Online Reporter
Wolves picked up a massive three points in their quest for English Premier League football survival by beating Bournemouth on the road on Saturday.
Wolves entered their clash at the Vitality Stadium above the relegation zone by two points, but a 1-0 victory over Bournemouth thanks to Matheus Cunha’s strike saw Vitor Pereira’s men create a five-point gap.
Defeats for Leicester City last Friday night and Ipswich Town on Saturday saw the Old Gold capitalise after Illia Zabarnyi was shown a red card for his challenge on Rayan Ait-Nouri.
But even before the hosts were reduced to 10 men, the visitors carried a threat on the counter-attack and had multiple chances to score, including through Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.
Alongside Bellegarde and Cunha, Pereira handed Zimbabwean midfielder Marshall Munetsi his first start for Wolves, and the Portuguese tactician was seriously impressed by his display.
Signed from Stade Reims for £16.6m on transfer deadline day, Munetsi has come off the bench in the last two outings — the win over Blackburn and the defeat at Liverpool.
Some noticed Munetsi playing close to the striker in those clashes, but in Friday’s press conference, Pereira suggested he sees him as more of an advanced midfielder.
In the win over Bournemouth, the 28-year-old was used as one of two attacking midfielders in the first half, but after Joao Gomes was substituted, he was dropped into a deeper role.
Regardless of what type of talent he’s seen as, Munetsi is relentless at both ends of the pitch, with Pereira praising his ability to attack the opposition’s box and then defend 30 seconds later.
“What I’m asking him to do is to help the team as a midfielder and to appear from the back into the box. And he has again a situation to score, and it was not today, but every time he appears there, he has a chance to score,” Pereira said via Wolves’ official website.
“But what I like in this player is the guy who can miss a goal in the opponent’s box and then, after 30 seconds, he is defending in our box.
“This is what we wanted when we looked for him. We wanted to find a physical midfielder who can support the other two midfielders.”
Munetsi must improve in one key area at Wolves. Munetsi is different in profile from the likes of Andre and Gomes, offering a more physically imposing build and a greater attacking threat.
The Zimbabwe star capped off his debut with an assist for Cunha’s strike but should have gotten on the score-sheet himself, shooting wide of the target in the second half despite being right in front of the goal.
This has become a recurring theme for the midfielder, as Munetsi missed a golden chance against Blackburn and was then denied by Alisson in the loss at Liverpool.
To take his game to the next level and become a match-winner for his side, he must become clinical in these situations. If he does, he could become unplayable in the middle of the park.
Wolves boosted their chances of securing Premier League survival with a vital win away to Bournemouth.
The Old Gold fought against the odds to win 1-0 down on the south coast.
The travelling support were jubilant after the loyal Matheus Cunha gave Wolves the lead in the first half.
Bournemouth were a man down after Illia Zabarnyi saw red for a poor tackle on Rayan Ait-Nouri minutes earlier.
And forced into an important half-time decision with his side leading 1-0, Vitor Pereira proved he learned from a previous costly mistake.
Zabarnyi’s red card wasn’t the first time Wolves found themselves with a one-man advantage this season.
Myles Lewis-Skelly was shown a straight red in last month’s clash at Molineux, but the Midlands side failed to capitalise after Joao Gomes was also sent off against Arsenal. The end result saw the Old Gold fall to a narrow 1-0 defeat, and Pereira criticised for his decision not to substitute the feisty Brazilian. Joao Gomes picked up another yellow against Bournemouth — just minutes before the half-time break — the Wolves manager didn’t make the same mistake again, though.
Clearly sharing the same concerns, the 56-year-old opted to replace Joao Gomes with the recently returned Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Despite Pereira managing in eight different countries throughout his career, the Wolves boss clearly isn’t too arrogant not to correct past mistakes.
Understanding the importance of Saturday’s match-up, the Portuguese boss knew he couldn’t risk a repeat of the Arsenal defeat.
Of course, having Munetsi, who signed on Deadline Day, available, made Pereira’s decision to sub Joao Gomes a lot easier, but took nothing away from his solution, which, had it not been found, could’ve cost the Old Gold dearly. — Molineux.com/Sports Reporter.
