Going global- what is in store for Wolves’ internationals in the last break of 2018.

The days of Wolves fans getting excited at Dave Edwards of Wales being the club’s only international are long gone, and it has now become a regularity for multiple Wolves players to be called up for some international powerhouses. Ten Wolves first-team players are currently away from Compton Park across differing age groups, and all face very contrasting weeks with their nations.

Jonny

Jonny was called up to the Spain squad for the second time last week, having been brought on for his debut against Wales in Cardiff last month, before gaining his first start in the defeat to England in Seville. Jonny is in the Spain squad as deputy to Cesar Azpilicueta at right-back, a contrast to the attacking left wing-back role he plays at Molineux. Spain’s first game of the break came against Croatia last night, where they were beaten 3-2 due to Tin Jedvaj’s last minute winner, leaving Nations League progression out of their hands, however, Jonny was an unused substituted. It is likely he will gain his third senior cap in a friendly against Bosnia & Herzegovina on Sunday in Gran Canaria.

Rui Patricio & Ruben Neves

Two of Wolves’ most high-profile names, at differing ends of their international careers. Rui Patricio has been a Portugal regular since 2011, and looks to gain his 77th and 78th caps in the San Siro against Italy and at home against Poland, both in the UEFA Nations League. With Joao Moutinho, who has not been picked for Portugal since joining Wolves, Patricio is one of two Molineux players who have won an international honour, having lifted Euro 2016 in France.

On the other hand, Ruben Neves will try to gain his 9th and 10th caps this week. Neves, who made his international debut in 2015 aged 18, has been a mainstay in Portugal squads since the start of this season, missing only the friendly with Scotland last month out of Portugal’s four games. Neves insists he is over missing out on the World Cup squad in 2018, with the defensive midfielder sure to be involved in the major tournaments of 2020 and 2022, should Portugal qualify.

Leander Dendoncker

Leander Dendoncker has been recalled to the Belgium squad this month, having missed out on the October fixtures. Highly-rated Dendoncker has still yet to make a league appearance in gold and black, having played in both Carabao Cup ties against Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester City, but has still been deemed good enough to accompany Belgium’s ‘golden generation’, according to Roberto Martinez. Capable of playing in midfield or defence, 23-year-old Dendoncker made his debut in 2015 and has gained 6 caps for Belgium. Yesterday, the Red Devils hosted Iceland, and won 2-0, with Dendoncker left as an unused substitute. With a big game in the Nations League on Sunday against Switzerland, it is unlikely Dendoncker will add to his 6 caps this month.

Matt Doherty

Matt Doherty’s recent impressive performances for Wolves have enabled him to become a regular in Ireland squads, and last month he was rewarded with his first and second international starts against Wales and Denmark. This month, however, Doherty has withdrawn from the squad due to injury, which will worry Wolves fans as Doherty is the only natural right wing-back in the first team squad.

Raul Jimenez

Benfica loanee Jimenez has impressed in his first three months in England, directly contributing to 66% of Wolves’ league goals. One of four members of the current squad to go to Russia in the summer, Jimenez has been a regular for Mexico since 2013, earning 68 caps in that time, and also gaining an Olympic gold medal with his country before he had even made his debut in London in 2012. Mexico face two friendlies against Argentina in this break, although manager Ricardo Ferretti has confirmed Jimenez will only play in one in order to keep him fit for his club.

Romain Saiss

Another who travelled to the World Cup, Romain Saiss has continued his run of being in every Morocco squad since November 2016, making 27 appearances for his country since 2012, scoring one goal. In the World Cup Saiss played alongside Juventus’ Mehdi Benatia at centre-back, a move that was replicated in pre-season for Wolves, but Ryan Bennett started ahead of Saiss in Wolves’ first league game of the season. Limited to only substitute appearances in the Premier League this term, Saiss will hope to start in an AFCON qualifier against Cameroon and a friendly in Tunisia.

Diogo Jota & Ruben Vinagre

Jota and Vinagre will both aim to appear for Portugal’s youth sides this week. Jota, who regularly captains the U21 side, will look to steer Portugal to next summer’s European Championships during two legs of a play off with Poland. Vinagre is with the U20 side after winning the U19 Euros over the summer, and will be involved in three games, one against Poland and two against Slovakia.

Morgan Gibbs-White

A year on from winning the U17 World Cup in India, Morgan Gibbs-White has been attracting the attention of fans and pundits alike with recent performances for Wolves. Now playing for England’s U19s, he faces three games in Turkey against Moldova, Iceland and the hosts, where he will hope to keep up his recent club form.

'Dare to dream'

Only three years ago, fans wouldn't even ponder upon the alluring and captivating thought of top flight football. With a stale finish of 14th in the 15/16 championship season, we’d be deemed lunatics if we’d ever aspire for a top ten Premier League finish. Although we saw the multimillionaire Chinese takeover back in 2016 of Fosun conglomerate, the season of 16/17 didn’t give us much optimism for our footballing future, with again another unsatisfactory finish of only 15th. The only good thing to come out of that season were Ivan Cavaleiro and Helder Costa, which in hindsight started the revolution of the Portuguese enterprise in Wolverhampton. Let’s not forget we appointed two arguably unsuccessful managers that season, Zenga and Lambert, but the passion from Zenga made him hard not to love. What a bloke. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t check on him now and then to see how he’s doing (he’s recently been appointed at Serie B side Venezia FC by the way).

