The thing about bullies is that they usually shrivel up and blow away once you stand up to him. Usually. It’s what that in mind that we travel back in time to what was going through what passes for Diego Costa’s mind when he head-butted Ben Mee in stoppage time of Wolves’ 1-1 draw with Brentfod, earning himself a three-match suspension, a suspension that coincides nicely with Saturday’s match against Arsenal. In the pseudo-sentient tapioca that swirls around between those ears, somewhere there arose the realisation for Costa that he wouldn’t be facing Gabriel Paulista; he’d be facing Gabriel Magalhães—and that tapioca decided to get sent off rather than get embarrassed for however long he’d have lasted against us on Saturday.
What other logic can be applied to a decision to get sent off in the waning moments of a match in which you’ve had next to no impact? I’m not saying I can read Costa’s mind (tapioca is famously difficult to read, after all), but even single-celled protozoans respond to stimulus, and it’s not much a stretch to suggest that however many cells reside in Costa’s cranium had thought threw what it will be like to have to face Big Gabi and Saliba. This is a man who earned his very first red card in the Prem after 95 appearances. That’s either the law of averages finally kicking in, or maybe it’s something else. In any event, he won’t be available. More’s the pity.
I would have much preferred he be available. Something tells me that a 34 year old who is still working his way back to match-fitness while also fading from relevance would struggle mightily against a defense as well-organised and robust as ours. Monreal and Mertesacker may inspire fond memories, but neither they nor Holding are up to the standards that our current centre-backs have already reached. Even before his suspension, he had done literally nothing to improve Wolves’ woeful scoring record, scoring no goals in his six appearances. Wolves have scored just eight goals in 14 matches and will likely continue to struggle without “talisman” Raúl Jiménez unavailable, along with Pedro Neto. New manager Julen Lopetegui will watch from the stands as caretaker manager Steve Davis tries to guide his side to some kind of result.
A potentially bigger obstacle to our success than whoever plays for Wolves is the referee: Stuart Attwell. If that name doesn’t angry up the club, maybe the one on VAR will: Mike Dean. Between the two, it’s hard to determine which is the more-incompetent or the least-biased. As long as we take the match to our hosts quickly and score a couple of early goals, we can eliminate or at least minimize their ability to inflict any misery upon us. With this as the last match before the international break, it’s a great chance to stay atop the table for the better part of the next six weeks. Let’s hope it’s not Wolves who have their tails up.
Prediction: Wolves 0-3 Arsenal. Goals from Jesus, Saka, and Big Gabi.
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