Shropshire Star

Steve Bull: Wolves must have a response at Southampton

I’m probably speaking for about 25,000 other Wolves fans when I say I was left scratching my head at Nuno’s team selection for the FA Cup defeat to Southampton.

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Oriol Romeu of Southampton and Fabio Silva of Wolverhampton Wanderers (AMA)

After taking four points from Arsenal and Leicester it felt like things might finally be getting back on track and I expected to see a similar line-up against the Saints.

Instead we got a much-changed team and an average performance. Once again this season with Wolves it feels like a case of one step forward and two back.

I can understand Nuno wants to give every player a chance to show what they can do. That has to have been the thinking behind his selection and if it had come off everyone would have considered it a masterstroke.

But it didn’t and he has to take that on the chin and learn the lessons. The players have to learn too as it is fair to say there were a few of them who really didn’t do themselves justice. All in all it was a pretty baffling night.

Most important now is how Wolves respond. There is no time for them to dwell.

It is another tough game now against Southampton tomorrow, at a silly kick-off time. You would expect the team to be similar to the one which started last weekend’s draw with Leicester and the performance needs to justify Nuno’s decision to rest so many key players in the Cup.

Against the Foxes last week I thought we saw glimpses of the old Wolves from the previous two seasons. They were solid at the back and carved out a few chances going forward. After Thursday it feels like a case of back to square one but they have to persevere. The only thing left this season is to try to finish as high up the table as possible and build some foundations ahead of next year.

This is a frustrating time for everyone. The team is not doing as well as we all would like and I can understand fans feeling helpless at a time when they can’t attend matches and influence what is happening on the pitch.

But this is also a time when we all need to stick together and stay positive. Nuno and the players still need support even if it cannot be given in person.

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