Wolves have now failed to secure a victory in any of their opening 10 league fixtures for the second consecutive season.
“Embarrassing,” declared Sam Johnstone.
The Wolves goalkeeper offered a scathing assessment of his team’s performance following a dismal 3-0 defeat at Fulham, a result that leaves them in danger of being cut adrift at the bottom of the Premier League table.
“It’s simply not good enough, and we need to improve drastically. We should feel embarrassed, and while they may not want to hear it, we owe the fans an apology,” the England international stated.
“We are giving it our all and must continue to push forward. We have talented players, and we need to turn this situation around quickly.”
Wolves are currently eight points adrift from safety, having failed to win any of their opening 10 matches – mirroring their start to the previous season, where their first victory came in the 11th game.
The team has suffered eight defeats in those 10 games, securing only two points, and currently holds the joint lowest goal-scoring record, coupled with the league’s leakiest defense.
While owners Fosun are reportedly reluctant to dismiss manager Vitor Pereira, a failure to reverse their fortunes, either through improved results or changes in personnel, could see Wolves facing relegation to the Championship.
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Wolves performance ‘was not my team’ – Pereira
When pressed to explain what went wrong at Fulham, Johnstone responded: “Pretty much everything – I’m being completely honest.”
“It’s difficult to articulate. There’s a lot of raw emotion, and it’s a very difficult atmosphere in there [the dressing room].”
Wolves supporters once again voiced their displeasure at the players as they approached the end of the match, turning their anger towards Pereira once more.
The defeat bore all the hallmarks of a team destined for relegation: conceding an early goal, seeing Emmanuel Agbadou receive a red card in the 36th minute following a Fulham counter-attack, and a comical own goal from Yerson Mosquera.
Pereira stated on Friday that he did not believe the club was in crisis, but rather experiencing a “crisis of results.” However, the performance at Craven Cottage has undoubtedly set alarm bells ringing.
No team has ever survived in the Premier League with just two points after 10 games. Furthermore, of the previous 20 sides who remained winless after 10 games of a top-flight season, 14 were ultimately relegated.
Last season, Wolves had accumulated three points after drawing 2-2 with Crystal Palace on November 2nd. While they managed to survive after replacing Gary O’Neil with Pereira, the situation appears more precarious this time around.
“I don’t have the definitive answer [to how Wolves can buck the trend], but I can respond by asking, do you think it was realistic for a club like Wolves to win six consecutive games last season?” Pereira questioned.
“It’s a very difficult feat, even for the biggest teams. That is my response.”
Will Pereira be afforded the opportunity to turn things around, however?
“I’m doing my utmost, working diligently to support my players and the club. I cannot control the timeline or the degree of confidence the club has in our work,” he added.
“What I can say is that my staff and I are trying everything – adjusting the system, changing the players – to help the team perform and achieve results.”
A 3-2 defeat by Burnley last Sunday – where Wolves were beaten by a side content with a point with 15 minutes remaining – and Wednesday’s 4-3 Carabao Cup home loss to Chelsea at least showcased some spirit and fight.
However, they appeared listless at Fulham, committing errors – including Santi Bueno’s mistake that led to Ryan Sessegnon’s opening goal – leaving Pereira disillusioned by the depth of their struggles during his tenure.
“It was the worst [performance],” said the Portuguese manager, whose side last tasted victory against Leicester City on April 26th.
“I felt my team lacked the physical conditioning to compete with Fulham. We made tactical errors, and our technical execution was lacking. We missed numerous passes and movements, and conceded the first goal.”
“The game itself wasn’t particularly exciting for either us or Fulham, but after the red card, it became exceptionally difficult.”
Emmanuel Agbadou had been recalled to Wolves’ Premier League team for the Fulham trip
Pereira and his players are expected to hold a meeting, likely on Monday, to dissect the events that transpired.
The manager prefers to avoid excessive commentary immediately after games, fearing that his message could be misinterpreted or that he might say something regrettable in the heat of the moment. Therefore, discussions will take place at their Compton training base to try to resolve their issues.
“We need to engage in a collective conversation to understand what occurred, as we didn’t perform at the level we need to,” Pereira stated.
“I want to hear from the players and understand their perspectives on the pitch, both tactically, physically, and mentally. I must speak with them, but not immediately after a game when we are frustrated and unable to have a productive discussion in the dressing room.”
“During the next training session, we will talk, and I will try to understand what was lacking on the pitch because we are capable of performing at a higher level than what we displayed.”
“I need to understand what happened. As a manager, when you don’t achieve results, what do you do? You try to identify solutions.”
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