Dave Edwards: Wolves' revival under Rob Edwards is no coincidence

This was always going to be a tough test against a strong Newcastle team, one that would have been hurting after their EFL Cup defeat to Manchester City. With big Premier League and Champions League fixtures on the horizon, they would have been desperate to come to Molineux and make a statement.

Newcastle went as strong as they possibly could with the players available, but once again Wolves were well prepared. The game plan, tactical strategy and team shape were excellent.

I’ve said for a few weeks now that it feels like teams coming up against Wolves are having off days and look there for the taking - but it’s happened too often under Rob Edwards for that to be a coincidence.

I believe it's the way Wolves are setting up that is causing these teams problems. They are making opponents scarce of opportunities, forcing them to play in front of them, keeping very small gaps between the units and pushing teams out wide.

They then defend the cross well and have added a real aggression in winning the ball back and launching counter-attacks. Defensively, Wolves were superb and limited Newcastle to very little.

Bringing Andre back into the side was a sensible decision. He added bite and defensive solidity, replacing Jhon Arias. In the last two meetings with Newcastle, Wolves had been overrun athletically in midfield. This time, with Andre sitting in front of the back four, Joao Gomes was everywhere - absolutely outstanding at winning the ball back - while Mateus Mane offered something different going forward.

That said, I was slightly disappointed that Wolves didn’t create as many attacking moments as they did against West Ham. They grew into the game and had spells of possession, but I don’t think they attacked quickly enough when opportunities arose and Newcastle were still organising their shape.

Newcastle work extremely hard to recover their structure when they lose the ball, so Wolves needed to be more decisive. On a few occasions they looked to break, only to turn back, and once Newcastle are set it becomes very difficult to break them down.

I thought Hugo Bueno was one of Wolves' best performers. He has improved with every game since returning from injury and looks well suited to Rob Edwards' system. He provided a real outlet, was excellent on the ball and delivered good quality into the box.

Joao Gomes was unbelievable in midfield. He was clearly frustrated to be substituted, and you can understand why - in games like this, he is almost one of Wolves' biggest attacking threats. His ability to win the ball high up the pitch can catch teams like Newcastle out of their shape.

Rob Edwards will be delighted with another clean sheet, which is never easy in the Premier League. It’s been an outstanding start to 2026 - Wolves have picked up more points than Manchester City since the turn of the year - and everything is moving in the right direction.

However, a huge test awaits away at Man City on Saturday. The defensive solidity Wolves have shown recently will need to be at its absolute best.

Against City, you must also have an outlet going forward. You cannot simply sit in and absorb pressure for 90 minutes - eventually they will find a weakness. 

Wolves will need to keep City honest, with a genuine counter-attacking threat and enough players positioned to stretch the game. If they can do that, they might just give themselves a chance.

I’m far more confident about Wolves heading to the Etihad than I would have been a couple of months ago, and that is down entirely to the work Rob Edwards has done with this team. Long may it continue.