In a classic season of two halves, Wolverhampton Wanderers kept themselves afloat after being rock-bottom of the Premier League at Christmas - all despite averaging fewer than a goal per game.
Having spent big in mid-season to recruit an elite-level manager and several new players, Wolves turned things around following the World Cup hiatus, and they ultimately achieved mid-table security with weeks to spare.
They may have lost half of their league matches in another trying campaign, but the Black Country club live to fight another day and will be back on the starting line in August.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look back at Wolves' eventful 2022-23 season.
SEASON OVERVIEW
© Reuters
Final league position: 13th
EFL Cup: Quarter-finals
FA Cup: Third Round
Top scorer: Ruben Neves, Daniel Podence (6)
Most assists: Joao Moutinho (2)
An underwhelming conclusion to the 2021-22 season set the stage for Wolves' start in the campaign just ended, as Bruno Lage's promising reign began to peter out into mediocrity.
The omens were not good when summer signing Sasa Kalajdzic, bought to invigorate an ailing attack, ruptured his ACL four days after signing - the Austrian striker would go on to miss the rest of the season.
Wolves began their fifth year back in the top flight with a trip to Leeds United on the opening day, but let a lead slip to lose 2-1 at Elland Road before taking just three points from their next four games.
Having won just one of eight by October, Lage's time in the dugout was nearing its inevitable end, and when the ex-Benfica coach was eventually relieved of his duties, his side sat bottom of the pile in 20th place.
Stepping into the breach while the board tried to lure their favoured target to the West Midlands, Steve Davis remained in caretaker charge until the World Cup break. He could not make much impact on a team apparently spiralling towards the Championship, though, and when the action stopped in November, Wolves had won just two of 16 matches.
As it transpired, the club hierarchy were proved right in waiting for their man, as they finally persuaded former Spain boss Julen Lopetegui to sign on the dotted line after a protracted pursuit - and that marked the turning point in Wolves' season.
While they only had two Premier League wins to their name at Christmas, due to the unique situation of a World Cup sitting in the schedule, Lopetegui was left with more time to fix issues on the training ground and more games to pick up precious points - there were still 22 matchdays remaining.
Headline signing Matheus Cunha arrived from Atletico Madrid, while Craig Dawson and Mario Lemina were also added to the squad in January, as the owners ripped up their rulebook of not spending big in mid-season and signed six players, most of whom contributed in some way to top-flight survival.
After a Boxing Day defeat of Everton in his first match in charge, Lopetegui saw his side begin 2023 with a trip to Villa Park - where Wolves had so memorably fought back to improbably win 3-2 just over a year earlier - though this time they had to settle for a point.
Despite then going out of both cup competitions in the space of a few days - to Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup quarter-finals and, via a replay, Liverpool in the FA Cup - subsequent victory over West Ham United at Molineux set the tone for what was to follow.
Renewed in belief and self-confidence, Wolves would go on to beat Chelsea, Brentford, Crystal Palace and Villa at home - all without conceding a goal - and a springtime surge up the table saw the drop zone become more distant by the day.
Though the campaign concluded with a last-day thumping by Arsenal, they kept 11 clean sheets in all; becoming the first club in eight years to avoid Premier League relegation after being bottom on Christmas Day.
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Wins: 11 (=11th)
Draws: 8 (=9th)
Losses: 19 (6th)
Goals scored: 31 (20th)
Goals conceded: 58 (7th)
Yellow cards: 84 (=1st)
Red cards: 6 (1st)
Passes: 16,712 (9th)
Shots: 412 (17th)
Big chances missed: 28 (18th)
Saves: 119 (5th)
Tackles: 661 (7th)
Own goals: 1 (=12th)
Hit woodwork: 6 (=17th)
Clearances: 780 (6th)
HOW DID IT COMPARE TO LAST SEASON?
© Reuters
In a reverse of the campaign just concluded, the 2021-22 season saw Wolves overcome a sticky start to move into the mix for European qualification during the early weeks of 2022, and optimism flowed freely in Wolverhampton.
The first cracks then showed in Bruno Lage's reign, however, and they ultimately finished in 10th place following an alarming drop-off during the closing three months - quite the opposite of this year, when Julen Lopetegui's side produced their best during spring.
Such an awful finish 12 months ago led most Wanderers fans to admit staying up and, ideally, finishing in mid-table would be acceptable in 2022-23, but that further progression was unlikely due to a lack of spending.
Compared to last season, the Wolves board recognised the need for reinforcements in January 2023, and their work in the winter window this term was arguably the difference between success and failure.
It was a rock-solid defence that initially put the West Midlands club in contention for Europe last year, and after Conor Coady controversially departed while Nathan Collins arrived from Burnley, they conceded 15 more goals in 2022-23.
