Wolves Player Ratings v Everton

Subjective Wolves player ratings after Everton, including a strong debut from Virginia, encouragement from Boubacar and Neave, and doubts over Chirewa and Armstrong, plus a positive view of Peixote’s management.

A few thoughts for anyone who was unable to watch the Wolves v Everton game last night. Ratings are subjective, so I don't expect everyone to agree with these. Just an honest assessment.

Player Ratings

Virginia: 8
Should be buzzing this morning after a really encouraging debut. Several crucial interventions and showed a lot of courage in some of his work. Not 100% safe in his handling but will be pushing Sa hard for a start before long, if not at the weekend.

Tchatchoua: 5
Marginal improvement defensively but still strangely (and maddeningly) reluctant to use his pace going forward and take on his opposing full back on the outside. Booked early for an ill-advised lunge and had to be careful against a nightmare like Grealish but still allows crosses too easily for my liking.

Toti: 6
I'm not a big fan of his but he was less flaky than usual and made a number of strong tackles. Shame he was the one who was turned by Alcares for the goal but he could have done with a bit of help from those around him who allowed the move to get that far.

Krejci: 7
Read the game well and seems to be regaining match fitness. Was a major reason why we looked better defensively but subbed at half-time to ensure recovery for Sunday?

Konan: 7
A promising performance. Looks good going forward with pace and confidence in his link play and is strong in the tackle. Was given a tough time though by Dibling and could have done with some help from Chirewa.

Doyle: 7
Probably his best performance in a Wolves shirt. Took more responsibility and teamed up well with Boubacar when timing his runs forward but still not a starter for me.

Boubacar: 7
Really encouraging. Strong in the tackle and, unlike Andre, looks to get the ball forward at the earliest opportunity. Made several excellent recovery runs to bail us out when we were stretched on the break. A better bet than Munetsi for me, or at least a better bet than Doyle as Munetsi's usual 67th minute substitution.

Neave: 8
Could easily become a big fan favourite. Much stronger than he looks with a bit of pace and excellent close control. Messed up one potential break with the wrong pass but looked a real threat. Potential rival to Armstrong as link with Jiminez? Will be very interesting to see how he and Fer get on together. Very encouraging debut.

James: 6
Slightly disappointing. I've been looking forward to those surging runs from midfield and late arrivals in the box, but he was verging on anonymous for some reason. Worked hard in carrying out his defensive duties but achieved less than I'd hoped for.

Chirewa: 5
Disappointing overall. Can beat a man with quick footwork but chooses the wrong option too often and needs to have a clearer understanding of his defensive responsibilities. Ran out of steam eventually and could have been subbed earlier. Like Mane, he has potential but also like Mane, he'll need to learn quickly if he is to play a significant role in the side.

Jiminez:
A little underwhelming of late. Injured early on and didn't really have much impact on the game before coming off. We're seeing the Si Senor in flashes so far but not as consistently as we did in the World Cup where the service was better.

Subs

Armstrong: 5 - not a central striker for me. Better playing off a target man.

Djiga: 6 - has been excellent in recent matches but looked a little less assured and underhit a back pass which could have cost us.

Bellegarde: 6 - all the energy and enthusiasm you'd expect from someone who's been out for a while but not much in the way of an end product. Will need time to settle back in.

Trippier: 6 - 20 minutes only but encouraging to see the threat he poses with his set pieces and his eye for a pass. Will be an asset once he's fit enough to start.

Bernard Traore: 5 - didn't really feature in any meaningful action. Looked like he's still trying to get to know the rest of the team and vice versa.

Peixote - Manager: 7. Made the right call in resting players and prioritising Sunday's match. Good to see the team looking to get forward and his faith in the back-up players was justified. Maybe should have replaced Chirewa at half-time but we're playing good football and pushed Everton close. I'm enjoying his style of play and am optimistic for the first time in ages.

As I said, just one opinion. Hope it was of use to you all.

Written by PaghamWolf September 17 2026 11:44:50