Five facts to know about Wolves ahead of clash with Man United
Manchester United face Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium today.
Here are five facts to know about Wolves ahead of the encounter.
Long-ball specialists
Wolves are the fifth-best long passer in the league, and that is not surprising.
Veteran centre-back Craig Dawson and former England youth international Tommy Dyle are two of the division’s best long passers.
Dawson is averaging four accurate long balls , while Dyle is tallying close to 10 long balls per game.
Dawson and Doyle are not guaranteed to start, but their long-ball proficiency has helped Wolves’ to be one of the league’s long-ball specialists.
Poor disciplinary record
Wolves are averaging 13.2 fouls per game, the highest in the division and have conceded the most penalties this season (five).
Goalkeeper Jose Sa has been one of the club’s most untidy players.The Portuguese has conceded two penalties, the joint highest in this division.
Wolves rank in the league’s standings of teams with most caution. They have received 40 yellow cards and one red card, the same as Man United.
Poor defensive record
They have conceded 40 goals, the highest in the division, and have faced more shots per game than any other team.
Besides their poor defence, Sa has been terrible. The Portuguese goalkeeper ranks bottom for goals prevented in the league this season. His 57.4% save percentage is also the lowest.
Very clinical
Wolves have one of the least expected goals , but they are one of the highest-scoring teams. They have scored 27 goals, the fifth-best tally in the division.
Most of their goals have come from open play, but they are one of the best counter-attacking sides. Just two teams have scored more goals from transition than them.
Defensive style
Wolves are not a proactive side. They are averaging 46.6% possession per game. Only six teams have a lower tally.
This is also reflected in their number of tackles. They rank joint-second for most tackles per game and only two teams have won more tackles than them.
Stats from Sofascore.com and Fbref.com
Article written by Henry Thornton .