The Tim Spiers debrief – Burnley 2 Wolves 0

But what did we learn from the game?

Coincidence?

That’s three international breaks in a row that Wolves have returned from to slip to a 2-0 defeat against opposition they’ll have been confident of beating.

Watford and Huddersfield were the opposition at Molineux in October and November. Saturday’s defeat at Turf Moor had similar traits to those frustrating losses, mostly in midfield where Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho never really dictated play in the manner they'd have liked.

Are Wolves' poor records after internationals and against lowly teams a coincidence?

There’s no doubt they've struggled to break organised and physical defences down. There’s an issue against teams that try and stop them playing.

And perhaps there’s a question about their preparations following the break? Three poor defeats certainly raises the question.

What couldn’t be questioned was their desire.

Burnley were in more desperate need of the points, but did they want it more than Wolves? No.

The truth is Burnley's early goal rocked Nuno’s team and they never fully recovered. It gave desperate Burnley something to scrap and fight for.

A vociferous and passionate home crowd didn’t give a damn that Burnley’s attacking intentions were limited. The three points were all that mattered and in the likes of Ben Mee and James Tarkowski they had defenders willing to throw their bodies on the line to deny Wolves a sniff of goal.

Burnley weren’t great to watch, but their spirit and battling qualities were to be admired.

And although they’re sat in 17th place, it’s probably a false position given their Europa League issues earlier in the campaign.

Blow

Talking of which, Wolves’ hopes of finishing seventh suffered a blow, with Leicester City and Everton both winning to tighten the gap in the middle of the table.

On March 2, after beating Cardiff, Wolves were eight points ahead of 11th place.

However, with that win over the Bluebirds being the only victory in their past six league games, the gap to 11th has closed to just two points and Wolves are at risk of giving up their ‘best of the rest’ position, which in the past four seasons has equalled Europa League qualification.

With Manchester United to come on Tuesday, then difficult matches against two more sides fighting for survival, Southampton and Brighton, plus games against Arsenal and Liverpool to come in their final seven, the run-in doesn’t look favourable apart from a visit from Fulham in May.

A trip to Watford on April 27 looked like being a shoot-out for seventh, but at least three more teams will now also have their eyes on that prize.

As Matt Doherty says today, it would be a real shame if the league campaign petered out now.

Lacked guile

Talking of Watford, the easy accusation to throw at Nuno’s boys was that they were distracted by the thought of this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final. The only people who can respond to that are the players themselves, but it seems unlikely.

Indeed, Wolves didn’t play badly here. They dominated possession and play for long spells. They just lacked the guile to break down a stubborn Burnley rearguard on enough occasions.

Adama Traore followed up his performance against Cardiff with another promising display at wing-back, taking on players for fun, getting Wolves up the field and stretching the home defence.

His end product can be frustrating, sure, but some of Traore's good crosses were wasted with often only Diogo Jota and Jonny Castro Otto, not exactly lofty centre forwards, to try and get on the end of them.

Ivan Cavaleiro’s chance just after the break was by far the best Wolves created and he wildly spurned it, when a cool head (usually his forte) was required. That was the only time all afternoon when Mee was pulled out of position to the flank.

Wolves needed much more of that. They just couldn’t prise Burnley apart despite dominating possession and play for long spells of an uninspiring encounter.

Focal point

Much of that had to do with the absence of Raul Jimenez from the start.

Take Wolves’ focal point away and they can quickly start to look predictable.

Jota missed his strike partner, with whom he has struck up an intuitive relationship, and it was a lot to ask Cavaleiro to replicate that role. He too would have benefitted from Jimenez being alongside him.

Jimenez has started 32 of Wolves’ 36 Premier League and FA Cup games this season. In the other three he didn’t start, they laboured against Newcastle before winning it late after Jimenez's introduction, went 2-0 down at Shrewsbury before Jimenez helped inspire a comeback and then also struggled in the replay against the League One side.

God help them if the Mexican picks up an injury. There isn’t too much wrong with this Wolves squad laden with quality, but a Jimenez alternative (i.e. someone whose introduction doesn't mean Wolves need to change their style of play) is an issue that needs addressing in the summer if/when the striker joins permanently.

United next

On to United then, a game which, while difficult on paper, offers an opportunity to generate some momentum ahead of Sunday's semi-final.

Imagine what a second victory in a few weeks against the Red Devils would do for confidence and a feel-good factor ahead of one of the club's biggest games in a generation five days later.

With regards of team selection there are two schools of thought – a strongest XI as possible, take the game to United and go all out to try and earn a crucial win.

Or – and Saturday's resting of Doherty and Jimenez suggests this is the more likely option – rest a few key players to ensure they're fresh on Sunday.

Jota, Moutinho and Jimenez would be likely candidates to start on the bench if Nuno goes down that route.

But hey, good problems to have. What a week it could be.

Final word

Star man: Adama Traore

The boss: Thinking ahead

Fans: Kept singing

Magic moment: Traore haring past two Burnley players in the blink of an eye in the first half

In a word: Frustrating

Picture perfect: