As the final whistle blew in a vital victory for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Matheus Cunha stood as still as he had been all night, bending his knees slightly, raising his fists to the sky and appearing on the verge of tears.
Usually, he did it with Captain’s bracelet.
The Brazilian forward has the leader of Palotón in Molinine; The wolves’ ray of hope, their inspiration, their predilection for the big game.
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However, this is not to minimize the influence of Nelson Semedo, the one selected to wear the armband and a player who sets an example on a basis in terms of education, professionalism and attitude.
But on days when he’s in good form, it’s 25-year-old Cunha who leads, and on boxing night, the Wolves talisman led from the front, midfield and flanks in a well-deserved 2-0 win over Manchester United.
Cunha will play in 3 positions at once: an artistic number 10, providing passes to his colleagues, galloping wings and marauding midfielders, a deep playmaker. To embarrass united defenders with ambitious turns, elusive speed adjustments and, on some occasions, outrageous drags. that the united actors of generations would have deployed, but that this harvest turns out to be incapable of producing.
Its functionality included not only a purpose “ olimpico ”, altruistic in recent seconds to obtain the purpose season for Hwang Hee-chan in Marche and some brilliant moments of competition, also included a total burden of screams and gesture among colleagues of team. who did not take the publications he wanted.
Matheus Cunha’s corner swings STRAIGHT IN and Wolves lead Man Utd ?#PLonPrime #WOLMUN pic.twitter.com/H0T3LvhzxG
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 26, 2024
And for American readers:
? U. S. Network| #Wolmun pic. twitter. com/qah9ymv7pt
– NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportssoccer) December 26, 2024
At one point, he controlled to reproduce Rayan Ait-Nouri and Joao Gomes with a single wave holding the hand of a possessed boy.
The only surprise was that, when Diogo Dalot let fly in the first half with Manchester United’s best attempt of the game, it was Jose Sa who clawed it away with a full-stretch save and not Cunha sprinting back to make a goal-line clearance.
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“He’s a better player, a special player,” new Wolves head coach Vitor Pereira said in a post-match press conference after Cunha made his assist, becoming the first Wolves coach since Sammy Chung in 1977 to win his first two games in the top flight. parties in charge.
“He can do things that can make a difference in the small details. We paint in this corner, but we can paint a lot and in the end, nothing happens. But with this type of player, things can happen.
“I notice it day by day, team leaders. They are connected, they are in communication, they can do anything and replace things. »»
The black cloud looming on the horizon is the likelihood that wolves, in the all-too-distant future, will be faced with an extended spell without their main man.
The independent regulation panel designed through the Football Association has not yet gathered to talk about Cunha’s punishment for his ordinary loss of composure after the 2-1 defeat against Ipswich Town in the last game of Gary O’Neil.
But when that happens, the Wolves striker will most likely receive a significant penalty. A minimal starting point would seem to be the 3 games he would have missed if the in-form referees had witnessed his first clash with an Ipswich member and shown him a red card for violent conduct.
However, more games may be added due to the protracted altercation.
Pereira’s challenge as a coach is therefore now twice. In the back of his mind, he wants to find a plan that will allow wolves to function without a player who has the integral figure of their attack plans: the kind through which all clever happens.
But in the short term, he will have to tap into the psyche of a player who seemed determined to propel the wolves out of the standings before his absence of transience.
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“He knows he has lost some emotional control,” Pereira said about the Ipswich incident. “But he is an intelligent boy, a very intelligent person.
“And he has the strong personality not to stay at this moment, but to help the team in each and every one of the games he plays. He played very well because in his head he needs to help the team. He doesn’t think about himself, but about the team.
Cunha’s role in Pereira’s flying start to life in the Premier League has been huge. He has scored in each of his last three league games, with only Henri Camara (with five in April 2004) enjoying a longer run for Wolves in the Premier League.
And his talent means that in the not-too-distant future, Wolves will be forced to contemplate life without him altogether, with big-money offers from wealthier clubs inevitable.
In the short term, they will face an unwanted taste of what that long race may look like, and the fate of their season may count as a component of their ability to cope.
But for now, fans, teammates and Cunha’s new manager can get the thrill of sharing a stadium with a guy who reaches the heights that few Wolves players in the Premier League era have reached.
(Top photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)