Wolves suffered a home defeat against Brentford on Saturday, bringing their total to just two points from 17 matches. In the history of English league football, no team has ever had a worse start than this. To avoid breaking Derby County’s record low of 11 points set in the 2007-08 Premier League season, Wolves would need to make a dramatic turnaround.
How did it come to this? Last season, Wolves finished 16th after staging a remarkable comeback from a poor beginning. When Vitor Pereira took charge on December 19, they were almost at the bottom, with only nine points after 16 games. They collected 23 points in their final 22 matches, securing their Premier League status with six straight wins in the spring. How can a team drop from nearly averaging a point per game to just a tenth of that? The decline is staggering.
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This summer saw a number of departures, including Matheus Cunha to Manchester United, Rayan Aït-Nouri to Manchester City, Fábio Silva to Borussia Dortmund, and Gonçalo Guedes to Real Sociedad, with Pablo Sarabia and Nelson Semedo also leaving on frees after contributing significantly last season. However, these exits alone shouldn’t have triggered such a drastic decline.
Last summer’s changes were not an isolated incident. Wolves have been selling off talent and failing to adequately replace it for the past few years. Players like Pedro Neto, Maximilian Kilman, and Mario Lemina departed the previous season, while Matheus Nunes, Rúben Neves, and Nathan Collins were sold the season before that. While a team can manage a certain level of decline, there comes a point when enough is enough. It’s not just about the squad’s quality but also about the perception of the club’s decline.
In the wake of Saturday’s game, a visibly upset Matt Doherty emphasized that it’s time for the players to determine how they want to be remembered. His words suggested that some teammates might be contemplating leaving in January, while others may have mentally checked out. Accepting impending relegation becomes easier if players convince themselves they weren’t truly giving their all, and it’s a way to shift the blame: how could we succeed in such an environment? Doherty’s viewpoint doesn’t negate the possibility that these players have a valid point; Wolves has turned into a challenging place to compete.
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The season began without significant alarm; they challenged Manchester City despite a 4-0 loss. They followed that with three one-goal defeats. A 3-1 home loss to Leeds raised concerns, but Wolves managed a League Cup victory over Everton and drew with Tottenham and Brighton. With two promoted teams ahead, there seemed a chance for recovery. However, they were physically outmatched in a 2-0 defeat at Sunderland, followed by a heartbreaking loss to Bournemouth, conceded a late goal after coming back from 2-0 down. Since then, Wolves have been in freefall, scoring only twice in their last eight league matches. Other teams haven’t completely outplayed them, but they’ve lost their fighting spirit, a fact epitomized by Jørgen Strand Larsen’s weak penalty miss on Saturday.
After Pereira’s departure, Rob Edwards stepped in, having left a strong Middlesbrough side chasing promotion from the Championship. Although he has experience moving clubs, this time it seems to stem from a desire to save his beloved Wolves, where he previously played 100 league matches. Despite being born on Christmas Day, a miraculous turnaround seems unlikely. Following his experience at Luton, his reputation could be in jeopardy.
Chairman Jeff Shi unexpectedly announced his resignation on Saturday after nearly a decade, though he remains in charge of Fosun, the club’s ownership. The reasons behind his exit are unclear, especially considering ongoing fan protests against his leadership. He will be succeeded, temporarily, by Nathan Shi, who is not related. The incoming chairman will face a furious fanbase irate over the management of the club in recent years.
Perhaps Wolves believed that even after weakening their squad, they could outpace the newly promoted clubs. In past seasons, those teams’ struggles had aided them. However, with Sunderland and Leeds starting the season strongly, Wolves are now considerably behind. They are 16 points adrift from safety, making survival a challenging prospect. The only remaining goal seems to be to surpass Derby’s record low.
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This extract is part of Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly overview from the Guardian US of European football and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Got a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition.