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No team in the whole Championship has seen less of the ball at home than Wanderers this season – and that isn’t likely to change this weekend against Wolves.
Phil Parkinson’s side have enjoyed an average of just 44.3 per cent possession in their 21 games at the Macron Stadium thus far and yet they have taken more points in front of their own fans than any other team in the relegation race.
Every one of Wanderers’ nine league wins this season have been achieved without the lion’s share of the ball. And if a major shock is to be registered on Saturday, team shape and organisation will be paramount against players of Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota’s ilk.
Wolves have lost just two of their last 15 games and now promoted, need just one more point from their final three games to secure the title.
Their success has been built on a lightning-quick ability to break and slice through opposition sides rather than an out-and-out possession game, yet only four other clubs have had more of the ball than the champions-elect.
Moments of individual quality – especially from Portuguese play-maker Neves – have often turned tight games Wolves’ way, entirely substantiating their substantial outlays in the transfer market.
Parkinson would argue each and every one of his team’s points this season has been earned the hard way.
“You look at the games where we have had more possession this season and it generally hasn’t gone our way,” Parkinson told The Bolton News last week. “For us to be at our best we have to be absolutely flat out.
“Yes, there are times we can be better on the ball and make better decisions.
“But we look at the numbers and you can see in the games where we haven’t got points, that’s where we haven’t been at our maximum.”
A real danger for Wanderers is the temptation to look past this weekend towards the final two games against Burton Albion and Nottingham Forest, presumably deemed more winnable by most.
But Parkinson, whose homework on opponents is rarely anything other than exhaustive, will know Wolves, though impressive, are not infallible.
The Whites boss may pick up hints from the way Cardiff City blustered their way to a 2-1 win back in August, or QPR’s high-pressing game at Loftus Road in October to take three points by the same score-line.
Aston Villa’s 4-1 win at Wolves last month raised eyebrows all over the Championship but Steve Bruce was quick to acknowledge the impressive score-line had been as much to do with his team’s defensive effort as their ruthlessness in front of goal.
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Phil Parkinson’s side have enjoyed an average of just 44.3 per cent possession in their 21 games at the Macron Stadium thus far and yet they have taken more points in front of their own fans than any other team in the relegation race.
Every one of Wanderers’ nine league wins this season have been achieved without the lion’s share of the ball. And if a major shock is to be registered on Saturday, team shape and organisation will be paramount against players of Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota’s ilk.
Wolves have lost just two of their last 15 games and now promoted, need just one more point from their final three games to secure the title.
Their success has been built on a lightning-quick ability to break and slice through opposition sides rather than an out-and-out possession game, yet only four other clubs have had more of the ball than the champions-elect.
Moments of individual quality – especially from Portuguese play-maker Neves – have often turned tight games Wolves’ way, entirely substantiating their substantial outlays in the transfer market.
Parkinson would argue each and every one of his team’s points this season has been earned the hard way.
“You look at the games where we have had more possession this season and it generally hasn’t gone our way,” Parkinson told The Bolton News last week. “For us to be at our best we have to be absolutely flat out.
“Yes, there are times we can be better on the ball and make better decisions.
“But we look at the numbers and you can see in the games where we haven’t got points, that’s where we haven’t been at our maximum.”
A real danger for Wanderers is the temptation to look past this weekend towards the final two games against Burton Albion and Nottingham Forest, presumably deemed more winnable by most.
But Parkinson, whose homework on opponents is rarely anything other than exhaustive, will know Wolves, though impressive, are not infallible.
The Whites boss may pick up hints from the way Cardiff City blustered their way to a 2-1 win back in August, or QPR’s high-pressing game at Loftus Road in October to take three points by the same score-line.
Aston Villa’s 4-1 win at Wolves last month raised eyebrows all over the Championship but Steve Bruce was quick to acknowledge the impressive score-line had been as much to do with his team’s defensive effort as their ruthlessness in front of goal.
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