How did Wolves stop Manchester City?

So far, the 2018/19 season has started just as the 2017/18 season ended, with Manchester City playing in a manner that suggests they will not be chased as they look to retain their grip on the Premier League trophy. Comfortable victories away to Arsenal and at home to Huddersfield Town had provided a sense of anticipation as they prepared for their third fixture of the season, away at newly-promoted Wolves.

There was a definite expectation around football that in spite of the investment in the first-team squad at Wolves over the last 18-24 months, this match would end in a comfortable victory for the champions.

In the event, Wolves came away from the match with a 1-1 draw and despite the seemingly fortuitous nature of their opening goal, defender Willy Boly handled the ball across the line, you would still be hard pushed to say that they did not deserve at the very least a point from this match.

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With Manchester City lining up in their expected 4-3-3 shape, the onus would be on Wolves and their Portuguese coach Nuno Espirito Santo to find a way to not only contain the attacking threat posed by City but to find a way through their defensive structure to score.

Here was where things began to get interesting. Over the course of their promotion-winning season, last term, the most used structure and shape from Santo and his Wolves side was a 3-4-3 with Matt Doherty and Barry Douglas playing as extremely adventurous wing-backs with the licence to move into high areas of the field whenever Wolves were in the attacking phase. This match was the first that suggested that the tactical approach from Santo in the Premier League may be slightly more nuanced as they look to establish themselves as a top-flight side.