Morgan Gibbs-White also left Molineux - in his case, for Nottingham Forest - and that did not aid Wolves' cause up front. Notoriously impotent in the opposition area, they managed returns of 38 and 36 goals in the two previous seasons; that tally slipped to a dismal 31 despite Lopetegui's mid-term arrival.
PLAYER OF THE SEASON: RUBEN NEVES
© Reuters
With just a year left on his contract, Ruben Neves has long been linked with a move up the football food-chain, and he would naturally want to test himself on the Champions League stage after several seasons watching the action unfold on TV.
If the Wolves captain does ultimately leave, having signed off in last Sunday's heavy defeat to Arsenal, he would depart with heroic status, having helped the club achieve promotion and then top-flight stability over the course of six years at Molineux.
During difficult times at the start of the season, Neves again proved he does not shirk from a challenge, and as others went into their shell towards the end of the Bruno Lage era, Wanderers' midfield maestro put in a string of typically committed displays.
The Portugal international proved himself deserving of a chance at the elite level, having arguably outgrown his current club, and albeit with a modest tally of six goals was also Wolves' joint-top scorer this term.
Craig Dawson and fellow January signing Mario Lemina both made a significant impact after arriving when Wolves were in danger of being cut adrift, but only one man led the fight from first whistle to last - and he will be sorely missed should the inevitable occur this summer.
STANDOUT RESULT: EVERTON 1-2 WOLVES
© Reuters
While beating Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea all represented major scalps for Julen Lopetegui during his first Premier League season, it was kicking off his time in charge with a last-gasp win over Everton that truly set the ball rolling.
Goals from Yerry Mina and Daniel Podence left the clash between two relegation rivals finely poised heading into the second half, and a tight affair at Goodison Park seemed to be heading for a draw.
Wolves had not won a top-flight fixture on Boxing Day since 1978, but they ultimately ended that 44-year spell by striking in second-half stoppage time, when a rapid counter-attack ended with Rayan Ait-Nouri prodding home a priceless winner with 94 minutes on the clock.
Lopetegui's side stole the ball back in the final seconds to set Adama Traore in motion down the right, and the winger's deflected cross fell the way of Ait-Nouri; the away fans then dissolved into pandemonium as the full-back's close-range finish hit the net.
Surely, that was when belief began to surge back into the veins of supporters and players alike. Despite some subsequent bumps in the road, Wolves never really looked back.
> Click here for a full list of Wolves' results from the 2022-23 season
BEST MOMENT
© Reuters
Pipping a Matheus Nunes screamer which secured a vital victory over Chelsea - which was certainly Wolves' goal of the season - Ait-Nouri's big moment at Goodison stands head and shoulders above all others.
Not only was it the most dramatic way to finish a terrible 2022 in some style, but beating Everton built immediate momentum behind Julen Lopetegui's revolution and lifted Wanderers off the bottom of the table before a tough test at home to Manchester United on New Year's Eve.
How Ait-Nouri joined several teammates in surging towards the opposition area in the final seconds of an attritional encounter also emphasised the change of mindset under Lopetegui.
As the left-back whipped off his jersey in joyful celebration, his new manager punched the sky with a mixture of delight and relief. From thereon in, Wolves' fortunes were transformed.
TOP PRIORITY FOR SUMMER
© Reuters
Keep Julen Lopetegui at all costs. Recent rumblings from those around the Basque boss have made it clear that he will only continue at Molineux on the terms he agreed to - which means more investment in players this summer.
He has also let it be known that wants his squad together for pre-season training at the start of July with new signings already secured, but several factors make that a tough task for the Wolves board to complete.
They have to balance the books to comply with Financial Fair Play restrictions, while replacing the likes of Ruben Neves and Adama Traore, should they depart, will surely not come cheap.
Fosun International, the Chinese conglomerate which runs the Black Country club, had laid out plans for Wolves becoming self-sufficient, but with FFP regulations coming into play following a big splurge in January, the next few weeks could be tricky to traverse.
The accrued experience of Joao Moutinho, Raul Jimenez and Diego Costa may also be lost, though that would clear a substantial chunk of the wage bill, and above all else, Lopetegui will want to bring in a reliable striker after Wolves' forwards failed to fire again in 2022-23.
Either the expensively-acquired trio of Matheus Cunha, Matheus Nunes and Goncalo Guedes must adapt to the rigours of the Premier League or be shipped back out, otherwise another season of strife could be on the cards next term.
FINAL VERDICT
It took a dramatic mid-season overhaul, but Wolves ultimately secured a sixth consecutive campaign in the Premier League by hauling themselves out of serious trouble and ensuring safety before the final day.
Having failed to ruthlessly end Bruno Lage's tenure during the summer, the board at least reacted by bringing in a proven manager to steady the ship - in contrast with other clubs who delayed and made a series of mistakes in that department.
Now, they must balance the books alongside Lopetegui's ambitions if they are to avoid another relegation battle come spring 2024.
Jonathan O'Shea
