This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Wolves managed to pick up their first win of the season on Saturday as they defeated rock-bottom Watford at Molineux.
The result saw them rise to 13th from 19th thanks to goals from Matt Doherty and Daryl Janmaat.
The right wing-back opened the scoring inside the first 20 minutes, meeting Pedro Neto’s driven pass across goal before turning provider for the second as his cross was met by Morgan Gibbs-White, whose header found its way in via the Watford defender just after the hour mark.
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Nuno Santo’s men have actually only lost two of their seven Premier League matches, but their position in the league told a different story considering it was a world away from their seventh-place finish last campaign.
On the Chalkboard
Over their last two domestic matches, Wolves have reverted back to the 3-4-3 system which saw them win the Championship in 2018.
Football FanCast have previously mentioned why the Portuguese boss should stick with it going forward, and even though he’s unlikely to have read the article, he’s done precisely that.
Their performance against Watford was defensively sound hence the clean sheet, but further details provide an insight into why they should again continue with a similar setup against reigning champions Manchester City.
As expected from a Pep Guardiola team, they dominate the league for possession percentage per game at 60%, and no club is higher for passing success either at 89.3%.
Therefore, it seems likely that Wolves will have their backs against the wall.
On Saturday, the west Midlands club sat back and looked to hit the Hornets on the counter – they recorded just 39.1% possession with a total of six shots in the match, yet came away with a 2-0 victory.
That gameplan matches up well with the test of City.
Obviously, there is a different level of quality on offer as Watford are the worst team in the league currently, but it bodes well for encouragement.
When Nuno deployed the 3-4-3 against them at Molineux last season they managed to earn a point with just 28.9% possession, so there’s no reason why it can’t work again – Norwich have already shocked them once, Wolves can make it twice.