Wolverhampton Wanderers' new season got off to a shaky start as they drew 2-2 with Blackburn in their Championship opener. The team, led by manager Cesar Peixoto, was expected to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, but their performance against Blackburn exposed some worrying frailties.
What happened?
Wolverhampton Wanderers scored first, but found themselves behind against a Blackburn team expected to improve under returning manager Tony Mowbray. The danger posed by established Championship teams to relegated opponents is that they can be sturdy and streetwise. Blackburn were both in the West Midlands in their first game of the season.
Why it matters for Wolverhampton Wanderers
The new manager tasked with turning around the team's fortunes is Cesar Peixoto, a 46-year-old former Porto midfielder who is in his first managerial role outside Portugal. Peixoto told reporters after the game that Wolves wanted all three points, but were perhaps fortunate to even get one. The clock ticked into stoppage time with Rovers in front.
What comes next?
The goals scored by the away team pointed to a vulnerable spot that Wolves can expect opposition managers to target in every Championship fixture until Peixoto resolves it. Understandably, he wasn't overly concerned after one match. Yet it was a clear and repeatable blueprint that yielded both Blackburn goals. Both came from deliveries into the box right under the nose of the goalkeeper and were finished with one touch by a player lurking in what ice hockey lovers would describe as the blue paint.
Wolves were saved by Raul Jimenez's penalty in stoppage time
In need of a goal, Peixoto turned to a Molineux favourite. Weeks after playing in a home World Cup, Mexico striker Raul Jimenez played his first Championship match at his other home. Jimenez, now 35, followed Wolves into the second tier after his contract expired at Fulham. The fans around Molineux know exactly what they're getting from a striker with 55 Premier League goals to his name, but only half of his Wolves story can be told on paper.
