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Wolves are into the FA Cup quarter-finals. A hard-fought victory over Bristol City last time out earned the Midlands outfit safe passage into the last eight of the competition. From this point on, Nuno Espirito Santo and his squad ought to be eyeing up the potential glory that a successful cup run would bring.
Wolves’ return to the top flight has gone spectacularly well so far. The club currently find themselves in 7th place in the Premier League, with 26 games played. Survival is, of course, assured. Breaking into the top six is a distinct impossibility though, as Chelsea still hold an eleven point advantage in that regard.
At this stage of the season, other than the pride of securing the highest possible position at the end of the season, Wolves have little left to play for in the Premier League. Nuno’s side have come to the top flight, proved their quality and silenced their doubters. Now, the manager’s focus should be on making this campaign one that the Molineux faithful will never forget.
In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…
Wolves have won four FA Cups in their history, their last triumph coming in 1960. To repeat that feat this season would be a truly historic moment for the club. It will be a huge challenge to pull this off, but this season represents as good a chance as they’ll likely ever get.
After tonight’s clash between Manchester United and Chelsea, four of the so-called ‘big six’ will have already been eliminated. Championship clubs Millwall and Swansea City are still in the competition, whilst Brighton, Watford and Crystal Palace are all below Wolves in the Premier League table. If Wolves were to draw any of these sides, then they’d be the favourites to reach the semi-finals – and from there they’ll be desperate to make it to the big day at Wembley itself.
Wolves are an outfit with lofty ambitions. In the summer of 2018, The Times reported that the club have set themselves the goal of winning the Premier League title within seven years. Their spending in recent transfer windows suggests that they’re serious about achieving that goal. An FA Cup triumph this time around would be a huge statement, and perhaps would convince everyone else that Wolves mean business with their seven-year plan too.
Nuno doesn’t have a huge squad to call upon. According to Transfermarkt’s stats, only 18 players have featured for Wolves in the Premier League so far this season – comfortably the least of any side in the division. With his ranks already spread so thin, Nuno’s decision to prioritise the FA Cup could come at the cost of their league form.
However, that would be a trade-off worth making. For any manager, especially a newly-promoted one, to sacrifice the Premier League in favour of chasing a domestic trophy is a bold move. It is testament to the good work done by Wolves so far this season though that Nuno is able to make that call with relatively little risk.
The courage to take that step, and to put everything they have left to give this season into the pursuit of FA Cup glory, could be what takes Wolves’ season from being impressive to incredible and cement their place in the history books. After all, aside from Wigan and Portsmouth, they’d be the FA Cup’s first non-Big-Six winners since Everton in 1995.