Wolves in prime position to claim Europa League crown
At the start of 2013, many Wolves fans would have laughed hysterically if you suggested they would be playing in the Europa League this year.
The West Midlands outfit were preparing for life in the third tier of English football after finishing 23rd in the Championship.
In fact, Wolves finished 15th, 17th and 20th before they eventually dropped down into League One. Problems on and off the pitch looked set to cause chaos, but they topped the table 10 months later with 103 points.
Kenny Jackett steered them out of the division and they have since been coached by Walter Zenga, Paul Lambert and current main man Nuno Espirito Santo.
After four years in the Championship, Wolves returned to the Premier League in 2018 before finishing seventh last year under Nuno.
Not only did they avoid relegation, they also qualified for the Europa League and they are now showing serious potential as they try to win the competition.
Wolves’ season started as early as July 2019 and there were serious doubts last September about whether they could compete on two fronts.
Four games without a win put pressure on Nuno although his team have come through and proved their credentials as European challengers.
Wolves are still as big as 9/1 to win the Europa League but Thursday’s 4-0 success over Espanyol could be the start of something special at Molineux.
Yes, Espanyol are bottom of LaLiga, but Wolves carved them open with style and finesse, with Diogo Jota scoring a hat-trick.
https://twitter.com/Wolves/status/1230864083232153601?s=20
Midfielder Ruben Neves then scored one of his stunning goals and Wolves are effectively through to the last 16.
In less than six years, Wolves have gone from playing Crawley Town in League One to potentially taking on some of Europe’s biggest names.
The togetherness is there to see and the players are all singing from the same hymn sheet. Their formation works perfectly and it would be very hard to drop any of their first-team stars.
Adama Traore continues to improve, while Raul Jimenez may be one of the best No.9s in the Premier League.
Owners Fosun have backed Nuno in the transfer market and the future is bright for Wolves.
The likes of Inter Milan, Arsenal, Roma and Manchester United remain in the Europa League.
However, Wolves have what it takes to get their hands on the trophy and then start planning for life in the Champions League.
