Dave Edwards: Wolves' trip to Crystal Palace could be perfect timing

It has been an unusually quiet weekend, and it has been a chance for Wolves fans, players and staff to take a breath after a pretty hectic couple of months. 

It is really important now, after 10 days without a game, they finish the season very strongly with two important games. 

First, at Palace on Tuesday night. You would think they will not be at their absolute best after giving so much energy at the weekend to beat Man City, and the celebrations after that as well. 

It is a real opportunity to take advantage of that with Wolves being so fresh.

It is important for Vitor Pereira’s side to bounce back after what was a disappointing result against Brighton last game. Especially the second half, it was very unlike what we have come to expect under the boss. 

They usually have so much control, but it was a far cry from that, and I am sure it was just a one-off. It would be nice to put that to bed by putting in a really strong performance down in south London. 

There are still points to play for as well. They can finish as high as 13th or as low as 17th, so that is a huge difference as to how the season will be viewed. 

You want to leave a lasting impression going into the summer of what to expect next season. You do not want to go into it with four losses on the bounce. 

You want to top off what has been a miraculous 2025 so far. Brentford are going to come to Molineux next Sunday with lots to play for. 

With Palace in mind, I would like to see Jorgen Strand Larsen coming back into the team. We saw him against Brighton, and hopefully, this break has allowed him to get back to full fitness. 

That means Wolves will be pretty much at full strength as well. When they are at full strength and play to the best of their abilities, they are a match for anyone in the Premier League. 

I really think they are going to go down to Palace and get that result on a ground where they are not really that great at. It can be a difficult place to play with their fans being some of the best in the Premier League. 

I touched on Mateus Mane in last week’s column. Getting a deal over the line could be really important for Wolves. 

We have not had an academy graduate get into the team on a regular basis in recent years. We have had lots of lads with lots of hope and lots of promise, but for whatever reason, they have not been able to grasp that opportunity. 

There is a lot of hope for Mane. He has been around the first team quite a lot now, it will be great if he can be the one to make the step up. 

To do that, he needs to have his future secure. Wolves have to protect themselves as well. They have a talent there that could be worth a lot of money in the future. So you want to try and tie him down to a long-term deal. 

It gives that player the confidence that the club believes in him, and it gives them the financial security too. If they can get that wrapped up, then let's hope we can see a lot more of him next season. 

In other news, for Pereira to be shortlisted for manager of the season is incredible. That is the impact he has had. Not just on the field, but in the community and bringing joy to the fans.