Adam Armstrong’s brilliantly taken goal at Wrexham was another reminder of his quality in front of goal, but César Peixoto believes the striker’s biggest contribution to Wolves goes far beyond finding the net.
The forward showed tremendous movement to latch onto Nasser Djiga’s long pass before producing a composed finish past the advancing goalkeeper.
It was precisely the sort of goal Peixoto wants to see more often from his team, with Armstrong offering a different dimension to Wolves’ attacking play.
“He’s an important player. I say this all the time,” Peixoto said.
“He works a lot for the team. The goals come, for sure, because he has quality. He scored a lot of goals in the past and he’s going to score in the future.”
Armstrong’s willingness to run beyond defenders has become an increasingly valuable weapon for Wolves, particularly against opponents who press high or leave space behind their defensive line.
His movement also gives the likes of Fer Lopez and Wolves’ midfielders another option when building attacks.
“He’s the first player to start to press the guys,” Peixoto explained.
“He recovers a lot of balls, he does the diagonals, attacks the space.
“We need that to change our game, not only in the foot, but attack the space like the moment he scored.”
That last point is particularly interesting.
Wolves have occasionally been guilty of playing too much football in front of opposition defences, allowing teams to settle into their shape.
Armstrong provides the antidote.
His pace, intelligent movement and relentless pressing can force defenders into mistakes even when he isn’t receiving the ball.
Peixoto also highlighted the contrast between Armstrong and Raul Jimenez, with the two forwards offering different qualities depending on the circumstances.
“We try to manage the whole idea of the game because he’s different than Raul. But I’m confident with his work.”
And with Sean Neave announcing himself with two goals at Bristol City, Peixoto suddenly has some intriguing decisions to make in attack.
Armstrong’s experience and all-round contribution remain hugely important, but Neave’s emergence provides genuine competition and another option from the bench.
For Peixoto, however, the bigger picture remains the collective.
“Our best power is the team, not player A, B or C. The team is our best power.”
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