Wolves Player Ratings: What to take away from loss vs. Nottingham Forest?
By Mason Auman
Wolverhampton Wanderers had a chance to put some distance between themselves and the drop zone, had they found a way to grind out even a point from their match against Nottingham Forest on January 6. But Nuno Espírito Santo — Wolves' beloved former manager — fielded a Forest team that proved too difficult to break down.
After conceding early from a patented Forest quick counter, Wolves seemed likely to equalize or even overtake the visitors. Jørgen Strand Larsen was stuffed twice by goalkeeper Matz Sels during a sustained onslaught of Wolves pressure. But in this game, it only takes a moment for things to turn. Callum Hudson-Odoi certifiably cooked Matt Doherty with a blistering carry down the left wing before pulling one back to the middle onto the foot of Kiwi Chris Wood for the second goal.
In the second half, a microcosm of the league's season against Nottingham Forest continued to play out — the latter's anti-possession style frustrating their opponent with disciplined defending and lethal counter-attacking. Despite Wolves manager Vítor Pereira's roll of the dice in the form of substitutions, his team seemed to run out of ideas around the 75th minute.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Nottingham Forest Premier League player ratings:
Take a look below for our Wolverhampton Wanderers player ratings.
Goalkeeper and defenders
José Sá (GK): 6
While the goals conceded were not necessarily the fault of Sá, he seemed pretty loose with his distribution out of the back - offering Forest a few opportunities to extend their lead even further.
Matt Doherty (RB): 6.5
With one meaningful aforementioned exception, Doherty did reasonably well defending against the threat of Callum Hudson-Odoi. He kept close and made sure to handle most mounted threats with calm coverage and a no-nonsense clearance. Having said that, his role in this match did dictate some forward movement. In that respect, he offered very little.
Hugo Bueno (CB): 6
Wolves' lone center-back Hugo Bueno wasn't able to effectively get goalside on any of Forest's rapid counter-attacks. We can chalk that up to the quality of the opposition to be charitable. Toward the end-of-game push, Bueno provided some strong midfield pressure.
Rayan Aït-Nouri (LB): 7
Despite being caught a step behind Wood for Forest's second goal, Aït-Nouri was a relative bright spot for Wolves. He offered dynamic movement forward for the entirety of the match and seemed most likely to unlock the Forest defensive scheme in the second half with one of his crosses from the byline.
Midfielders
Pedro Lima (RW): 6.5
The youngster was a willing runner throughout the duration of his time on the pitch and proved to be confident on the ball as well as off of it. Ultimately, though, he was unable to imprint himself on the game before being subbed off in the 59th minute.
Tommy Doyle (RM): 6
Tommy Doyle was good for a brave block early on in the match but otherwise faded away in the midfield.
João Gomes (LM): 7
The Brazilian midfielder was an essential part of some excellent left-wing linkups, especially in the first half. His combinations with Rodrigo Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan fueled Wolves' hunt for an equalizer before half time. Speaking of...
Rodrigo Gomes (LW): 7.5
Rodrigo Gomes started the game on the left wing before moving into a number 10 role in the last 20 minutes. He was responsible for much of Wolves positive movement and provided a laser cross into the box for striker Jørgen Strand Larsen, who wasn't able to beat an alert Matz Sels.
Forwards
Gonçalo Guedes (CAM): 5
The Portuguese attacking midfielder offered virtually nothing during his time on the pitch, with minimal touches and no real threat to speak of.
Hwang Hee-chan (CAM): 6
The often-punishing Korean attacker had an inoffensive but insufficient day out. A few positive movements and a period of threatening carries into the box weren't enough for Hwang to get himself or a teammate on the scoresheet.
Jørgen Strand Larsen (S): 7
The Norwegian target-man exhibited some great hold-up play and registered three shots on target. He'll have a hard time sleeping tonight thinking of those chances "missed," but Sels was not to be beaten on this particular day.
Substitutes
- Jean-Ricner Bellegarde: 6
- Mario Lemina: 6.5
- Pablo Sarabia: 6
- Carlos Forbs: 6
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