Online Reporter
MARSHAL Munetsi and his teammates will need to dig deep as Wolves seek redemption during the transitional phase.
Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Chelsea was the first Wolves game after the firing of Vitor Pereira, as manager and Munetsi, for a change, also started on the bench.
The Zimbabwe international, who will not be part of the Warriors squad facing Algeria and Qatar during this international break, was introduced in the 70th minute for Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.
The only shots of note from Wolves after they were 2-0 down included a 30-yard effort by Bellegarde and a strike from the man who replaced him, Munetsi, after a poor Marc Cucurella back pass.
For Munetsi, the timing for such huge challenges may not be ideal if Zimbabwe’s interests are put into consideration.
He is the vice-captain for the Warriors and one of the most influential players in the team, expected to lead them at the AFCON finals in Morocco.
On Saturday, Chelsea did not allow Wolves — led temporarily by academy coaches James Collins and Richard Walker until the expected appointment of Middlesbrough manager Rob Edwards — a shot before the interval.
Meanwhile, Chelsea had multiple efforts saved from Alejandro Garnacho and Enzo Fernandez, with Joao Pedro going closest when he dragged an effort just wide before half-time.
After a frustrating half, Gusto headed in the first goal from close range at the far post after a cross from Garnacho.
Substitute Estevao Willian had been on the pitch for just 68 seconds before he set up his fellow Brazilian Joao Pedro for the second goal. Garnacho then started a counter-attack and crossed for Neto to make it 3-0.
The Wolves job is seen as a dream role for incoming manager Edwards as he arranges his departure from Middlesbrough.
The 42-year-old made more than 100 appearances for Wolves between 2004 and 2008, and his family still lives in the Midlands.
It will be interesting how the new manager views Munetsi in his plans as Wolves seek for a solution to get out of the mud.
But this is a tough time to join a bottom-of-the-table club who have not won since April.
Wolves took 61 minutes to register a shot on goal. They managed just three shots in the match — none on target — and had only 35.5 percent possession.
However, they showed resilience until conceding in the 51st minute.
That could give Edwards a foundation to build on, but the challenge is huge. No club has survived with as few as two points after 11 games in Premier League history.
Their spirit could help, but Wolves face major problems and potentially lack that underlying quality from their players to survive. — Zimpapers Sports Hub/BBC Sport.
