Wednesday 15 April 2015 19:43, UK
Wolves face Ipswich on Saturday knowing that anything but victory will surely end their playoff dream. But with their attacking trio of Nouha Dicko, Benik Afobe and Bakary Sako there is still hope. With the help of Sky Sports’ Football League expert Peter Beagrie, Adam Bate examines their impact…
It’s been a while since ‘Magic’ by 1970s band Pilot has felt relevant, but when Wolves fans sing the song with the lyrics altered to honour their forward trio of Nouha Dicko, Benik Afobe and Bakary Sako it feels like something special is happening with this team.
Since Afobe’s £2million arrival from Arsenal just 18 games ago, the 22-year-old striker has scored 11 times with Sako and Dicko netting seven apiece in that time. In the 10 matches that the three men have started together, they’ve fired home no fewer than 19 goals between them. That’s more than all but three Championship sides are averaging as a team this season.
Opponents have been overwhelmed by the combination of pace, power and trickery. Unfortunately for Wolves, a series of defensive errors at just the wrong time look to have scuppered their play-off ambitions. Despite Afobe’s opener at Birmingham and Sako’s striker against Middlesbrough, they go into Saturday’s game against Ipswich having suffered back-to-back defeats. Victory is essential now.
Wolves have won 68% of matches that Bakary Sako and Nouha Dicko have started together this season but only 21% when one or both have been missing.
As a result, it seems likely that Kenny Jackett will go on the front foot once more. Dicko had reverted to the bench for the tricky trip to Boro on Tuesday – with Wolves pulling a goal back in a 2-1 defeat after he came on – but it seems certain that he will be unleashed on Ipswich. After all, it was this gung-ho approach that sparked Wolves’ rise up the league after a difficult winter.
“It made sense for Wolves, because defensively they’d put themselves in a great position in the league, but they weren’t scoring goals,” says Sky Sports’ Football League expert Peter Beagrie. “It was a case of ‘let’s show a sense of ambition, we’re not going to go down, can we threaten the top boys in a top division and if so we need someone to supplement Nouha Dicko’.
Hunger
“Those two have real hunger and a thirst for work as well as genuine ability and pace that frightens defenders to death. Sometimes people don’t have to be that technical if they’ve got that pace and know how to use it. These boys threaten the back shoulder of defenders, which they absolutely hate, and they back people into the box so they can’t touch them. He’s a great attribute to have.”
Much of Dicko’s work has been unselfish with his badgering of defences makes him a constant menace. His uncanny knack for dispossessing defenders high up the field was exemplified by the way he scrapped and tackled his way through the Birmingham defence last weekend to set up Afobe’s goal. Dicko’s low centre of gravity even saw his strike partner compare him to Sergio Aguero.
And yet, it’s Afobe’s finishing that has shown the hallmarks of Premier League quality. Having scored goals for MK Dons, he’s maintained that strike rate in the Championship and is now the top scorer in English football with 30 goals in all competitions. “He’s made a tremendous impact,” says Beagrie. “Like Callum Wilson, who I watched at Coventry in League One, I knew I was watching Afobe at the right club in MK Dons.
“It’s all about nurturing, educating and getting the best out of a player in a certain position in a certain team shape. Karl Robinson did it for Patrick Bamford and he’s done it for Benik Afobe, because up until that time he’d been out on loan at several clubs in League One and the Championship without outstanding success. He’d done OK, but just OK.
“All of a sudden he’s grown into his body, he’s taken on board what people have told him and the penny’s dropped in terms of team play and combination play. He’s always had great individuality in his power, pace and strength, and now he’s using that.
Cool finisher
“He’s using his brain more so you can trust him in the build-up, you can put him in behind. He’s become a better finisher, cool and calculated, and he’s hit some unerring finishes this year. He’s terrorising people – we saw that in the cup game against Manchester United earlier this season when he was bullying seasoned pros.
“That comes from a sense of belief and a sense of belonging. It’s been a great move for him, because a lot of people had a look, weren’t quite sure, and speaking to Kenny Jackett he’d watched him develop, he’d been on the radar for quite a while and it made sense.”
Wolves are running out of time but after briefly enduring the pressure of being among the top six, they are once again on the outside looking in and with nothing to lose. On Saturday, Ipswich must face the full force of their attacking trident. Wolves supporters will just be hoping their heroes can deliver that bit of ‘Magic’.
Watch Wolves v Ipswich live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 12pm on Saturday
