Was it the manager or the players? Exhaustion, injuries or something more sinister?
There was no Raul Jimenez, Pedro Neto or Jonny Castro Otto at Molineux during yesterday’s 4-0 home defeat to Burnley. But, for many Wolves supporters, the excuses are starting to wear thin.
When Wolverhampton Wanderers went 2-0 up inside six minutes of the opening day clash with Sheffield United – Jimenez’s stunning volley getting the season off to the perfect start – there was no sign of what was to come.
Flash forward seven months and a miserable season is limping to a miserable conclusion. Sunday’s four-goal shellacking by Sean Dyche’s side felt like a rock bottom moment for a team failing to show even the briefest flicker of leadership, desire or team spirit.
The Europa League sojourn of 12 months ago, when Matt Doherty, Diogo Jota and Jimenez were strutting their stuff on the continental stage, feels like light years ago.
So what now? Do Wolves embark on a dramatic summer overhaul and get rid of the likes of Conor Coady, Willy Boly and Ruben Neves – once-reliable performers whose form has dropped off a cliff in recent months.
Or do they make a change elsewhere? In the dugout, perhaps?
The Express reports Tottenham Hotspur have identified Nuno Espirito Santo as a potential successor for Jose Mourinho.
And, given the likes of Bruno Lage, Gennaro Gattuso, Rui Faria and Vitor Pereira have all been mentioned as potential Nuno replacements, the phrase ‘no smoke without fire’ springs to mind.
Nuno, the former Porto and Valencia boss, is unquestionably a modern-day legend at Wolves. He’s the man who took them from the depths of the Championship and made fans dream of European glory.
But nothing lasts forever. And while even the despair of 2020/21 won’t destroy Nuno’s legacy, there’s a nagging feeling a juncture has been reached, a fork in the road.
Is it time for Wolves and Nuno to shake hands, say goodbye and go their separate ways?
Here’s what some Wolves fans had to say on Twitter following the Burnley defeat:
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