Liam Keen comment: Penalty statistics, midfield impact and Wolves' crucial few weeks

Missed opportunity

Against a Palace side in crisis amid plenty of noise off the pitch, Wolves started well at Selhurst Park and should have taken a lead into half-time.

After some missed chances, the perfect moment came when Mateus Mane was brought down by Adam Wharton for a penalty shortly before the break.

Tolu Arokodare stepped up but missed his chance at a third Premier League goal this season with a weak spot kick.

Edwards defended the decision to let Arokodare take it, insisted he was the designated penalty taker and that the player was confident he would score. The head coach also refused to criticise his striker.

But analysing the career statistics of some Wolves team-mates, there were two much better options.

Looking at senior matches in his career, including cup games and play-off matches, Arokodare has scored five and missed five penalties during his time on the pitch.

The Nigerian last scored a penalty in September 2022 and he has missed all five spot-kicks since then, including the one on the weekend, giving him a 50 per cent conversion rate.

Although Ladislav Krejci is a defender, he was known for his penalties at Sparta Prague and he has scored 13, missing just one, throughout his career.

His last miss was more than four years ago and he has a conversion rate of 93 per cent. Interestingly, Krejci was standing over the spot against Palace until Arokodare took the ball.

Finally, Adam Armstrong has scored the most with 22, missing seven, giving him a 76 per cent rate. It would also have been an opportunity for the new signing to get his first Wolves goal.

It is worth noting, however, that Armstrong has missed two penalties and scored one this season, in the first half of the campaign for Southampton.

After Arokodare's miss, the next penalty taker for Wolves will be very telling.

Midfield impact

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was in fine form when he picked up his frustrating hamstring injury in December.

Since then Wolves have moved to a 5-3-2 formation - a system that seemed to suit Bellegarde's qualities - and the Haiti international has now started the last two matches.

Particularly against Palace, he was excellent and was perhaps Wolves' best player.

Bellegarde found a perfect balance between defence and attack and was the link between the two, with some neat play in possession, good link-up on the right and he also picked the ball up deep before going on some strong forward runs.

The 27-year-old was making Wolves tick and offered an attacking threat, with Mateus Mane was also dangerous, while deeper midfielder Andre controlled the game.

Edwards has some options in that midfield department with Angel Gomes and Joao Gomes the two substitute options at the weekend - but the latter did himself no favours.

J.Gomes was walking and did not track Evann Guessand for the 90th minute winning goal, while his body language at full-time left a lot to be desired.

For a player who has always been committed and had Wolves' best interests at heart, he seems unhappy and is certainly out of form. 

Crucial period

Perhaps the best way to follow-up on a frustrating defeat is a derby fixture, as Villa come to Molineux on Friday night.

Villa are in slightly patchy form by their standards, but a West Midlands derby is a leveller and the evening atmosphere should only add to it.

The game is obviously important to Wolves, but the bigger picture shows it is one fixture amid a crucial period for the club.

After Villa, Wolves welcome Liverpool to Molineux in the Premier League on Tuesday night, before Arne Slot's side come back to the Black Country three days later for another Friday night game in the FA Cup fifth round.

After that, Wolves go to Brentford on March 16, before an enforced break. That break will be at least three weeks, but if Wolves lose in the FA Cup there will be four weeks between the Brentford game and a trip to West Ham in April.

Having lost to Palace, Wolves could suffer five consecutive defeats before a four-week break, and that would not be conducive to a positive upward trajectory ahead of the final stretch of the season.

Edwards needs momentum and results to end the campaign, going into a big summer, and the next few weeks will have a big say on that.