#1 New men at the helm
Less than 24 hours after Wolves left West Ham United pointless on Saturday evening, it was announced that the club had parted company with head coach Bruno Lage. The Portuguese had been in charge at Compton Park since last summer, but with just one win from their opening eight Premier League matches of the competition, it was decided that a change had to be made. With Lage leaving Wolves, it was announced that under-18 and under-21 bosses Steve Davis and James Collins were going to take temporary charge of the side before a permanent head coach is appointed.
With Davis instated as interim head coach and Collins supporting him as interim assistant head coach, the pair have got to work on the training pitches this week in preparation for the visit to Stamford Bridge. Although the duo have led Wolves Academy’s under-18 and under-21 sides respectively for the past three years, Davis and Collins have previously worked together as head coach and assistant at Crewe Alexandra between 2015 and 2017. Lage’s coaching staff have also departed Molineux, with the exception of goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts, who has remained at the club to assist Davis and Collins while the search for a new manager continues.
Steve Davis and James Collins take training 📸 pic.twitter.com/QP4Nokpc8V
— Wolves (@Wolves) October 4, 2022
#2 Absences offer opportunities
When Wolves head to Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, there will be a few players who have been regulars in the team so far this season missing from the squad. Having played every minute of Premier League football since the start of August, captain Ruben Neves picked up a fifth yellow card (and his fourth in four games) at the London Stadium last weekend, which means he will miss the Chelsea fixture through suspension. Pedro Neto, who has started every match this season, suffered an ankle just 24 minutes into the West Ham game and had to be replaced by Adama Traore. Wolves’ medical team have announced that the winger will require surgery and is set to miss the World Cup this winter.
Davis and Collins will also be without Nathan Collins, who is serving the second match of his three-game suspension, and the injured attacking quartet of Hee Chan Hwang, Raul Jimenez, Chiquinho and Sasa Kalajdzic. Due to the absences, this could bring opportunities for the interim bosses to make changes to the side and give a chance to those squad members who have not seen much time on the pitch so far this season, such as Toti, Yerson Mosquera, Hugo Bueno, Connor Ronan or Chem Campbell – all of whom have played under James Collins in the under-21s this term.
#3 Costa back at his old stomping ground
One of the biggest talking points in the national media ahead of this weekend’s match will be regarding Wolves striker Diego Costa returning to the club where he won two his Premier League titles. The number 29 – who is celebrating his 34th birthday on Friday – made his first appearance in gold and black against West Ham United last weekend, coming off the bench in the 58th minute at the London Stadium and making an immediate impact, with Wolves creating several chances without being able to find the back of the net – one of which saw him leap high in the box and direct a header just narrowly wide of the post.
During three years in the Premier League with Chelsea, Costa found the back of the net 52 times in 89 outings, and if he gets the nod on Saturday, it will be the first time Costa has stepped out at Stamford Bridge in 1,972 days, when he led the line and earned an assist in a 5-1 win over Sunderland on the final day of the 2016/17 Premier League campaign. This weekend would also be the third time Costa is on the opposing side of the Blues, having played in the two legs of the 2014 Champions League semi-final with his goal earning Atletico Madrid a place in the final.
Building up to Stamford Bridge ✊ pic.twitter.com/YMNyBqs7DH
— Wolves (@Wolves) October 6, 2022
#4 Stopping the blues
Ahead of this Saturday’s fixture, Daniel Podence has been speaking to the media and insisted this weekend would be the ‘right time’ to play against Chelsea, and the winger could have a valid argument. Wolves are currently on a four-game unbeaten run against the Blues, having won just one from the previous eight meetings. Last time out at Stamford Bridge, Wolves fought back from two goals down to snatch a late last-minute draw, although the old gold are still searching for their first win at the ground since earning a 2-1 victory in March 1979.
The hosts will be celebrating manager Graham Potter’s first Premier League home match in charge of Chelsea, and they will take confidence from the fact that none of their past 14 managers in the top-flight have lost their first home game. The last time this happened was when Graham Rix and Ray Wilkins took joint-caretaker charge against Leicester City in September 2000. Wolves are also the fightback kings against Chelsea since their return to the Premier League in 2018, with the Blues dropping eight points from winning positions against the side from the Black Country – more than they have against any other side in that time.
