It has been a season of doom and gloom at Wolves, so it is fair to say their fans aren’t expecting too much away at Liverpool this weekend.
The Reds host Rob Edwards’ side on Saturday afternoon, with anything other than a win for the hosts feeling disastrous.
Wolves have only got two points in the Premier League this season – not a single win! – with Edwards not managing to sort the mess left by Vitor Pereira.
With kick-off not too far away, we spoke to Talking Wolves founder Dave Azzopardi (@daveazzopardi) to dissect an awful season and preview Saturday’s match.
Just how bad has this season been for Wolves?
Oh, it’s been bad. Take a poor season, then times it by 10, that’s how bad it has been for Wolves.
Extremely poor recruitment, not replacing top players properly and giving the wrong people control.
Former chairman Jeff Shi has recently moved on and a lot of fingers have been pointed at him for the club’s poor start.
He seemed to have handed over full recruitment responsibility to Vitor Pereira and technical director at the time Domenico Teti – something that they’ve lived to regret.
Other than that, performance levels seemed to have fallen off a cliff. Certain players are miles off last season’s levels and it now leaves Wolves staring at relegation.
Have there been any improvements under Rob Edwards?
Small things, but it’s very much same old, same old.
Rob Edwards seems to have us a little bit more organised and we’ve actually been level at half-time in every game he’s been in the dugout for so far, but we’ve lost all of those – some more unfortunate than others.
We seem to be a lot more competitive and difficult to beat away from home, so that’s something Liverpool may have to consider.
I assume we’ll sit deep, absorb pressure and hopefully find a chance to counter at some point.
Who has struggled the most and has anyone impressed?
It’s so hard to pick out any positives from this squad.
Maybe Mateus Mane, a young winger who is playing with no expectation and fear at the moment. I assume he will feature in some capacity in this fixture.
In terms of negatives, there are plenty.
A disappointment is Jorgen Strand Larsen; fourteen Premier League goals last season and just the one so far this campaign, which was from the penalty spot.
His relationship with the fans has strained recently. There are so many others I could pick out, though, and everyone needs to improve.
Is relegation now inevitable?
I think so, unfortunately.
The aim now is to restore some pride and make sure we don’t break the record of the worst ever Premier League-era side.
It’s a crucial period for the club with a new chairman in Nathan Shi, and they need to do all they can to keep the fans onside.
What do you make of Liverpool’s season and would you stick with Arne Slot?
It could be better for you guys, of course, but I would keep Arne Slot for now. I think he proved last season what he is capable of.
It’s also been a difficult season for him, I assume. With Diogo Jota’s passing and the recent Mohamed Salah situation, it has been far from ideal.
Opposition teams have also stepped up quite a bit, too. I would keep hold of Slot right now, but he needs to have a strong second half of the season.
Where do you think the Reds will finish?
I think you will get a Champions League spot, but I think a title push is difficult, if not out of the picture.
I just think maybe there are too many other teams competing for it at the moment. A cup run is probably what is needed to help Slot’s cause.
Looking ahead to Saturday, where will the key battles take place?
I think the key thing for Wolves will be how long they can hold their shape and keep Liverpool quiet.
The earlier Liverpool break us down, the longer the afternoon might be for Wolves.
Finally, what’s your prediction?
I can’t see anything but a Liverpool win, unfortunately (for me)!
Liverpool 2-0 Wolves.
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