How Liverpool target Matheus Nunes has “caused Wolves problems”

Wolves seek revenge against Liverpool this weekend as the Reds face a possible future signing of Matheus Nunes.
Jürgen Klopp’s side suffered the disappointment of elimination by Brighton in the FA Cup last Sunday as they continue their season of woes.
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How Liverpool target Matheus Nunes ’caused problems for Wolves’

Wolves seek revenge against Liverpool this weekend as the Reds face a possible future signing of Matheus Nunes.

Jürgen Klopp’s side suffered the disappointment of elimination by Brighton in the FA Cup last Sunday as they continue their season of woes.

However, Liverpool have had a full week on the training ground in preparation for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Molineux. The Reds have reached a stage where they cannot drop many points in the race for the top four while Wolves are still in the relegation battle.

Ahead of the match, we spoke to Daniel Baylis on the Wolves 77 Club Podcast (@77ClubPodcast) to find out more about life under Julen Lopetegui, Liverpool’s season and more.

How do you rate Wolves’ season so far?

Quite poor until the arrival of Julen Lopetegui.

We sometimes play attractive football, but we’ve also been prone to getting caught up with long balls and set pieces. Aside from there being little threat from the other side, the season looked like a potential disaster.

Fortunately, our form seems to have turned around. Wolves are playing much better and scoring goals.

We started scoring points in really important games, including at Goodison Park and against West Ham at home. We were by far the better side against Aston Villa but were taken down by a long ball after missing our chances. The problem is that we still haven’t found a reliable goalscorer. Raul Jimenez is not the same man after his injury, Hwang Hee-chan is struggling to make a real impact and does not make me want to start with Diego Costa.

Matheus Cunha joined the team in January and had some promising highlights. I hope he can score his first goal in the next two games and keep this form.

The old wolves of a few seasons ago may not quite be back, but we are taking steps in the right direction.

How is Lopetegui so far? You can see that Lopetegui has given the players something to believe in and has a more attacking approach than Bruno Lage.

Given that he made six signings in January, some of whom have solid Premier League experience, it’s clear there are some players he doesn’t favour.

We hope that the new acquisitions can have an immediate impact.

The real test is next month, with matches against Southampton, Bournemouth and Fulham. Points from these games can take us away from the last pack and looking up instead of down. What has changed stylistically compared to Lage?

Lopetegui brings out the full-backs Wolves have been clamoring for for the past 18 months.

Lage was too negative and his full-backs would get nosebleeds if they ever crossed the halfway line.

In recent weeks it has been very positive to see players like Nelson Semedo and Hugo Bueno step up and create chances.

This has given Ruben Neves the freedom to play the cross-field balls he is so admired for and could make Wolves a real threat again in the future. Have there been players who have excelled or failed this season?

Young players like Nathan Collins and Bueno have become reliable starters and both seem to be gaining confidence game after game.

I was impressed with both.

Neves is now a great player and shows how good he really is.

I know Liverpool have been linked with Nunes and you can see why – he has real talent but has been stubborn at times with his death which has caused problems for Wolves. The only real disappointment lately has been Jose Sa.

The keeper was at fault for a few goals, had a few blunders and some of his kicks look like he’s wearing bricks for boots.

How do you rate Liverpool’s campaign so far?

Really poor to be honest. It’s surprising to see a team that has been so dominant over the past two seasons fall out of favor.

It was shocking to let a Wolves reserve XI score three goals at Anfield. I also watched the Brighton game and didn’t think Liverpool would ever be completely outclassed by them.

It feels like one of those seasons where Liverpool need a little reset, some fresh legs in the summer and a comeback.

Where do you think the two teams will finish this season?

I think it’s too early in the Lopetegui era to predict where we’ll end up, but I’ll try.

Even though the football is much better, the goals need to be more consistent, otherwise we could still be in trouble. From what I’ve seen so far, the optimist in me says we’re comfortable outside the relegation zone and will finish somewhere between 12th and 14th.

Which Reds player would you most like to have at Wolves?

Mohamed Salah is world class and seems to find the net fun even when he is offside.

We desperately need a goalscorer, so that’s a given.

Looking ahead to Saturday, where are the key fights? It will be in the middle of the field.

I truly believe Wolves now have the quality to dominate midfield vs. midfield battles and the bottom halves of the table.

If we can dominate there and take a chance – a big question I know – I think Wolves can give Liverpool a really good game this weekend.

What’s your prediction?