Chris Coleman’s Sunderland limited the threat of Wolves on Saturday.
Woverhampton Wanderers have been formidable this season, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side top of the Championship having taken 48 points from 21 games, scoring 41 goals in the process.
At Molineux on Saturday, however, they were stopped in their tracks by a resilient Sunderland side who set up well to limit Wolves’ attacking threat.
Sunderland have struggled this season and are in danger of being relegated from the Championship, but manager Chris Coleman, who was appointed last month, set his side up to negate the considerable attacking threat posed by Wolves.
The approach certainly worked, with Sunderland set up in a 5-4-1 formation that saw Wolves limited to just four shots on target despite them having 23 attempts overall.
Other sides may well draw inspiration from Coleman’s methods to restrict a Wolves team that has some very dangerous players, such as Ivan Cavaleiro, Leo Bonatini and Diogo Jota.
Perhaps some of Wolves’ upcoming opponents won’t be quite as defensively-minded as Sunderland, but they could still play in a similar way to begin with, with the hope being that they could get a goal on the counter attack.
If they are given the requisite space to play then Wolves are capable of carving opponents apart with slick passing movements.
Now, however, the fear factor surrounding them may have diminished a little, with Sunderland showing that there is a way to restrict them.
Wolves must not allow themselves to be adversely affected by the Sunderland game and must attempt to play the same vibrant football that has made them such a threat this campaign. Nuno’s side are determined to win the Championship title and earn promotion to the Premier League but, on this evidence, they might not have things all their own way.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if other teams, especially those that are struggling, follow Sunderland’s blueprint when facing Wolves.
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