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With every league defeat, Vitor Pereira edges closer to the end of his tenure as Wolves manager yet their Carabao Cup exit suggested that the spirit in this group remains firmly intact.
In the sights of the Wolves fans for his chaotic post-match behaviour after his side had been beaten by Burnley, Pereira can use numerous examples from this match to show his employers that these footballers are still playing for him. In a difficult atmosphere and after falling behind early to Chelsea, Wolves heads did not drop. They now need to show the same application when it really matters – at Fulham in the league on Saturday.
As if life in the Premier League were not tough enough, Wolves were swept out of the Carabao Cup by Enzo Maresca’s second-string side thanks to first-half goals from Andrey Santos, Tyrique George and Estevao. Wolves fought back in the second half though strikes from Tolu Arokodare and a double from David Moller Wolfe – their first goals for the club – were not enough to alter the outcome, despite Liam Delap becoming Chelsea’s sixth red card this season.
Jamie Gittens hit the fourth in the final minute to seal it, even though the visitors had come under substantial pressure. That meant Moller Wolfe’s second in stoppage time was in vain.
Though Pereira changed his entire starting XI from the side who began the 3-2 home defeat by Burnley, and was rewarded with an improving showing, the result was still the same. Dreadful defending allowing opponents an easy route to goal, followed by chants against owners Fosun, executive chairman Jeff Shi and Pereira himself.
After another loss at Molineux, Daily Mail Sport assesses how Wolves might go about reversing this plight.
What next for Pereira?
First the good news. At least this result did not push Wolves any closer to relegation from the Championship. A Carabao Cup exit in October is the least of their worries.
Yet despite backing Pereira with a new contract in September, and notwithstanding this gutsy display, Shi and Fosun are surely approaching the time when they need to cut the cord.
Perhaps still sore after the post-match exchange with Pereira last Sunday, the South Bank sang ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ at the Portuguese after Tyrique George had doubled Chelsea’s lead with barely 15 minutes on the clock. By the final whistle, having watched Wolves nearly mount a comeback, the home fans were applauding his team.
Though they conceded three times before the interval, Wolves did not actually play too badly during the opening 45 minutes – as daft as that sounds. The problem for Pereira is that there were too many of those moments that usually mean a manager’s time is up.
It is not just about the fans turning. Chelsea’s first and third goals resulted from mistakes in possession that top-level players rarely make when times are happy. Tolu Arokodare’s loose touch allowed Jamie Gittens to tee up the opener for Santos, and Fer Lopez’s failure to control Jose Sa’s pass from goal let in Estevao for the third.
Fulham at Craven Cottage is the next obstacle. Few who saw Pereira’s antics post-Burnley – when he appeared to turn aggressively towards supporters in the home end after the final whistle – would have bet on the 57-year-old being here tonight/on Wednesday.
Asked about Wolves’ survival chances at full-time, Pereira said: ‘We will do it again. I don’t have any doubts we’ll turn around the situation. We are a small club but we can do it together. This is the message. It’s not about me.’
Changing the coach will not guarantee success and Wolves issues run much deeper. But this display showed that whoever is in charge, there might – just might – be something to work with.
What about the players?
We know by now the tell-tale signs for a team who have given up on their manager. Poor marking at set pieces, failure to make recovery runs and arguing with one another on the pitch are just three of them.
These were absent here. Wolves’ heads did not drop, not even at 2-0 down and with supporters in venomous mood. When Tosin Adarabioyo squared up to Hwang Hee-Chan after the Wolves man had fouled Romeo Lavia, several team-mates raced in to back him up.
As raw as anything, still Arokodare produced a good finish for his goal and with a little more composure, he might have had a hat-trick. Joao Gomes did well on his return to the starting XI and should keep his place at Fulham while on the right flank, Jackson Tchatchoua’s speed troubled Chelsea. Generally, these players performed better than those who started against Burnley.
If the attitude is OK and there is no drop-off between the starting XI and the replacements, perhaps there is still hope. The alternative reading is that whoever is chosen, this squad is not good enough to compete in the top flight. We will not need too much longer to learn the answer.