The amazing Premier League table since Vitor Pereira’s arrival at Wolves highlights profound Molineux impact

Wind the clock back a few months to December 2024, and Wolverhampton Wanderers were a club in disarray. They had just been beaten 2-1 at home to relegation rivals Ipswich Town and just 18 hours after their players clashed with Ipswich staff and security, Gary O'Neil was sacked as head coach after a torrid end to his 15-month-stint in the dugout.

The Old Gold were 19th in the table with just nine points from their opening 16 matches, and were conceding goals left and right and centre. In fact, their leaky record of 40 goals conceded was four worse than basement side Southampton - and by some distance the worst in the entire division.

Wolves had Brazilian internationals such as Matheus Cunha, Andre and Joao Gomes in their ranks but looked a far way from a cohesive unit, with five points separating them from safety heading into the January transfer window.

The impact of Vitor Pereira

On 17 December, the Wolves board took a gamble and appointed Vitor Pereira from Saudi side Al Shabab in a 1 million euro move which raised a few eyebrows, with the bulk of the Portuguese coaches’ most recent experience coming in the Middle East, Brazil and China.

However, the decision has proven a masterstroke and after just 15 league games in charge, the 56-year-old now has Wolves in 17th position, 12 points clear of the drop zone while recording seven victories in the process.

Their defensive record is now far superior to the team’s below them, and in Pereira’s time at Molineux the club has recorded five clean sheets, which is the same amount as the three teams in the relegation places combined.

Pereira has played a vital role in turning Wolves fortunes around, and though his name is unlikely to pop up in many award ceremonies in May, he definitely deserves a mention for being one of the managers of the season and arguably the best mid-season appointment of any team in the league this season with David Moyes at Everton getting an honourable mention.

The Premier League table since Vitor Pereira took charge

Vitor Pereira has had a profound impact during his first few months at Molineux, with the Old Gold notably matching Champions League quarter-finalists Aston Villa for points accumulated since the end of December. But how would the full Premier league table look if it was based solely on Vitor Pereira’s time at Wolves? Here’s all you need to know, via data from TWTD.

1. Liverpool - 37 points
2. Arsenal - 32 points
3. Newcastle United - 30 points
4. Nottingham Forest - 29 points
5. Crystal Palace - 27 points
6. Manchester City - 25 points
7. Fulham - 24 points
8. Brighton - 23 points
9. Aston Villa - 23 points
10. Wolves - 23 points
11. Bournemouth - 20 points
12. Everton - 20 points
13. Brentford - 19 points
14. Chelsea - 19 points
15. Man Utd - 16 points
16. West Ham - 16 points
17. Spurs - 14 points
18. Ipswich - 8 points
19. Southampton - 5 points
20. Leicester - 3 points

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