[ad_pod ]
At 2-0 up with 11 minutes to go, Wolves would have thought their place in the FA Cup final was in the bag.
Everything was going swimmingly well courtesy of goals from Matt Doherty and club record signing Raul Jimenez.
However, it was substitutes made in both camps that turned the game on its head. Unfortunately for Wolves, it was a key misjudgement from Nuno Santo which cost them another day out in the capital, falling to a 3-2 defeat.
Subs prove key
There wasn’t much Wolves could do about the game-changing influence of Gerard Deulofeu when he came on. He has undoubtedly been one of Watford’s best players this season and the way he proved key last Sunday summed that up in a nutshell.
But it was Nuno ditching one of the club’s core values this term that cost them the game. On so many occasions Wolves have displayed a fearless attitude and a resilient nature to get them over the line. The fact they’ve taken 13 points from top six sides shows that.
In making such defensive substitutions late on, Nuno cost his team the game and reverted away from that fearless determination they’ve shown with such regularity.
It’s understandable to sit back on a lead so late in the game but considering it went so far from what one of the values their manager has instilled in the team it seems bizarre.
Taking Ruben Neves off with four minutes left hindered Wolves significantly. They missed a calming, reassuring figure in midfield and someone capable of carrying the ball forward. Even though he didn’t have his best game it was a questionable decision, especially considering there was the potential of extra time.
A Wolves fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the club in the video below…
And lone behold, the game did go to an extra 30 minutes. Joao Moutinho was also brought off and in the process, there was an alarming gap between defence and attack. Wolves now only had one midfielder on the pitch in Leander Dendoncker and lost all sense of fluidity.
Having decided to sit back and invite pressure so heavily, is it really any surprise they lost? Probably not. Nuno has struggled to find a plan B this season and this only reiterates the problem he has.