No taming these Wolves
Wolves have raised their game against the top sides time and again this season and I’m backing them to repeat the trick when Arsenal rock up at Molineux on Wednesday.
Ready to shake off cup hangover
Losing a semi-final is one thing but to suffer defeat in the manner Wolves did is enough to knock you sideways and one point from their two subsequent Premier League games against Southampton and Brighton suggests as much.
In fairness though, while Wolves got what they deserved at St Marys, Nuno Espirito Santo will have considered his team unlucky not to have taken more from their home clash with the Seagulls; the hosts seemed to do everything but score racking up 22 shots only to be denied by a heroic goalkeeping display.
Falling short against the league’s lesser sides is a trend the Wolves manager will be looking to address next season if his side are to mount a serious assault on the top six. After all, they have no such problem when playing the big boys of the division.
A match for the best
In fact, Wolves have excelled against the Premier League big six on their return to the big time. Defeats of Chelsea and Man United in the league and Liverpool and United (again) in the cup (all at Molineux), followed early season draws with Man City, United and their opponents here, Arsenal.
Wolves’ ability to take points from the big teams is there for all to see. It could even be argued that playing the top sides better suits their strong contingent of Portuguese talent used to being afforded more space to play their natural game and, dare I say it, able to get themselves up for a more glamorous fixture.
Same old Arsenal
As impressive as three clean sheets in the space of a week was, you can’t go and then concede three at home to Crystal Palace. Their weekend showing, at the back especially, was shambolic to say the least but it’s what we’ve come to expect from Arsenal.
Just when you think they’ve turned the corner, Arsenal have a habit of falling flat on their face and the defeat to Palace may end up having a significant say in whether The Emirates hosts Thursday night football for a third year in a row.
This said, if Emery does indeed fall short in restoring Arsenal to Europe’s elite competition, it’ll be results away from the Emirates that will have contributed to their shortcomings.
Last week’s clean sheet at Watford was their first of the campaign, with the victory only their second in the last ten on the road, the other almost a given against Huddersfield.
Wolves vs. Arsenal betting tip
This represents the ideal fixture for Wolves, with seventh place and a highest Premier League finish still to play for, to rid the disappointment of Wembley and I can see them doing so with another win against a top 6 team.
