Wolves 3 Besiktas 0
Haters will say it’s only a friendly.
But I saw things in this latest comprehensive victory that inspire confidence for the season ahead.
Comfort in a back four, bodies flooding the opposition penalty area and of goals – three more actual goals.
Ok, the first was a calamity from the Besiktas keeper but the mistake was drawn by Wolves pressing their defenders, another advantage of this new, more aggressive system.
There was nothing gifted about the second either, with Rayan Ait-Nouri orchestrating the move, gliding past players, exchanging passes and then picking out Daniel Podence.
The finish was excellent but even more encouraging was the fact there were several other gold shirts waiting for the same ball. How often have we been able to say that?
Neto, Podence and Gibbs-White dominated the game more with every passing moment and some of the interplay was high level stuff resulting in similar penalty box overloads.
Pedro’s goal to complete the first half rout should really have been added to with his partners in crime missing good chances in the second but that was the only minor disappointment.
Well, that and the departure of Raul Jimenez with what looked like a groin injury. It didn’t appear overly serious but as our only centre-forward we could do without the worry. Surely the club will act on that shortage in the weeks to come?
The continued absence of Jose Sa is another concern even though both young deputies we’ve seen between the posts so far look calm and assured, albeit without a single minute of Premier League experience between them.
Our reigning Player of the Season looks like he’ll be well protected when he does return, with Collins and Kilman doing everything you’d want from a centre-half pairing.
Fears over further injuries to key personnel will persist until the squad is bolstered but with the players we do have it continues to shape up nicely.