Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Euro Cup Curse

Is European qualification a blessing or a curse for the smaller teams? Can they cope with the extra workload? Is the chance to take an away trip to Azerbaijan a fitting reward for domestic success?

Every year teams outside the Premier Leagues 'Big 6' battle it out trying to make up the final European tournament places. Last year saw Wolverhampton Wanderers finish seventh and subsequently enter the qualifying rounds for the Europa League. They breezed past Armenian side Pyunik 8-0 on aggregate, before edging a tense affair against Torino to qualify for the group stages of Europe's secondary trophy.

Undoubtedly, Wolves fans, players, and club staff will have been delighted with the club's success and brimming with excitement for the start of this seasons campaign. However, the Europa League often comes with significant downfalls. The tournament is often seen as a distraction and clubs league performance tends to suffer as a result of the tournament. For example, Burnley finished seventh in the 2017/2018 season, thus entering the Europa League qualifying rounds. The North West side failed to make the group stages, but the interruption of pre-season took its toll as Burnley found themselves in the bottom three of the Premier League the following January. Whilst Sean Dyche's side managed to negotiate survival, the challenges brought upon by the Europa League was undeniable for The Clarets and offers an inclination into distraction of the tournament for Premier Leagues side.

Fast forward to this season and it only takes a glance at this year's Premier League table to tell Wolves are suffering from the same disease that plagued Burnley the previous year. Nuno Espírito Santo's side were many fans favourites to shake up the natural order of the Prem's top six, yet they currently sit in 23rd and are winless from the opening eight games. Most recently, it took a last minute equaliser from Diogo Jota to rescue a point against Crystal Palace, a team you'd expect the West Midlands outfit to brush aside.

Whilst their Premier League form is suffering, you'd have hoped they were enjoying the Europa League ride. However, they're first group stage match ended in home defeat to Portuguese side Sporting Braga.

Time will tell whether they can shake the Euro Cup curse and mount a successful campaign in both domestic and continental competition. As things stand, Wolves are struggling to cope with the extra workload brought on by last season's success.