Should Consolidation Still Be The Aim For Wolves This Year?
After wowing fans with their unique brand of attacking football and international flair last season, it would be easy for Wolves to get carried away following their promotion to the Premier League.
Make no mistake, Wolves looked the real deal last season and it would take a brave man to back against them going well in the top flight next season.
However, as is is the case for any newly promoted side,
Nuno Espirito Santo and his men should be aiming to simply stay in the division and consolidate their place in the Premier League before thinking about making an assault on the top half of the table.
The Premier League is now arguably tougher than ever -
the fact that Premier League stalwarts Stoke were relegated with ease along with fellow mainstays West Brom should act as a cautionary tale to any team who is expecting to waltz their way to the 40 point safety mark.
In addition to this, the so called "minnows" of the division are proving tougher to beat than ever before and an "easy" 3 points in the Premier League is truly a thing of the past -
the simple truth is that no matter who you play, if you don't turn up, then you're going to get beat.
It's also worth pointing out that until the last few games of the 2017/2018 season, almost any team in the bottom half of the table could have been mathematically relegated,
which once again demonstrates just how competitive the league has become outside of the top 5 or 6 sides.
On the other hand, Wolves are 11/10 to finish in the top half of the table in Premier League betting,
which demonstrates just how confident the bookmakers are of the team replicating their success in the top flight of the English league.
Wolves have also just confirmed the permanent signings of Leo Bonatini and Ruben Vinagre from Al-Hilal and Monaco respectively, who both spent last season on loan at the club and played a big part in their promotion push.
The team spirit and camaraderie at Wolves was there for all to see last season and was undoubtedly one of the key factors in their success -
bringing players in who are already familiar with the surroundings and the rest of the squad should stand the team in good stead moving forward.
It's also worth remembering that for every West Brom and Stoke, there's also a Burnley and Huddersfield - at the start of last season,
Burnley were amongst the favourites to get relegated whilst Huddersfield were given absolutely no chance of staying up by the large majority of neutral onlookers.
Huddersfield finished the season in 16th place whilst Burnley defied all odds and qualified for the Europa League in 7th place, so this begs the question,
why can't Wolves fans dream of a top half finish or better? Wolves are far better off financially than both Burnley and Huddersfield and whilst money doesn't necessarily buy you success,
your chances are increased significantly should you choose to open your chequebook. Either way, this season will certainly be an interesting one for both Wolves fans and football lovers alike.
