Broadcaster and journalist Jacqui Oatley joined The Football Show to discuss the situation at Wolves, the influence of Nuno Espirito Santo and why Matt Doherty had to change his nutritional ways.
Oatley is the presenter of The Athletic's 'The Molineux View' podcast, and the current situation is that the Black Country club sit 16th in the Premier League table.
Oatley bemoaned the 'horror show' across the side on Sunday, where they capitulated 4-0 to West Ham United, and identified a hangover from last season as being partly responsible.
Exhausted Wolves
"It is not a case of finding excuses but trying to find reasons because Nuno [Espirito Santo] has always met these challenges head-on. We have never seen them play like this before.
"You do wonder whether them not really having a pre-season [affected them.] West Ham had three weeks off and four weeks on the training ground. Wolves had barely a couple of weeks off, straight into internationals, back on the Thursday, and straight into a match on Monday.
"That is no way to prepare for a season."
Nuno Espirito Santo
Espirito Santo has built a reputation as one of the Premier League's most sought-after managers since their promotion at the end of 2016-2017.
"He instils this sense of camaraderie amongst his squad that is so intense - he is known to be the most intense manager around.
"He demands the highest standards from those working with him and for him. But his players absolutely idolise him. Think of the players that he has persuaded to come from the Champions League to the Championship - the likes of [Ruben] Neves and [Diogo] Jota. They have grown and improved under him.
"Adama Traore had no end product at Middlesbrough, Nuno has completely transformed him. The players really do love him."
Mendes' influence
Nuno is arguably the second-most important Portuguese at the club, where agent Jorge Mendes has a huge influence over the running of the club.
"He is the facilitator. He is not the Director of Football, he is not employed by the club as such. There are some misconceptions about his role.
"But he has the ear of the chairman Jeff Shi. They are in business together."
Matt Doherty
One of Mendes' clients, Matt Doherty, had to adjust his lifestyle to get to the very top while at Wolves.
"I have watched so many of his games, he was there a decade. He wasn't seen as first-team material until Dean Saunders came in and they were relegated to League One.
"The way that player has grown has grown has been absolutely wonderful to watch. His fitness levels didn't used to be tip-top but that is something that Nuno and his team have sorted out.
"He used to love drinking loads of orange juice. He had to learn about the nutritional side - that too much juice means too much sugar.
"Doherty really made the most of himself physically and has turned into a top-class player. A lot of Wolves fans are devastated to see him go, but he goes with their best wishes."
Football on Off The Ball with Paddy Power – new normal? Same old football. Visit PaddyPower.com to get the latest on the Acca-Cracker Free Bet.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
