It has not been an easy start to the season for Wolverhampton Wanderers, who are yet to pick up a point in the Premier League, from three games so far, and find themselves in 18th.
They face a tough assignment next up, with a Sunday afternoon clash at home to Newcastle United following the main event of the weekend, the North London Derby.
Although they lost key players Pedro Neto and Max Kilman over the summer, Gary O’Neil would no doubt have been wanting more from the Old Gold this term. They have certainly left a little to be desired, especially in defence where they have particularly struggled.
Wolves defensive struggles this season
It has certainly been a struggle for the Moluneix side this term, who have so far conceded nine goals, the second-fewest in the top flight in England this season. Only Everton have conceded more, with ten.
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Wolves defensive stats 2024/25 PL season so far |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat |
Number |
|
Goals conceded |
9 |
|
Expected goals against |
5.07xGA |
|
Saves per game |
3.3 |
|
Clean sheets |
0 |
|
Errors leading to goal |
0 |
In terms of whom those goals have come against, they conceded two on the opening day away to Arsenal, although the Emirates Stadium is a notoriously difficult place to go. Wolves then shipped six at Molineux against Chelsea, suffering a catastrophic 6-2 defeat, before getting their first point on the board, a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest.
The Old Gold fielded a new goalkeeper against Forest, with new signing Sam Johnstone making his debut for the club. He had a good impact, conceding just one goal, although he could have done better with it. He also made four saves, according to SofaScore, helping his side to get on the board this season.
Despite a good performance from the England international, there was one player who struggled against the East Midlands side and could see his place under threat this weekend.
Jorgen Strand Larsen’s stats vs. Forest
It was certainly a tough outing for 24-year-old striker Jorgen Strand Larsen at the City Ground. The Norweigan, who is currently on loan at Wolves, has actually got off the mark for his new club, scoring against Chelsea in the 6-2 defeat but struggled against Forest.
Against the Old Gold’s Midlands rivals, the Celta Vigo loanee received a 6/10 for his performance. Vavell journalist Callum Greybanks said the striker “underwhelmed as he failed to contribute to anything going forward”, which speaks to his lack of impact at the top end of the pitch.
Indeed, that is certainly reflected in his SofaScore stats. The 24-year-old had fewer touches than Johnstone, with 24 to the goalkeeper’s 37, and did not manage a shot throughout the 86 minutes he was on the field, and this shows that the forward struggled to get involved in the match.
With Wolves set for a tough outing against the Magpies on Sunday afternoon, O’Neil might well decide to drop Strand Larsen from his starting lineup at Molineux, in search of more involvement from his centre-forward.
It would be a big call to ditch his new signing up front, especially after he scored just two games ago, but it is perhaps what the Old Gold need as they search for their first win of the season against Eddie Howe’s side today.
