Wolves gave all they had last Saturday, but with their attacking resources in particular pruned harshly by injuries, they were – literally in several cases – hamstrung. Their breathtaking rise and fall in the final minutes demonstrated both the squad’s extraordinary powers of motivation, and the natural limits of those powers.
Gary O’Neil noted in September that the team he had inherited was “loose within their structure”. He explained: “They like to go one-v-one and try tricks and try to find their own way through. The game shouldn’t be that complicated. We should be able to play through the structure and arrive in dangerous areas, and then we can show individual qualities to help us. Trying to shift them from where they were to where I want them is quite a big shift.”
At the time, that shift was quite tricky to envisage. Surely that individual spirit of adventure was the main thing that a squad with limited resources had to offer – and in recent seasons goals have been hard enough to come by as it was.
Since then, though, we have seen how that change has taken effect – even when some of their most spectacular work seems to owe everything to inspiration. Consider the goal that briefly seemed like the winner on Saturday. Sparked from their own box, Wolves attacked as a squadron, Hugo Bueno finishing the move he started after Rayan Ait-Nouri’s thrilling run. It felt like a wildcard moment, but looking at the replays you can see the plan in action; like great improv comedy, what seems purely off-the-cuff can be a clever structure operating well, creating room for talent to flourish.
It’s also become clear that this is a squad powered in no small part by emotion. Fans have seen players’ determination to fight through the most high-pressure situations, and the bond between the supporters and the players has been fully restored. It has become obvious how much the players care. But investing such passion in work can be tiring, and twice recently – against Manchester United and now Coventry – having scaled a mountain, Wolves have lost focus, and wearily collapsed off the top of it.
O’Neil and his players are determined that their whole season will not go the same way. With the handicap of several injuries, avoiding that will be difficult, but the international break – even with many players away – may help them approach the challenge with fresher minds at least. A change of scenery will hopefully prove as good as a rest.
*BBC Radio WM Football Phone-In – weeknights 6-7pm
*Aston Villa v Wolves – live commentary on BBC Radio WM, Saturday 30 March, 5.30pm