2020106After beating Spurs last Saturday, Wolverhampton Wanderers had won their second straight, which is huge for a team that everyone believed would be battling relegation this season. But, on Wednesday, Wolves had to travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United. Even at the best of times, playing United away is a daunting task. So, the Wolves manager, Mick McCarthy, made a strategic move and made nine changes from the team that beat Spurs just a few days earlier. Wolves were beaten 3-0 by United, and the English FA wanted answers. The FA believed that McCarthy “compromised the integrity of the game” by fielding a reserve side, and the Wolves fans weren’t much happier either. The fans, who payed for tickets and travel to the match, were treated to a team that stood no chance of beating United, and songs like, “we want our money back” were sung. But, with the result Wolves achieved today, was it not the best option?

Let’s be honest, McCarthy made a decision to rest his starters against a team, in United, that he felt couldn’t compete regardless of who he put in the starting XI. At the end of the day, a 3-0 loss, or a 1-0 loss is virtually the same. It seems like the fans and the FA believe that Wolves would have beaten United if they had played their first XI, but watching Wolves and United this season, I don’t believe that would have been the case. And to further substantiate McCarthy’s decision, Wolves beat Burnley 2-0 today, and in the process, move up to 12th in the standings. Had McCarthy started his first XI v. United and lost, which was highly likely, and then lost the match to Burnley because of fatigue, Wolves would be sitting in 18th place as of today. Making that decision allowed his squad to move up a hypothetical six spots in the league table, and these three points could possibly save Wolves place in the Premier League at the end of the season. Still want your money back?

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