Five wins from their last 17 and three from their last 12 meant a bit of a lost season for Wolves.
A mid-table finish was solid, if unspectacular, but they looked positioned for something more when they were eighth and four points off fifth at Christmas.
Instead of looking towards continental qualification, the Midlands club are being debated in Premier League relegation betting for 2022/23.
Only Watford and Norwich had worse expected goal difference marks last season. The regression in 2022 was expected, and Wolves fans will be wondering what the new campaign has in store.
Subpar Window
This has been a less flamboyant transfer window than recent summers.
Hwang Hee-chan’s move was made permanent in January, and he’s officially become a Wolves player. Cash was splashed on Nathan Collins from Burnley, and a raft of players have returned from loan spells.
Starting pre-season on 🔥
— Wolves (@Wolves) July 21, 2022
🐺🙌 pic.twitter.com/kDwQS4LZVm
Links to Gabriel Barbosa and Enzo Fernandez are yet to become anything more than that.
Wolves have not made meaningful upgrades to a team which was subpar at both ends of the pitch last season. It’s no surprise they are a popular sports betting pick to struggle in 2022/23.
Lage Needs Results
Bruno Lage is among the favourites to be the next Premier League manager sacked.
Their return of 51 points was better than the season prior, but the underlying numbers don’t exactly paint an optimistic picture.
The attack was dysfunctional. Raul Jimenez was the only Wolves player in the top 78 in non-penalty expected goals, and Daniel Podence was in the same position when it came to expected assists.
Wolves’ attack hasn’t exactly been potent in recent years, but the defence was lock tight. That wasn’t the case under Lage.
How Can Wolves Improve?
Lage was fortunate to get the results he did in 2021/22. Wolves can blame injuries for inconsistency in team selection to a degree, but that’s also a symptom of an ageing core.
Of the six Wolves players with the most Premier League appearances last term, five are 29 or older.
There is still a dependence on 35-year-old Joao Moutinho and Raul Jimenez was not the same player post-injury.
While there isn’t a shortage of decent Premier League players at the club, there is a feeling that the first team needs freshening up. No Wolves players will feature among the best preseason tips as it stands.
Wolves Prediction For 2022/23:
Wolves have a knack for getting results, but the second half of last season was alarming.
A managerial change in 2022/23 feels likely. They are always a candidate to make a significant signing, however, which could change our Premier League prediction for the Molineux outfit.
For now, though, avoiding relegation would be a decent season given their quiet window.
For all the concern about this squad and Lage’s management, Wolves should have just enough to stay up. There will be at least three worse teams.
Wolves Premier League prediction: 17th
