Wolves 2022-23 season review: The end of an era – and a campaign without much joy

It is a season most Wolverhampton Wanderers fans will be happy to see the back of.

With not enough goals (again), not enough wins (again) and not enough excitement (again) it is not a campaign that will leave many happy memories.

But it did feel like the definitive end of an era with the final remnants of the glorious Nuno Espirito Santo era either outliving their usefulness to Wolves or reaching the natural end of a cycle.

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Interesting times lie ahead. But first, a look back at 2022-23.

The high point

The debate over this will not take long. It has not been a season overflowing with joy but, especially towards the end of the campaign, there were some moments to gladden the heart.

Wolves’ survival was eventually confirmed as they enjoyed a relaxing Sunday after beating Aston Villa at home. It followed a spell where they had dragged themselves out of the mire incrementally.

The Villa victory was key, as was the unexpected demolition of Liverpool at Molineux in February and the battling 10-man win at Southampton. But the best moment was the final whistle in the 2-0 home win against Brentford on April 15.

Not only was it the best all-round team display of the season to see off a good side comfortably, but it was also the victory that gave Julen Lopetegui’s side a seven-point advantage over the bottom three and convinced most fans that they would be safe.

The low point

So many to choose from, regrettably.

But it was just hours after Wolves had confirmed the appointment of Lopetegui that the mood of cautious optimism was punctured dramatically by Pascal Gross.

The performance at home against Brighton & Hove Albion was that of a team who, new head coach or not, seemed destined to be relegated.

Under interim boss Steve Davis, they fought back from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 with goals from Goncalo Guedes and Ruben Neves but the performance was undermined by shambolic defending, culminating in Nelson Semedo’s straight red card before half-time for bundling over Kaoru Mitoma.

Was it harsh? Perhaps. But the defending that led to it was shocking and the subsequent winning goal from Gross left Wolves fans feeling incredibly pessimistic about their chances, even with a new man at the helm.

Goal of the season

He might have had an underwhelming first season in the Premier League, but no Wolves fan who was present for Matheus Nunes’ goal at home to Chelsea will forget it in a hurry.

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When Kalidou Koulibaly’s misdirected header found its way to Nunes outside the Chelsea box at a difficult angle, it was clear what the Portugal international was shaping up to do.

But few fans genuinely expected the shot to arc over Kepa Arrizabalaga and nestle in the top corner.

It had shades of Marco van Basten’s iconic strike against the USSR at Euro ’88 and, more importantly, it secured a huge victory at an important point in the season.

Biggest issue they need to fix for next season

Chance creation. While Lopetegui has generally tightened things up in defence, his side have continued to struggle in attacking areas, scoring just 23 goals in his 22 Premier League games in charge — the fifth-lowest tally in the league since the Spaniard took charge.

They have now averaged one goal a game or less for three successive Premier League seasons. The problem is clear.

Funniest moment

It hasn’t been a season rich with comedy. In fact, it has been grim at times.

But even though it was fairly crude humour, it was difficult not to giggle at Gary Lineker and Co being drowned out by the sounds of a pornographic film as they presented coverage of the FA Cup replay against Liverpool live from Molineux.

The prank might not exactly have been behaviour to be encouraged. But hey, it provided a moment of levity in a miserable campaign.

Weirdest thing the manager said

“You are pregnant or you are not pregnant. Until we are pregnant, we are not pregnant.”

We kind of knew what Lopetegui meant. You are not safe from relegation until it is mathematically confirmed.

But delivered in the midst of a fairly serious press conference, with a relegation battle ongoing, it didn’t quite work.

Player the fans will happily never see again

Guedes. And the feeling is mutual. Wolves paid £28million ($34.6m) to sign the Portugal forward from Valencia and he looked like a misfit from day one.

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Guedes never seemed happy at Wolves and Wolves never seemed happy with him.

It was little surprise when he was sent to Benfica on loan in January and it would be a big shock if he pulls on a Wolves shirt again.

The only unanswered question is how Wolves will manage his exit — and how much it will cost them.

Stat that sums them up

Wolves had just 41 ‘big chances’ this season according to Opta, who define ‘big chances’ as opportunities from which a team should reasonably be expected to score.

It was the lowest number in the Premier League by some distance and sums up the biggest problem Wolves have faced.

Premier League 2022-23 - big chances

Reason to be optimistic for next season

Joao Gomes, Hugo Bueno, Max Kilman and Nunes: young players who have had mixed seasons in various ways but who should logically build on some encouraging signs from the current campaign.

With Wolves set to usher in a new era, their younger players will have a big role to play in determining how successful it is.

Predicted finish for next season

Given the financial constraints which are now becoming clear, it would be optimistic to expect a push for Europe.

But given the talent already in the squad, they should have enough to steer clear of relegation again, and hopefully to provide more excitement than fans have witnessed in recent years. So I will say 15th.

(Top photos: Getty Images)