Wolves comment: Fitting semi-final for the Nunolution at Wembley

Motivation would have never been a worry – it is an opportunity to grace Wembley and take a step closer to silverware, after all.

If it had been Manchester City or Brighton, Wolves, of course, would have been bang up for it.

But Nuno and his old gold pack are undoubtedly eager to return the favour to Javi Gracia’s men, who instigated Wolves’ sensational run of results in a tweaked system.

On October 20, Watford visited Molineux in the Premier League.

It was a game that Wolves went into six unbeaten, and they named the same starting XI for the ninth time in a row.

But they were found out. The Hornets prevailed 2-0 and were fully deserving of the triumph.

Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho soundly lost the midfield battle against first goalscorer Etienne Capoue and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

They pressed with such intensity, completely stopping Wolves’ creative juices from flowing, and a quickfire double – Roberto Pereyra grabbing the second just a minute after Capoue struck – silenced the crowd and knocked the stuffing out of the players.

It was the start of a six-match winless run that went through November, taking in losses to Brighton, Tottenham Hotspur, Huddersfield and Cardiff too, with a draw at Arsenal the only saving grace.

The Hornets proved there was a way to nullify Wolves, targeting Neves and Moutinho and not giving them an inch of breathing space.

So Nuno’s revolution became an evolution.

The tried and trusted 3-4-3 formation was dumped and a fruitful relationship with the 3-5-2 began.

Neves and Moutinho, crucially, had someone else in there with them, be it the ever-reliable Romain Saiss or the revelation that has been Leander Dendoncker, to do the dirty work while also offering vast amounts of quality.

And very few have been able to find the answers to the lengthy list of questions Wolves have posed in the well-oiled set-up.

How do you get past Wolves’ three-man defence with the added protection of Dendoncker?

How do you stop wing-backs Matt Doherty and Jonny Castro Otto from surging forward?

And how do you begin to fathom how to stop Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez from scoring?

That final question is the one many sides have found almost impossible to comprehend.

As Alan Shearer said on the BBC after the final whistle, the sensational strike duo ran Manchester United ragged on Saturday night.

And you have to imagine the Watford backline is not looking forward to facing them one bit.

Chelsea and Cardiff have found out exactly how great they are together over the past couple of weeks too.

For Wolves, this is not only a chance to go a step closer to returning to the glory days of the 1950s and 60s – something Nuno, and pretty much everyone else of an old gold persuasion so desperately craves.

But it is a wonderful opportunity for Nuno and Co to display just how far they have come in a matter of mere months.

In fairness, come the end of November, a few of us did allow our minds to wonder whether we had all got carried away by the performances before the slump.

It seemed to be a harsh reminder of life in the top flight, how ruthless it can be – if you are not careful it will chew you up and spit you out.

But the Wolves group never thought that way.

The old adage is what does not kill you makes you stronger – and boy did they improve.

Going up to seventh in the top flight and then to the semis of the Cup, beating Liverpool, Shrewsbury (albeit with a replay), Bristol City and United along the way.

Fans who have long hoped for a lengthy run in the Cup, and perhaps even a crack at Europe, were absolutely correct to keep the faith through the torrid times – and there have been a few over the years!

Make no mistake, Wolves are going to paint the capital, where they have fared so well as of late, gold and black for this much-anticipated, ever-so-exciting semi-final that will take place on the weekend of April 6/7.

Hopefully, Watford will be the victims of some sweet revenge and we can do it all again for the final!