Raul Jimenez’s revival is just around the corner – the stats and schedule say so
Not only has Raul Jimenez (£3.4m) failed to score a single Dream Team point yet this season, a yellow card against Spurs in Game Week 2 means his tally currently stands at -1.
Combine this with the fact Mexico are following Brazil's lead in asking FIFA to administer a five-day ban to the 30-year-old after Wolves refused to release him for international duty and surely Dream Team gaffers shouldn't be touching him with a barge pole, right?
Well, all is not as it seems...
While Jimenez's returns have been disappointing so far his underlying numbers hint at potential that shouldn't be ignored.
Only Michail Antonio (£4.2m) and Mohamed Salah (£6.4m) have registered more shots than the Mexican this season in the league and eleven of his 12 efforts have come from inside the box.
He's also created the most chances from open play.
These statistics reinforce what many have observed about Wolves at the start of this campaign - wastefulness in the final third has cost them points their general performances have deserved.
Bruno Lage's team have lost every game 1-0 this season but they have produced more shots than every one of their opponents: Leicester, Spurs and Manchester United.
Even a slight improvement in efficiency would yield positive results for Wolves and noteworthy returns for Jimenez in particular.
So is an improvement likely?
The schedule dealt Wolves a testing opening month in the form of three opponents who finished in the top seven last season.
However, their fixtures look very favourable for the next three months.
Between now and the end of November, Wolves play: Watford, Brentford, Southampton, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Leeds, Everton, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Norwich and Burnley - plus a Carabao Cup game against Spurs.
Any analyst worth their salt would predict an upturn in fortunes for Lage's men in the coming weeks, barring a finishing crisis that would make Brighton 2020/21 look clinical.
Of course, Jimenez's goalscoring touch may have deserted him during his lengthy injury layoff.
Wolves' No9 suffered a serious skull fracture and his rehabilitation would have been taxing both physically and psychologically.
It's understandable he has not returned in the same form he exhibited in 2019/20 when he scored 27 goals in all competitions and racked up a shed-load of Dream Team points in the process.
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Perhaps it's just a case of getting that first goal to open the floodgates - every other element of his game appears in good shape.
Keep an on Jimenez's returns from Game Week 5 onward.
