Sunday’s Premier League battle between Wolves and the Hammers saw the former fail to build momentum on a top 4 spot with them suffering their second loss to a London club this week, this time to West Ham United.
In what was expected to be a close matchup with both clubs fighting for European contention, the match ended 1-0 with West Ham’s Tomas Soucek scoring the game’s only goal in the 59th minute.
Wolves, however, had the most possession and started off the match seemingly in control. While they are not a team that is known for their attacking prowess, failing to be clinical in on goal once again ended up being the deciding factor between them and the home side, West Ham.
Speaking after the match, however, Wolves manager, Bruno Lage, was still determined about his team remaining competitive:
"Under my command, no one is going to relax until the end of the season. I want 43 points against Crystal Palace [next week].via Express&Star"
Can Wolves Still Make Top 4?
Despite the past couple of negative results, there should still be some hope left for Lage’s Wolves to be the surprising dark horse that sneaks into the top 4 or 5 this season.
Wolves are a team that is very much aware of their own strengths and weaknesses and they never try to be anything that they aren’t. Defense is definitely their number one strength, and they’re currently in the top 4 in the PL for the least amount of goals conceded.
Their ability to hold firm at the back, leaving hardly any spaces for their opponents to squeeze into is what has given Wolves their identity. If you can’t score, then at the very least defend, and that’s exactly what the West Midlands side does best.
West Ham’s lone goal on Sunday was a rare blip in concentration for the Wolves, who were noticeably less energetic from having to make the trip to London twice in the span of four days.
Keep in mind, Wolves still have two games in hand. Compared to how some of the teams currently above them in the PL table tend to perform hot-and-cold week in and week out, those two extra games could turn out to be very beneficial in order for the Wolves to sneak in and claim a top 4 spot for their own.
Crazier things have happened in football.