Premier League

Wolves could end up all in a muddle

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Image for Wolves could end up all in a muddle

OPINION

Wolves have had a tremendous first season back in the Premier League and as a result they have set the bar high for themselves.

The Premier League side will be aiming to build on their success this season in their next campaign, but that may be easier said than done.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are currently on course to finish seventh in the Premier League and if Manchester City win the FA Cup and Wolves remain in that position, they’ll be in the Europa League.

While this news would be celebrated as competing in Europe would be a huge step forward, it may cause Santo a frustrating headache based on the BBC’s report.

The broadcaster claim on their live blog (11:50am) that with Wolves already having agreed to play in the four-team Premier League tournament in China in July, it could see them have a rather hefty schedule and leave Santo with a problem.

The BBC point out that the tournament in China takes place on July 20th, and Wolves’ potential opening tie in the Europa League would be on July 25th.

This means they would have only a few days to recover from a long-haul flight and that could have knock-on effect.

Wolves could crash out on the Europa League as a result due to tiredness, the worst case scenario, or at the very least have a squad worse for wear after dealing with the opening stages of the tournament.

Given that there is hardly any rest once the season gets under way, especially when battling on several fronts, it could have an effect on their season.

Burnley were in the Europa League’s early stages this season, they didn’t reach the group stage, and the schedule clearly effected their season.

Sean Dyche’s side were in the Premier League relegation battle this season and were a shadow of the team they were before.

While Burnley didn’t go far in the Europa League, having a packed summer due to it, Dyche even cited it as a result for their poor start to the season on talkSPORT, took its toll.

And it’s not like they had a pre-season tour to China ahead of competing in the Europa League likes Wolves will.

With this in mind Wolves fans should already worry about their club’s busy summer due to potentially being in the Europa League just like Santo will, as the club may struggle to cope with the schedule.

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