A stuttering start sees Nuno under exiguous, but existent, pressure at Wolves for the first time with huge match on the horizon

For what is arguably the first time in his Wolverhampton Wanderers managerial career, there are at least some genuine questions being asked of Nuno Espirito Santo after a less than spectacular start to the season sees his side wavering in the lower third of the league.

When Nuno put pen to paper to sign a contract extension at the start of the current campaign, the news was greeted with almost unanimous delight as many even suggested that his long-term commitment to the cause was undoubtedly the biggest, most important signing that Wolves would make in the entirety of the window.

However, there is at least an element of disillusionment emanating from what is perceived to be a notable proportion of supporters of the club after an indifferent beginning to the season has started to overshadow three previous campaigns that were undisputedly beyond phenomenal.

You could make the case that Wolves’ exploits over the last three season and their continued, rapid progression has made Nuno something of a victim of his own success; having achieved promotion to the English top flight at the first time of asking with a point haul of 99 points, Wolves earned an incredible 7th place finish in their first season back in the Premier League, qualifying for the Europa League as a result, before then following that up with another exceptional 7th place finish despite the European distraction to contend with.

Ultimately, however, the bar has been raised, and with good reason. Having proven what this high quality group of players are capable of, sitting this low in the table really is not a satisfactory return, even if this is heavily talked up as a season of transition.

Fans of Portuguese football are well aware of the calibre of this side. Boasting the likes of Portuguese internationals Pedro Neto, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Daniel Podence, Nelson Semedo and Rui Patricio, alongside former Primeira Liga players Raul Jimenez and Willy Boly, there are some highly gifted players in the squad, better than their league position - and overall performances - would suggest.

There have, of course, been considerable problems facing Nuno this season which should be taken into account; with a swathe of injuries havig plagued Wolves over the last couple of month, the squad has been stretched, and has been missing some considerable fire-power as a result.

The loss of key man Raul Jimenez has been a particular blow, and that Wolves have seen a drop in form since his horrific head injury against Arsenal is no coincidence. Jimenez was always by far Wolves’ most effective goalscorer, and his absence for any length of time was going to be a massive loss to deal with.

It ensured that Fabio Silva, at the age of just 18, was thrown into the deep end, given far more game time than he would have expected at such an early stage in his Wolves career. With the weight of expectation and increased pressure on him to succeed immediately, it has been a challenging start for the young teenager who arrived at Molineux for 40 million euros in the summer.

Add in the fact that Daniel Podence, Willy Boly, Leander Dendoncker and Adama Traore have also suffered some injury setbacks in recent times and it is clear that Nuno has not had the ideal circumstances to navigate what was always bound to be a congested and complex fixture list.

Nevertheless, it is not just the results that have disgruntled some fans who have previously been so adoring of Nuno, but the performances that go with it. Often the displays in both defeat and victory have been underwhelming, seen as approaching matches in too negative a manner without even looking that solid defensively, while they have also lacked the ability to create sufficient clear-cut chances too.

Some fans are also starting to get frustrated with what some deem to be repetition in Nuno’s answers in pre-game interviews and when facing post-match questions. Offering similar answers in interviews is fine when you’re winning, but when you hit a bad patch of form, repetition without any upturn in results is not going to appease a fanbase looking for a source of optimism and hope.

Ultimately, the table is incredibly compact at the moment; very little separates the sides residing in the places above Wolves, and just a couple of wins would completely change the complexion of the league standings and would allow a hunt for a top 7 finish to once again enter the realms of possibility.

That is likely not even the expectation for Wolves fans this season though. A top half finish would likely be deemed more than acceptable for the majority after having been entertained by three overwhelmingly positive campaigns. There is just that hint of concern that current form will not only make this a slightly disappointing campaign, but could actually see them slowly sucked into something of a relegation battle. Halting any chance of that happening therefore cannot come soon enough.

And Wolves’ upcoming game could not be any more significant, facing arch-rivals West Bromwich Albion, who are languishing in the relegation zone and are in awful form. Anything less than victory would be an unnacceptable result, particularly having already lost to Aston Villa this season in such painful circumstances, a last-minute penalty against 10 men condemning Wolves to defeat.

Nuno Espirito Santo has more than enough credit in the bank to endure an underwhelming season, though some fans may need to be convinced all over again that he is the right man to take Wolves forwards, which is a perfect illustration of how fast-paced football is and how so much can change in a short space of time.