Beware the injured beast.
It's not just Diego Costa, who looks more like Diego Costa than Diego Costa did in 2014, 2015 or 2017, Wolves themselves are, quite ironically, an injured beast. It's felt like a slow death, too. Bruno Lage's defensive football was successful in the most part last season even if it was mind-numbingly dull.
Fans put up with that, as they do, until things make a turn for the worst. Ask Antonio Conte, this is the third time Spurs have turned on him, they'll be outside title contenders again if they beat Brighton. This isn't Tottenham's fight though, nor is it Lage's, it's Graham Potter's and Chelsea's.
READ MORE: Every word Graham Potter said on Fofana, Kante, Cucurella, Chalobah, Costa and Chelsea vs Wolves
History tells us that this is destined to be a draw. The last three matches have been, including two 0-0 draws. Chelsea haven't beaten their opponents for nearly three years. With Lage gone though, the fight will be against a bruised Wolves side. One that shouldn't be struggling but is, a few points lower and they're prime 'too good to go down.'
Potter's personal record against Wolves isn't much better. Six games and just one win, gulp. That was the most recent match, a 3-0 win last season, and Potter's experience at Brighton may well help his new side here. As perenial, 'good promoted teams that have settled and made a challenge on the top half,' Wolves and Brighton have a fair bit in common.
The threat as a manager of a mid-table side tasked with progressing up the league is a different one to the beast Potter is now attempting to tame, Chelsea, not Wolves. His second match against the side, a 0-0 draw in 2019, came in Potter's first season on the south coast and carries warnings for his current team.
After the match, Potter said, "They’re so hard to break down, they have such quality in midfield. (Ruben) Neves is some player, and then Traore is pretty much unplayable on his day. Jimenez does really well for them and Jota is really intelligent. I can see why they’re up there.”
Luckily for Potter, Diogo Jota is now at Liverpool and won't be playing at Stamford Bridge later. Neves is suspended and Jimenez injured. Traore may well be available though, and with the threat of a new manager bounce, they pose a task for Potter's Chelsea side to react to.
Traore, often an impact sub, against Reece James could be a brilliant battle, and Potter was pleased with how his Brighton team dealt with the pacey winger in 2019 and could follow a similar plan: “We did quite well against him and contained him," Potter added.
"As soon as the game starts to become more open and people get tired… He’s a beast, to be fair. Our lads did quite well but sometimes you’ve got to give credit to the attacking player."
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