Nuno, and both have demonstrated the fitness and both attacking and defensive capabilities which have aided Wolves’ success.
But Doherty slightly edges it for me because of his consistency over a number of seasons now – he adapts to anything thrown at him, be it playing on the left, in the more advanced wingback role than the right back position he has mainly occupied.
How he hasn’t got a cap for Ireland yet is beyond me.
The goal of the season feels like an impossible task – even at Millwall, Romain Saiss thumped one in from well outside the box.
Gone are the days when Wolves’ were forced to include penalties in their ‘goal of the month’ votes.
Barry Douglas’ free kick against Leeds was fantastic.
Jota versus Millwall, Vinagre versus Burton, the list goes on.
But for me, Ruben Neves’ screamer at Hull was sensational and a great way to alert English football to his presence.
Whilst Wolves have played some lovely stuff at Molineux, notably beating Villa and thumping Bolton and Leeds, the best game for me was one where we held the English champions-elect to a two-hour stalemate.
The 0-0 draw, and subsequent penalty loss, at Man City was a remarkable result, especially considering how they have carried on.
They are relentless and seemingly unbeatable – and Wolves’ reserves played so valiantly, losing in the cruellest of football’s result-deciding scenarios.
It would have more than one-upped the victory at Anfield at the start of 2017 – and it was so close, with Bright Enobakhare and Helder Costa being given glorious chances which they just could not finish.
By contrast, the worst game of the season came at Bramall Lane, where the aforementioned Conor Coady red card and Neves penalty miss set the scene for an inevitable defeat and Leon Clarke brace.
But Wolves have learned from each of their three defeats this season – they haven’t made many mistakes, but those they have they appear to have dealt with.
It feels cruel to choose Phil Ofosu-Ayeh as the flop of the season, especially as he has managed a total of zero minutes for Wolves.
The only real player who has come out of the side due to form is Roderick Miranda – Ryan Bennett has taken his place in the line-up, and it certainly feels like Miranda is currently a long way behind the others and a chink in the armour.
Danny Batth has done little wrong and Kortney Hause gave a mercurial performance in his only game at the Etihad, meaning Miranda could be seen as sixth in line now.
The best signing is a very difficult toss-up between Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota, Leo Bonatini and Willy Boly.
But when Boly plays, Wolves never look like conceding – they let one in four minutes after his substitution at Millwall.
He is a class above (like many at the club) but he is essential to Wolves and looks so casual when on the ball in the way he strolls around – but he is able to beat his man.
I certainly wouldn’t want to be on the end of an aerial challenge from the human tank.
