The team lost, but Hwang Hee-chan made sure to make his presence felt in front of his new manager.
Wolverhampton suffered a 0-1 defeat to Manchester United in the first round of the 2023-24 English Premier League (EPL) at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, at 4 a.m. ET on Friday.
Hwang started on the bench. During the preseason, Hwang has definitely improved his fitness. Hwang’s last season was a roller coaster. It was full of highs and lows. At the beginning of the season, he was relegated to the bench under Bruno Raz. However, after Julen Lopetegui took over, she made a leap into the starting lineup. He even scored a goal to keep the team in the game, but injuries kept him out at crucial moments.
At the end of the season, there was a happy ending as he helped Wolverhampton stay in the English Premier League (EPL). He finished with 3 goals and 1 assist in 27 EPL games (12 starts). After a decent but uneven campaign last season, Hwang is more excited than ever for the upcoming 2023-24 season. With the ability to play multiple positions, Hwang is likely to be one of head coach Julen Lopetegui’s options for the upcoming season. The odds were even better when he showed good form in the preseason.
Then, suddenly, the coach changed. Lopetegui is out and Gary O’Neill is in. Lopetegui saved Wolverhampton last season. Wolverhampton suffered relegation last season. Under Bruno Raz, the team’s performances and results were terrible, and they were criticized by fans for lingering in the relegation zone. With no improvement, Wolverhampton eventually sacked Raj. Lopetegui took over. Lopetegui is a Spanish coach who has managed the Spanish national team, Real Madrid, and Sevilla.
In terms of experience, he was one of the best managers to come to Wolverhampton. In order to rescue the team from the relegation zone, Lopetegui quickly turned things around. The results started coming, and Wolverhampton climbed to mid-table. Domestically, Lopetegui’s use of Hwang Hee-chan was well-received. Even when he was sidelined with injuries, he continued to play him when he returned. Under Lopetegui, Wolverhampton managed to stay up. Prior to last season, Wolverhampton were a bogey team that haunted the top teams in the English Premier League (EPL), and Lopetegui wanted to restore that status in his first full season in charge. Fans were excited to see what they could expect, but the news of Lopetegui’s departure came out of the blue.
“Wolverhampton have agreed to part ways with Lopetegui, ending a nine-month spell in charge,” the club announced on its website on Monday. Lopetegui has guided Wolverhampton to English Premier League (EPL) stability since his arrival in November last year, but has acknowledged differences of opinion on certain issues and has agreed that it is in the best interests of all parties to terminate his contract amicably. The club will commence the search for his successor,” the statement read.
Lopetegui added: “I wish Wolves and everyone at the club the best of luck. “I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this great club. It has been an honor to enjoy this adventure with everyone. I would like to thank them for their support and help every step of the way. Thank you to the players, coaching staff and fans for always working hard to achieve our goals.”
O’Neill has been appointed. O’Neill’s first game in charge of Wolverhampton will be against United. O’Neill utilized a 4-4-2 formation. Jose Sa, Nelson Semedo, Craig Dawson, Maximilian Kilman, Layan Aite-Nuri, Pedro Neto, Joao Gomes, Mario Lemina, Mateus Nunes, Mateus Cunha, and Pablo Sarabia started the game.
Wolverhampton started with a lively attack. The initiative was with United, but their counterattacks were sharper with Cunha. In the 25th minute, Cunha’s powerful shot went wide of the goal. In the 32nd minute, Cunha shot wide again. Wolverhampton continued to attack early in the second half. In the fifth minute of the second half, Cunha hit the post. Ten minutes into the second half, Cunha went close again. United also created chances on the counterattack, but their shots were inaccurate. In the 17th minute of the second half, Sarabia was taken off and Hwang Hee-chan came on.
Hwang was active on the left side. In the 21st minute, he cut in from the left and fired a shot that went wide of the goal. In the 27th minute, Cunha tried to score again, but again, it didn’t go in. In the 31st minute, Bruno Fernandez played a pass to Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who sent in a cross. Baran finished with a header to give United the lead.
Wolverhampton’s frantic offense continued in the second half. In the 36th minute, Hwang Hee-chan shot wide of the goal. Andre Onana made back-to-back saves. In the 37th minute, Silva’s shot was saved by Onana. Fabio Silva had another shot on goal, but it was blocked by Onana. Wolverhampton brought on Sasha Kalajic to add more strength up front. In the 45th minute, the attack started with Hwang Hee-chan, but his shot was blocked by the defense. In second-half stoppage time, Hwang’s shot hit the side netting. Wolverhampton’s frantic offense continued throughout the second half of stoppage time. However, no goals were scored. The game ended with a 1-0 victory for United.
The soccer stats site Couch Score gave Hwang a rating of 7.2. In just 27 minutes of action, Hwang had four shots on goal, none of which were on target. He touched the ball 25 times and had a passing success rate of 86% (14 pass attempts, 12 passes completed), one successful dribble, two fouls, one successful cross, one successful long pass, and a ground contest success rate of 100% (three attempts, three successful).
The UK’s ‘Birmingham Live’ gave Hwang a 6.5 rating, saying, “After Hwang came on as a substitute, Nunes moved to the center. Hwang took his place on the left flank. He was ambitious and tried to score a goal.”
As you can see, Hwang was well-received and made a solid impression. Nevertheless, the defeat will sting. Wolverhampton fired 23 shots on goal against United, with six of those on target saved by Onana. Wolverhampton continued a poor away record that dates back to last season. They are winless in nine away games, including the defeat at United. They have drawn two and lost seven. It’s their longest away winless streak in the EPL since 2011.
O’Neill said: “We’ve got some points, but we’ve got nothing left. We tried to fight in the center and create chances. The players did what I wanted them to do. They were good, they executed well and we had a lot of chances. We tried to score somehow, but it didn’t happen,” Mourinho said in his post-match press conference.메이저놀이터
After a disappointing trip to United, Wolverhampton welcome Brighton to town for the second leg. Wolverhampton will be looking for a win against Brighton. After coming on as a substitute against United, Hwang Hee-chan is likely to get a start after his performance against the Seagulls.