Matheus Cunha: Talisman

Wolves' inspirational forward leading from the front

It was the 71^st minute. Raul Jimenez had just trudged off the Craven Cottage pitch, his Fulham team losing 2-1 at home to Wolves. As the Mexican forward sat despondent in the home dugout, the away end broke into a spontaneous rendition of ‘Si Senor’, the terrace anthem once sung with gusto in homage to their former striker. It was laced with emotion. Jimenez was one of many on-field inspirations of the Nuno Espirito Santo era, helping propel Wolves to two seventh-place finishes in the Premier League. Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Conor Coady would fall into that bracket easily enough, too.

In the intervening seasons of struggle, Wolves fans have waited too long to find a player they can call a talisman. Step forward Matheus Cunha. His performance in the 4-1 victory in West London was arguably his finest of many in a Wolves shirt.

Cunha’s head coach, Gary O’Neil, certainly thought so. “That was probably his best out-of-possession performance,” he reflected when we spoke after the match. And that was before O’Neil had moved on to what Cunha did with the ball at his feet. “The numbers Matheus is producing at the moment are up there with everybody. You don’t get to work with too many players with that understanding and ability.”

The numbers. In terms of goal involvements this season, Cunha is the leading player outside of the top four. Further back, the Brazilian has 26 goal involvements in the past 29 games - 17 goals and nine assists. His 13 Premier League away goals since the start of last season is only bettered by Erling Haaland.

There was a Bergkamp-esque delight to the opening goal. Wolves had been on the run for the best part of half an hour, the game seemingly in Fulham’s control. But Mario Lemina – one of many outstanding performers on the afternoon - lifted a pinpoint long pass over the home defence and Cunha’s brilliance had the ball in the net in three deft touches.

The forward’s second was simply a sublime strike, clipped with intent into the top corner from distance. Two of his best ever?

“I think so, two very beautiful goals,” Cunha agreed, smiling. “When you’re in the middle of the game you don’t think about the quality of the goals, you only want to score and help the team. But now I’m a little more calm, I think they were two unbelievable things from me and I’m happy with them.”

In between, Cunha played an integral role in Joao Gomes’ goal, arguably the decisive strike that secured the victory. That had more to do with the positioning of the team at that particular moment than any individual brilliance. Wolves had numbers in advanced positions after the ball had been turned over.

“On transition, when we defend low and are compact, if we can get it into Matheus in those moments he brings unbelievable individual flair and understanding of when to release the ball and where,” O’Neil continued. “I know I probably drive some people mad talking about ‘out-of-possession’ but it is important to us. I know what he is going to bring with the ball, but today he fitted very well into our out-of-possession structure and led from the front. Then he brought some unbelievable quality to the game, and you do need that. You can be as well-coached and well-organised as you like, but at this level you do need quality and Matheus brings us that in abundance.”

O’Neil is keen to emphasise that much of Cunha’s current success is down to the coaching methods. There is a wider play here, of course. The manager has been under incredible pressure after a torrid start to the season so anything that can be attributed to his own work will help alleviate that.

Cunha, for his part, has never doubted O’Neil and he speaks for the squad as a whole when he publicly backs the coaching staff. Perhaps other managers would have been cast aside by now, on results alone, but the hierarchy has taken into account the sentiments of this group of players.

“We never have doubts about this,” Cunha explains. “He did a lot of good things for us last season. We have an unbelievable relationship with him. The group has grown up with him and we are very happy for this result. I always say this about the group - the squad, the staff - we believe a lot. We know the potential for everyone. When Mario had to cover there [at centre-back] he was unbelievable. I look at him and say, ‘You’re a centre-back now, we don’t need to change it!’  The result shows the character of the group.”

O’Neil must still win over his critics but everything he touched at Craven Cottage turned to gold and for that he should be applauded. It was a two-way street with Cunha. When a talisman was needed, Wolves’ Number 10 stood up.

“We’re delighted that we have him and he’s going to be a big part of what we do this season,” O’Neil added. “The real top ones are able to keep reproducing it, so it’s important we don’t go easy on him and keep pushing him. The penny has definitely dropped, that he can be a top, top player. There were gaps before and he works every single day to be as good as he can be now.”

After the 5-3 defeat to Brentford last month, Wolves were in dire straits. The visiting fans turned that day and it took something special to shift the sands of discontent. From the brink of despair, Wolves fans cheered O’Neil and his men to the rafters at full-time this weekend. The club which has spent seven seasons in the Premier League is not ready to fold any time soon. Since coming within a whisker of holding champions Manchester City to a draw, the chaotic early season performances appear to have been replaced.

“When the results aren’t coming everyone is more upset, but when you start to get going then the character of the group comes through and everyone is together,” Cunha said. “It is much more than the first XI, the whole group is together and we can do much more things. The energy is changing inside the locker room. When the waves are changing, the energy is there to be more confident and show everyone on the pitch we are ready to get results.”

It is a nice analogy. So much of Wolves’ 2024/25 season has felt tidal. At times there has been no respite from the incoming waters. Yet, through resilience, determination and belief, a seemingly insurmountable force has changed direction. One man has been the focal point. It may possibly be joining up too many dots to suggest Cunha has kept O’Neil in a job, but it would have been a whole lot more difficult for the head coach to survive such a dreadful run of form without him on board.

“I love him, I love working with him and love trying to help him get better,” O’Neil said. “The improvements he has made are unbelievable. When I came here there was an undeniable, incredible talent but he was somebody who didn’t fully understand how to make that the most effective it could be. We get him in some great spots now, the team knows how to utilise him. He’s a great guy. We have a fantastic relationship.

“I know what he is going to bring with the ball, but today he fitted very well into our out-of-possession structure and led from the front. Then he brought some unbelievable quality to the game, and you do need that. You can be as well-coached and well-organised as you like but at this level you do need quality.”

Cunha’s performance was so inspirational at Craven Cottage that the club may even be able to shift a few of those garish purple third strips. A stretch? Maybe. “There is no limit to what he is able to do,” purred O’Neil. Don’t we know it. Wolves fans have a talisman they can treasure.