It was yet another away win for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Europa League, as they came from behind to beat Slovan Bratislava 2-1, with club-record signing Raul Jimenez registering the winner. It means that they are second in their group, only a point behind SC Braga. Their form in Europe pays testament to their rise back to the top.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Europa League Form Pays Testament to Their Rise Back to the Top
A Battle Back
Despite the money invested into the club in recent years, the journey back to the Premier League is certainly impressive.
Relegation from the Premier League in 2012 led to them League One following back-to-back relegation’s. Unsurprisingly, they returned to the second division at the first attempt, recording a mammoth 103 points, a record for the third tier.
However, it then took them four attempts to make their way north and into the Premier League. Not even the first year of the multi-billion pound investment could guide them to the Championship. It failed, and saw them finish 15th, with Walter Zenga and Paul Lambert taking the managerial role at Molineux during the 2016/17 season. The last few years at Wolves is certainly a fairytale case of how to persevere and wait for the good times.
Nonetheless, Paul Lambert was sacked, and a day later was replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo. The Portuguese man had already built a reputation with Porto before making the move to Molineux. His first year saw them win the league at a canter, collecting 99 points and maintaining top spot from the end of October, an impressive feat by any means.
Then, as they made their long-awaited return to the Premier League, they took to it like a duck to water. Quality was added – and millions were spent in doing so – but Wolves finished seventh in their first season back. In doing so, they collected 16 points from their 12 games against the top six clubs, including home wins against Arsenal and Manchester United. As a result, they won plaudits for their performances and impressive style.
Consolidation This Season Would be Perfect, but Wolves Want More
There were doubts as to how Wolverhampton Wanderers would perform with the added extra of the Europa League. Burnley struggled with the ramifications of UEFA’s secondary club competition and did not even make it as far as Wolves did. The same could be said for Everton the season prior. Despite finishing eighth, they suffered a poor start to the 2017/18 season, dropping to 18th and costing Ronald Koeman his job.
At the start of this season, initially, there were concerns about whether Wolves were up to the task. Santo’s side had just two pre-season games before negotiating the dreaded qualifying rounds of the Europa League. By the time the first day of the Premier League season arrived, they had already played three qualifying fixtures, and still had three more to go.
As a result, many expected them to be lethargic – and they were. Despite losing just two games, it took Wolves seven attempts to seal their first Premier League win of the season. Many expected a similar pattern to Burnley’s fortunes to unravel. However, they are now six games unbeaten in all competitions and are now looking on the up.
While consolidating their position in the Premier League is the key, Nuno Espirito Santo will want his side to push for seventh place as much as possible.
How Far Can Wolverhampton Wanderers Go in the Europa League?
Their game at home to Besiktas in the key to getting out of their group. See through that, and they should make it out of the group stages; making it an already successful campaign.
Should they get through the group stage, the sky is the limit for Wolves in the Europa League. They won’t fear any side, having negotiated four games prior. Reaching the knockout stages would be the cherry on top of the cake in Wolves’ success story.
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