When the final whistle blew for a vital victory for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Matheus Cunha remained as still as he had been all night, bent his knees slightly, raised his fists to the sky and seemed on the verge of tears.
The usual thing is that he does it wearing the captain’s armband.
The Brazilian striker has the leader of the Molineux squad; The wolves’ beacon of hope, their inspiration, their go-to man, a wonderful game.
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However, this is not to minimize the influence of Nelson’s Semedo, the guy selected to wear the armband and a player who sets an example on a basis in terms of polite approach, professionalism, and attitude.
But on matchdays, it is Cunha, 25, who leads — and on Boxing Day evening the Wolves talisman led from the front, from the middle and from the wings in the deserved 2-0 win over Manchester United.
Cunha seemed to play in 3 positions at once: an artistic number 10, who offered passes to his attacking partners, galloping full-backs and marauding midfielders, a deep playmaker who would go into the box to regain ownership and start plays, and a quick-footed player. To embarrass United’s defenders with bold turns, elusive speed adjustments and, on some occasions, outrageous setbacks that United players of generations past would have used but this crop proves incapable of producing.
Its functionality included not only an ‘Olympic’ purpose, altruism in the last seconds to obtain the season of purpose for Hwang Hee-chan in Marche and some brilliant moments of competition, it also included a full load of shouting and gesticulation between teammates of equipment. who didn’t take the posts he wanted.
Matheus Cunha’s corner passes from the right 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 urge Rayan Ait-Nouri and Joao Gomes in a single-handedly based man.
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.
“You can do things that can make a difference in small details. We paint in that corner, but you can paint a lot and nothing happens in the finish. But with that type of player things can happen.
“I’m discovering day by day, leaders inside the team. They are connected, they are in communication, they want to do something and they want to change things.”
The dark cloud looming menacingly on the horizon is the likelihood that Wolves, in the all-too-distant future, will face an extended period without their main man.
The Independent Regulatory Committee met through the Football Association has not yet met to discuss the punishment that was meted out to Cunha for his ordinary loss of mood following the 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town in the final game of Gary O’Neil’s reign.
But when it does, it is likely that the Wolves forward will be handed a significant ban. A minimum starting point would appear to be the three matches he would have missed had the match officials witnessed his initial clash with an Ipswich staff member and shown him a red card for violent conduct.
However, more games would possibly be added due to the extension of the altercation.
Pereira’s training challenge is, therefore, double. At the bottom of your mind, you will have to find a plan to make the wolves work without a player who has the integral figure in their attack plans, the guy through whom everything runs without problems.
But in the short term, he will have to tap into the psyche of a player who seemed determined to propel Wolves up the standings before his temporary absence.
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“He knows he’s lost a little bit of emotional control,” Pereira said of the Ipswich incident. “But he’s a smart kid, a very smart person.
“And he has the strong personality of not staying in that moment, even to help the team with Fit that plays. He has directed himself very well because in his mind, he needs to help the team. He doesn’t think about himself, but he thinks about the team.
Cunha’s role in Pereira’s take-off in the Premier League has been enormous. He has scored in his last three league games, and only Henri Camara (with five in April 2004) has played a longer run for Wolves in the Premier League.
And his abilities mean that in the all-too-distant future, wolves will be forced to contemplate life without him, with gifts from wealthier clubs.
In the short term, they will face an unwanted taste of what is seen in the long term, and the fate of their season would likely count on the component of their ability to cope.
But for now, fans, team-mates and Cunha’s new coach can enjoy the pleasure of sharing a stadium with a man hitting heights that few Wolves players in the Premier League era have reached.
(Top photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)