Wolves should give Vitinha a chance vs Newcastle | OneFootball

It’s been a rare occurrence in the last few months but Wolves go into their game with Newcastle in good form.

It has been a very tough period for the Old Gold but with just one defeat in their last six league games, things are looking rosier at Molineux.

On the chalkboard

On paper, Wolves should come through their game against the Magpies with flying colours. Newcastle are moving ever closer to the relegation zone and their style of football leaves plenty to be desired.

They sit with a low block, very rarely attack and don’t enjoy much possession. Only West Brom have a worse percentage for possession this term, with Newcastle enjoying just 41.4% of the ball on average in 2020/21.

Their pass success rate, meanwhile, is the third-worst in the top-flight. Possessing the fifth-fewest attempts at goal on average, they rarely provide enough to get forward either.

Of course, the return of Allan Saint-Maximin has helped. He picked up two assists against Southampton and then scored against Manchester United. However, he will be one of very few threats on Saturday evening.

The solution

It’s anticipated that Wolves will enjoy far more of the possession when the two sides meet tomorrow.

With that in mind, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Wolves to pack out their midfield a bit more and play a creative outlet. With Daniel Podence still out injured the burden should fall on the shoulders of Vitinha.

The loanee has only started twice in the Premier League since signing for the club on loan but with Newcastle set to play deep, his intricate movement in tight spaces could be exactly what they need.

He has impressed during his minimal time on the field and for a barometer of how he plays against a team that sits back, you only need to look at the goal he scored against Chorley in the FA Cup, firing in a rasping effort from range.

That outing was against a non-league side so perhaps for better reasoning behind his case to start is his display against Man United earlier in the season.

That happened to be Vitinha’s first Premier League start but he didn’t look out of place, winning 100% of his duels and succeeding with 100% of his dribbles.

Wolves have an option to buy the 21-year-old and after being hailed as “special” by Jeff Shi upon his initial arrival, it will be games like this that surely influence their decision to splash the cash.

Vitinha is an intriguing talent, one that needs to be unleashed more often. That should start against Newcastle on Saturday, a game where his qualities could help to crush and overrun the opposition.

AND in other news, Forget Gibbs-White: Nuno must unleash rarely-seen Wolves 18y/o who “scores every week”…