Journalist Alex Dicken has slammed striker Hwang Hee-chan for his ‘poor’ display in Wolves’ recent EFL Cup victory.
In the second round of the cup competition, Bruno Lage’s men hosted Championship outfit Preston North End.
First-half goals from Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore were enough to see Wolves hang on for a first win of the season, despite Ben Woodburn later reducing the deficit as the match finished 2-1.
As suggested by the scoreline, it was a tight game, but things could have been a bit more comfortable had Hwang managed to score his penalty, which would have made it 3-0 before the break, only to see his effort easily saved by Preston ‘keeper David Cornell.
In the player ratings for BirminghamLive after the match, Dicken noted this failure and suggested that the forward’s disappointing outing may cost him more game time in the future.
The journalist gave him a 5.5/10 rating and wrote: “Hwang started the game brightly and interchanged well with Jimenez and Ait-Nouri, but he still appears very short of confidence. His penalty was poor and, given Traore’s improved performance on the other flank, Hwang may find game time difficult to come by.”
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TIF Thoughts on Hwang Hee-chan and Wolves…
Considering Hwang has hooked just after the hour mark, it’s probably safe to assume that Lage wasn’t very happy with his display, either. He managed to have 39 touches of the ball and lost possession 7 times (SofaScore).
The South Korean started Wolves’ first two Premier League games of the season but was dropped to the bench for the recent loss to Tottenham Hotspur (via Transfermarkt).
Without a goal to his name this term, that penalty would have been a great chance to get off the mark. But he wasted the opportunity, and with fellow striker Jimenez back amongst the goals, it really does seem as though Hwang’s game time could be limited in the near future as a consequence.