#2 – What do the statistics suggest?
As far as attacking stats are concerned, Wolves prefer to attack from the wider areas. With 79% of their attacks coming from either left or right flank, Wolves occupy the second spot among all other premier league teams. Although the club has netted only nine times until now, the club has failed to score in a match only once (against Leicester). Another interesting feature of Wolves is their goals from open play. The West Midlands Club has scored 7 goals (joint sixth highest in the league) from open play which is equal to Liverpool and Manchester United and is more than Tottenham.
The passing percentage of Wolverhampton is 79.2% (ranked 11). Irrespective of being a promoted club, Wolves have tenth highest passing numbers per game. The team averages 458 passes per game which is superior to teams like Everton (437), Bournemouth (431) and Burnley (391). The promoted teams are expected to play direct football but Nuno’s team contradicts this statement. With an average of 377 short passes out of total 458, Wolves impressive 82.31% makes it eleventh best short passing team in the league.
The Club hit an average of 13.8 shots per game and 7.8 dribbles per match which is eighth best among all its compatriots. The team is fifth best in the air as well with an average of 20.6 aerial duels won per match which has a significant contribution towards their 2 set piece goals in eight matches.
Wolves enjoy an average possession of 47.2 in first eight games including matches against both Manchester clubs. It ranks them 12th in the league. In a run of games until now, the team registered a highest 58.9% possession against Burnley. The Club managed to keep the ball relatively less against Manchester United and Manchester City with only 35.5% and 28.9% possession respectively.
The possession stats are expected to improve with easier fixtures lined up next for the team. Another positive data suggests that the team is sixth best in keeping the ball away from their defensive one third. According to stats, the team has 73% touches in middle and opposition one third until now. The team also registers an average of 18 crosses per game which is joint sixth highest in the league. This makes Wolves one of the most exciting teams to watch recently.