By Tom Bason
August 14 2010

This afternoon, Wolves opened their 2010/11 Premier League account with a solid 2-1 win against Stoke. A marvellous David Jones free kick gave Wolves the lead before Stephen Fletcher bundled one in from close range. Abdoulaye Faye pulled one back for the Potters, but Wolves held on for a vital early win.

Marcus Hahnemann: his kicking wasn't at his best, and he came for one cross early one he didn't get to. But, in the second half he was calmness personified and what little he had to well.

Kevin Foley: back in his favoured position of rightback, he was steady on the ball as usual, very rarely giving it away. A couple of times he seemed scared to get close to Etherington and will have to up his game against better opponents.

Jody Craddock: got turned a couple of times on the ground by Ricardo Fuller and his lack of pace appeared like it would cause a problem. At his imperious best in the air and his organisational skills were necessary.

Christophe Berra: much the same as Craddock, his positional play has come on in leaps and bounds. Looked more of a threat going forward from our set pieces and did well for our second goal.

Stephen Ward: looked secure defensively and looked to push forward well. Was very unlucky not to score in the second half with two efforts, and his versatility was shown with the introduction of Elokobi and could prove vital throughout the season.

Matt Jarvis: always looked to attack, his direct and pacey style caused Higginbotham plenty of problems. His final ball still needs work, and he had one shot blocked in the first half. He will be a vital part of our team this season.

David Jones: excellent in the first half, he was always involved and his free kick goal was sublime. Faded in the second half as Stoke pressed more, but still kept possession well. Appeared to be more of a goal threat than last season.

Karl Henry: seems to be developing an excellent understanding with Jones in the centre of midfield, and his diligent play allowed Jones to play his more expansive game. His passing wasn't at its best.

Jelle Van Damme: a surprise choice on the left side of midfield, he clearly isn't a winger. But, he protected Ward at leftback well, and was always willing to get involved in the attacks. Tried to use his height to add an extra dimension to the attack.

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake: his best game in well over a year. He ran the channels tirelessly and held the ball up well. Didn't have a scoring chance this afternoon, but if he plays like that they will come. A massive improvement.

Stephen Fletcher: linked up very well with Ebanks-Blake and deserved his goal. He always looked to get the ball delivered into his feet to try and link the midfield with the attack. The injury was worrying, but a very promising debut.

Andy Keogh came on early in the second half and looked very lightweight. One silly pass back into the penalty area at 2-1 was shocking in its stupidity and he was taken off again for Greg Halford in the dying minutes. George Elokobi came on at left back to try and avoid conceding a second goal, and one awful pass from a free kick aside, he did little wrong.

The tactical view
With both teams playing fairly orthodox 4-4-2’s, the main interest from a tactical point of view was the placement of Van Damme in midfield and Ward at leftback. Van Damme didn't appear to be the most disciplined positionally, and had a tendency to drift inside. This allowed Ward to overlap and stretch Stoke's defence, while Fletcher was able to drift out to the left without getting in anyone's way. Hahnemann attempted to find Van Damme's head as often as possible from goalkicks, but as he was directly up against the 6'3" Robert Huth, this wasn't as effevtive as it might have been. On the other side, Jarvis played as a more orthodox winger which prevented Foley from attacking as much as he might have liked. Upfront, Fletcher and Ebanks-Blake linked up well, with SEB looking to run in behind the defence and Fletcher drop off into the space.