Wolves’ “quality” star can be unstoppable for Pereira

Vitor Pereira’s fantastic start to life in England shows no signs of stopping anytime soon after his rejuvenated Wolverhampton Wanderers side picked up a 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur last time out.

Two wins on the trot were also collected before this hard-fought share of the points was clinched in North London, as the Old Gold hierarchy now feel smug that they’ve seemingly replaced Gary O’Neil with the best possible successor.

Of course, this honeymoon period could soon come to a crashing end when a first Premier League loss inevitably greets Pereira, but he is working his magic so far on breathing life back into what was a beleaguered camp under the previous regime.

Improved Wolves performers under Pereira

Many stars that had arguably downed tools under O’Neil are now back to their best under the fresh methods of the Portuguese boss, as Rayan Ait Nouri helped himself to two assists in the action-packed draw with Spurs.

From his 87 touches of the ball, the entertaining Algerian would notch up three key passes, which included a fine assist finding Jorgen Strand Larsen who thundered an effort past Fraser Forster as just three minutes remained on the clock.

Moreover, away from the likes of Ait Nouri and Larsen standing out in attack, Pereira has made the Old Gold defence a far tougher one to breach since entering the dug-out, with the likes of Santiago Bueno and Matt Doherty collecting back-to-back clean sheets in the two wins before this frantic affair.

But, there is another forward player at the relegation-threatened club that has really benefited from O’Neil’s exit too, as Hwang Hee-chan now boasts two goals from his last two Premier League appearances since Pereira’s arrival onto the scene.

Hwang’s performances under Pereira

On only his third start of the season in the league, the South Korean gem would fire home this delightful effort after a cleverly taken free-kick by Ait Nouri found him eager to make an early impact.

The revitalised 28-year-old would also ensure Wolves had a second goal next to their name to further humiliate the Red Devils on Boxing Day, as Pereira’s decision to give the previously frozen-out attacker increased minutes since his appointment continues to pay off.

Stating prior to the Spurs draw that Hwang is a player of “high quality”, the 44-year-old will hope his confidence being significantly boosted will see him reach the heights he managed to achieve last season for the Old Gold with 12 goals coming his way in top-flight action.

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In an alternate reality, the former Al-Shabab boss wouldn’t even have the lively number 11 at his disposal now, with a deal for Hwang to exit Molineux this summer for Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille nearly getting off the ground.

As per journalist Nathan Juddah, there was even suggestion earlier this month that a January exit was on the cards for the ‘unhappy’ marksman, with the trip to Spurs just his third league start of the campaign:

Thankfully, no such deal was signed off on in the end, as Pereira now relies on the ex-RB Leipzig man to give his team even more attacking potency, away from just depending on Matheus Cunha and Larsen who are also overflowing with confidence.

Hwang will pray that this isn’t just a temporary purple patch, with more goals potentially coming his way when Wolves face off against Nuno Espirito Santo’s high-flying Nottingham Forest deep into the New Year.

With positive results coming against Man United and Ange Postecoglou’s topsy-turvy outfit, it won’t be a foregone conclusion that Forest will stroll to a win versus the Old Gold, especially if Hwang is on his A-Game once more.

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