Let’s forget about those seasons. The 17/18 season is a different story. Fosun appointed Nuno. After 6 months, the man had half of Wolverhampton to their knees worshipping upon his significant work. It was something I’d never seen happen before at Wolves. I’d never seen a manager so new to English football but looked like he’d been managing in the country for years. He knew every trick in the book. With the likes of enormous superstar signings such as Diogo Jota, Ruben Neves and Willy Boly in the summer, Wolves fans hadn’t a clue what wizardry they were about to experience.

So what happened?

The team took the championship by storm, gaining a grand total of 99 points come the end of the season. Bit of an annoying number though, but you can’t complain. We took the ‘champions of the championship’ trophy with pride and serenity. Even with the high profile summer signings and all new backroom staff, I don’t think any Wolves fan said at the start of the season that we’d win the league. No one can deny we did it with ease. The expectations rose so high that season, one loss and a draw in a row and the whole of Wolves Twitter exceeded into meltdown. I don’t know if that showed an element of foolishness from our fans, or it showed just how good we were. Fans would be concerned if we didn’t win.

And now, currently sitting 7th in the Premier League, Wolves are rising high above expectations for the 18/19 season. With most of us only hoping to avoid relegation this season, Nuno’s men have most definitely declared that they’re here to stay. With Cardiff monumentally struggling at the bottom of the table with only two points, and Fulham not far behind with five points, Wolves seem the pick of the promoted teams that aren’t just here to make up the numbers, currently holding fifteen points. May I add we’re only five points from Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool at the top, which is pretty phenomenal for a promoted team if you ask me.

But do we dare to dream further? Do we dare to dream about the thought of European football in the near future? You’ve seen the debates, you’ve seen the abuse and you’ve seen the pessimism opposing the optimism of Wolves fans speaking about the idea of European football. The subject has such divided opinions, but is it really that out of reach? I mean this season, yes, obviously. But in all honesty, in years to come, I really can’t see why not. With our current financial backing and our ridiculous ambition, it isn’t the most unrealistic idea I’ve heard as a Wolves fan. I’d say the annual rumour of us signing Talisca is more unrealistic to be honest. It’s a question that is still too early to answer, and maybe things will go wrong on the road and our expectations will descend, but I really wouldn’t put European football past this extraordinary pack.

Our journey has only just begun.

@rhiannekx

"More than just a team"

If you could bottle the feeling of walking out into a football ground for the first time, you could sell it for millions. Leaving the concourse and doing the short walk out to the stand to overlook the Molineux turf never gets old. It never will get old. Because that’s football. It encapsulates your emotions, makes or ruins your day and gives you some of the best moments you can ever experience. Tens of thousands of fans show up week-in-week-out, all with the same thing in common – a love for our team. And when everything clicks on and off the pitch, the recipe for success is a thrill to witness. And in this case, Nuno Espirito Santo is the chef.

Following on from the chef analogy, I bet Nuno is an artist in the kitchen. The man just oozes class. You can imagine him cooking – glass of red wine in one hand, hand towel over the opposite shoulder, with Smooth FM on in the background, as he glides round the room tasting the sauce and pulling numerous items out of the oven. As Nuno prepares the feast, Jeff Shi, Laurie Dalrymple and Jorge Mendes help with laying out the table and collecting plates, to present the food to the guests consisting of a large Portuguese contingent and products of the successful Wolves academy.

I may be going off topic slightly, but the history us Wolves fans are seeing unfold is beknown to so many of us. Wolves have achieved three promotions to the top flight since the turn of the century, but have never achieved true stability in the league, often due to a lack of on-field quality and outdated managerial tactics.

But what’s different this time?

Not only do they have an innovative manager with an impeccable philosophy in Nuno Espirito Santo, the backroom staff do an extraordinary job in helping extract the maximum out of the manager and players - as well as a fantastic boardroom, who make the off-pitch environment the perfect place to be, for maximum results on the pitch. And the players aren’t bad either. With world class quality from the likes of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio, a dogged defence which has one of the best defensive records in the league, as well as a scintillating attack with pace and skill in abundance from the likes of Diogo Jota, Helder Costa, Adama Traore, Ivan Cavaleiro and Raul Jimenez, the Wolves train is at full speed with quick counter-attacking moves and remarkable passing and build-up play.

These players, this manager, this club – it gives you a buzz. The anticipation before each game is like I’ve never experienced – and to think just two years ago Wolves experienced a woeful season which resulted in a disappointing 15th place finish, with low attendances and a lack of on-pitch quality. Fast forward twelve months, and we’re talking about one of the best seasons in the clubs illustrious 141-year history. Fosun have revitalised a mid-table championship club with no ambition into a top half Premier League side with ambitions for the top. The world now knows about Wolverhampton Wanderers. The sleeping giant has awoken, as the old gold and black will become famous once again. People turn their heads at this team. We stand out. It’s no longer David vs Goliath, because this team enters every game believing they can win, no matter the opposition. As a football fan, this is excitement and passion for a team that I’ve never truly experienced – a passion that without football just wouldn’t be there. This manager, this team, this club – it gives you belief which you didn’t even know you possessed.

The old cliché is football is like a rollercoaster. Well this club has had its lows and hit rock bottom but has come out fighting and is now on a rapid uprise. Watch us, because we’re heading for the top. History is unfolding.

@TomHaden4