Wolves v Crystal Palace: Nuno's men look to bounce back from Burnley woe
The term ‘must-win’ perhaps gets bandied about too much – but this game for Wolves emphatically fits the bill.
You could very much argue the season comes down to this clash with Crystal Palace, writes Joe Edwards.
After putting in an enormous amount of work to get to where they are in the Premier League – on 56 points – Wolves cannot afford anything other than three more as they look to nail down a Europa League spot.
The pressure is on, particularly with the visitors having lost their last six games and having nothing else than pride to play for.
Nuno Espirito Santo, though, was his usual level-headed self as he looked ahead to the game, Wolves’ 56th of a gruelling but extremely-exciting campaign.
But he did mention his side’s knack of coming up with the goods on the back of disappointment – a last-gasp 1-1 draw with Burnley courtesy of a controversial penalty decision certainly covering that brief, too.
“I think we are improving, always trying to become better, knowing it’s been a difficult season – ups and downs,” said Nuno.
“We’ve always been able to react to the not so good performances, bounce back and play good.
“It’s always the same, it’s been like this since three seasons ago, and I think it’s a long process of building and improving and we’re still on the way.
“What’s important is to compete well. This is what we want for the next one, to compete well, be organised, solid and play good football.
“Palace is a good team, with quality players. We expect a very tough challenge against Palace.”
While looking for strong showing as a collective, the onus is also on some of Wolves’ individuals standing up when it matters most.
Adama Traore could have a big role to play.
If he gets the nod at right wing, he will be up against a makeshift man as key player Patrick Van Aanholt is out with a dislocated shoulder.
Traore is no stranger to shoulder issues himself, of course, having had his right one come out of place four times this term.
And Nuno said on the Spaniard: “We have to monitor him, we have to assess, knowing there is an issue.
“But it’s one he has been able to overcome and be able to compete.
“We always have to be monitoring the situation and trying to improve it, knowing it’s a very hard as there is a lot of contact when he is involved in games.
“He’s a strong boy, but he’s still human. He has been under enormous pressure from the opponents.
“We know what the problem is, and we will try to decide – in the right moment – how to solve it. But this is not now as we still have a lot of things to go.”
Traore could be the difference-maker in attack, but Wolves will also have to be firmly on their toes at the back – Wilfried Zaha aiming to drag Palace out of their rut. Romain Saiss was sent off for two fouls on Zaha in the reverse fixture but has since improved his temperament.
Previously well-known for picking up regular bookings, the Moroccan has only been shown a yellow three times in his last 19 outings, and Nuno acknowledged his improvement.
“Before he made mistakes. The first step is to realise when you have made a mistake, understand, react and improve,” he said.
“The only process is that, recognise and improve. Romain has improved, he’s a versatile player and very competitive.
“I think all the players in the back three have been able to play against tough opponents and maintain a high level of performance.”
All in all, matches do not come much more important than this. A win for Wolves would be ever-so welcome.
