Wolverhampton Wanderers won 2-1 at Molineux to Luton Town, on April 27. This result ended their seven-game winless run in all competitions. Here are the five things that we learnt from their important victory.
Five Things Learnt From Wolverhampton Wanderers Beating Luton Town
Gary O’Neil’s Consistent Altering of Formations
Throughout the course of this season, Wolves have drastically altered their starting lineup. Against Luton, Gary O’Neil transitioned back to a 4-1-4-1; this formation was played against Bournemouth in the last game, but the last time Wolves lined up this way before their defeat against Bournemouth was four matches ago away to Burnley.
The gaffer on an important win 💬
— Wolves (@Wolves) April 27, 2024
In this formation, Cunha returned to the starting lineup, where he completed the most dribbles in the match. He also gained an assist for Hee-Chan Hwang’s opener. His last full start came against Nottingham Forest, where he scored a brace in a 2-2 draw.
Boubacar Traore also started in the defensive midfield position. His last start came against Arsenal in a 2-0 defeat. His last start before that also came against Arsenal at the Emirates in early December. This was only his fifth start of the season.
Poor Defensive Record
Despite this win, Wolverhampton Wanderers still have a poor defensive record. A Morris goal in the 80th minute cancelled any hope for a Wolverhampton Wanderers clean sheet. He has only kept four clean sheets all season, paling in comparison to the 11 that Jose Sa kept last season where he had the sixth most clean sheets in the league.
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The last time that Wolverhampton Wanderers kept a clean sheet in the league came back in February in a 1-0 home win against now-relegated Sheffield United. Sa and the Wolves defence have only kept two clean sheets so far this calendar year, with the other being a goalless draw away to Brighton.
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ final three games of the season are Manchester City away, Crystal Palace at home and Liverpool away in what will be Jurgen Klopp’s last game for Liverpool. It would be hard to see O’Neil’s side gain any clean sheets for the remainder of the season, however, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them pick up points.
Wolves Significantly Better in First Half
Wolverhampton Wanderers once again were more clinical in the first half, with Hee-Chan Hwang scoring the opener 40’ minutes into the match. In this half, Wolves dominated possession (61%), something which they haven’t done in recent matches, and had seven shots to Luton’s five. Out of these seven shots, three were on target including the goal.
In this half, Wolverhampton Wanderers made 326 total passes, which is 39 more than in the second half. In addition to this, they also had more touches inside the opposition box and the opposition half. They also won more ground duels and aerial duels and had more successful dribbles than in the second half.
Five of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ last eight goals conceded have come in the second half, with their loss to Bournemouth being the only match in the past two matches in the past two months. In doing so, this shows how much more clinical Wolves are in the first half and how much less dominant they are in the second half.
Still Conceding Most Shots On Target
Despite this win, Wolverhampton Wanderers are still conceding more shots on target than their opposition. Against Luton, who had conceded ten goals in two matches before this match, the West Midlands side still couldn’t produce more shots on target.
This has been a running theme in most of their matches. Against Bournemouth, they conceded six shots on target to their four. Against Arsenal, they conceded nine shots on target; three times the amount that Wolves had in the match. Even against relegation-battling Forest, they conceded nine shots on target to the four shots Wolves were able to produce. This was also the case against Burnley, Aston Villa and even Coventry City in the FA Cup, who had more than double the amount of shots on target compared to O’Neil’s side. Only their 2-1 loss to West Ham was an anomaly.
Wolves have only had more shots on target than their opposition in just one of their last nine games in all competitions. Even in their wins against Fulham and Luton, they were dominated by shots on target. In doing so, it shows how a goal-shy Wolves’ must be more clinical with their shots to stand a greater chance of qualifying for Europe next season as they were so close to doing so this season
Jose Sa is Pivotal in Goal
Following on from the last point, suffering more shots on target requires the goalkeeper to be on his best form, fortunately for Wolves they have Portuguese international Jose Sa.
As stated above, Wolves have only had more shots on target than their opposition in just one of their last nine games in all competitions. Even in their wins against Fulham and Luton, they were dominated by shots on target. Against Arsenal and Bournemouth combined, Wolves conceded 42 shots with fifteen on target. However, Sa, who has started 32 Premier League matches this season, has played a major role in their defence. This was mostly evident last season, as despite being in a relegation battle in the early stages of last season, Sa, under Bruno Lage and Julen Lopetegui, kept eleven clean sheets.
Sa and his defence have only kept two clean sheets so far this calendar year, with the other being a goalless draw away to Brighton. However, if it wasn’t for him, it could be a lot worse.
That being said, Luton didn’t have any clear-cut chances apart from Morris’ goal, however, this has been a consistent occurrence in the majority of their recent matches. Wolves have been a great side to watch this season, and Sa plays a very pivotal role in maintaining a strong defensive record.
