Ahead of this new season, and continuing into its opening weeks, one of the most persistent lines of enquiry concerning the Premier League was whether Wolves might struggle to replicate their fantastic campaign of 2018/19. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men finished seventh to the great surprise of many and they did so by playing an expansive yet sturdy brand of football that impressed. Was that now destined to be a one-off?
The reason for these doubts was no reflection on their summer transfer business or indeed the overall progress being made at Molineux but rather it solely concentrated on Wolves’ participation in the Europa League, the reward for their high achievement that is often seen as a curate’s egg for every club.
On the one hand European football is a thrilling and positive proposition. On the other, its demands deplete squads of their reserves and necessitate a juggling of personnel that when added to any number of rescheduled fixtures can result in a serious disruption to a side’s league aspirations.
We are six games deep into the new season and Wolves have yet to win a game. They have drawn four and lost two and their abject start has left them rooted in the relegation zone. It seems then, at first glance, that the hand-wringing predictions that were so commonplace before the opening day are already coming true with the club’s involvement in continental football proving to be a poisoned chalice.
Except that doesn’t add up. Not at all. In fact common sense decrees that right now – partly due to their European adventures – Wolves should be flying.
Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below
They began their competitive season a full 17 days ahead of their rivals with the taking on of Irish team Crusaders in the tournament’s second qualifying round and by the time Wolves hosted Leicester for the league’s curtain-raiser they had three Europa commitments dealt with. That gave them a significant advantage over the Foxes and others who began their league seasons coming off the back of meaningless friendlies. Furthermore, Wolves won these three games, giving them impetus and confidence to transfer to their domestic duties.
It should be at the tail-end of long, gruelling seasons where Europa participants struggle, when fatigue becomes an issue and the games build up. At the beginning should actually be a plus.
So what can their league form – that contrasts so starkly to that of last year – be attributed to if not the easy scapegoat of European competition?
Could it be something as straightforward as the much-dreaded ‘second season syndrome’ striking, a phenomenon that has a long-standing track record of undermining players or clubs that dare to – supposedly – over-achieve? In 2001 Ipswich Town finished 5th in the top flight after attaining promotion the previous year. Twelve months later they were relegated. In 2007 Reading reached the promised land of the Premier League and capitalising on momentum finished an extremely impressive 8th. A season later they too went down. Two years later Birmingham City finished a very credible 9th after coming up. Guess what happened the following season?
Are Wolves set to become the new Man City? Find out why in the video below…
It happens and it happens more than is acknowledged: a club is buoyed from promotion and fears nobody and enjoys a successful introduction to the big time. Then a recalibration takes place. Harsh realities set in, the element of surprise over the rest of the league is lost. Teams just seem to work you out.
That is not to say that relegation awaits Wolves, not with the vast quality they have at their disposal. But Europe should not be seen as a distraction or an excuse and with the infliction of ‘second season syndrome’ presently looking the likeliest culprit for their poor start, Santo – so routinely praised for his tactical nous – now must deploy another string of his managerial bow.
It is becoming a psychological issue at Molineux and from that comes a need to get back to basics and remember who they are and what they are capable of. They are not a one-season wonder. They’re better than that.