Last night, we won 🙌. And those were MASSIVE 3 points.
United rocked up to the Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time and said, 'this is our home now.'
Another super-sub Sesko moment. Another win. Relief all around.
But let’s be honest with each other for a second.
That performance? Flat.
We lacked energy and intensity. Some played well, others didn't. And we relied on a counter-attack to scrape through.
You can celebrate the result and still admit the performance was shaky. Both things can exist at the same time.
And this is where I want to zoom in on something that’s been quietly bothering me for a few games now.
The Cunha problem isn’t Cunha.
We’re Not Using Him Properly
Cunha was signed as a No. 10. A player who thrives centrally. Quick feet, tight spaces, dropping deep, spinning defenders, linking play. In a 3-4-3, he made perfect sense as one of the two attacking midfielders.
But since the shift to a 4-2-3-1, he’s been pushed wider, to a point where he's hugging the touchline.
And that’s where the issue starts.
We’re not giving him the ball enough as it is and if he’s already on the periphery of games, and then we position him in a role that isolates him even more, what exactly are we expecting?
Magic from the sideline?
The Real Issue: The Left Side Has No Synergy
This isn’t just about Cunha. It’s about how the left side functions.
We’re heavily right-side dominant. Amad, Mbeumo — that’s where most of our play flows. The left feels… secondary.
And here’s the key problem: there’s no consistent overlapping full-back.
Shaw, at this stage, doesn’t regularly bomb beyond his winger anymore. His current profile is more controlled, more conservative, one that suits a centre-back role.
But without that overlap, Cunha has to hold the width, he has to stay wide to stretch the play.
And when he stays wide:
- He’s isolated.
- He’s receiving to feet with a defender already set.
- He’s too far from the central chaos where he actually thrives.
That’s not maximising him. That’s limiting him.
Why This Actually Matters
Teams know a low block frustrates us.
So where are most of their players?
Central areas.
And who is one of our best tight-space operators?
Cunha.
But instead of putting him in those crowded zones where his quick feet can drag defenders out of shape, we’re parking him near the touchline.
It’s backwards.
If we had a proper overlapping left-back:
- The full-back keeps the width.
- Cunha can invert.
- We create overloads.
- We get two-v-ones.
- We drag defenders out.
- We open passing lanes.
Suddenly, the attack has layers.
And if you’ve got a striker like Sesko in the box, having natural left-footed crosses from deeper or overlapping zones becomes a real weapon. Right now, that side often slows down because Cunha wants to cut inside onto his right — which is fine — but predictable if there’s no support.
This Isn’t an Attack on Cunha
If we're being honest, he wasn't great last night, although many weren't that great.
But he also wasn’t put in the best position to succeed.
There’s a difference between a player underperforming and a system underutilising him.
Right now, it feels like the latter.
And if we fix it? If we get that left-side rotation right? If we allow him to drift centrally while someone else provides width?
We become far more dangerous.
And that’s the difference between fighting for 4th and actually looking like we belong there.
When you look at recent matches where Cunha has actually produced output, there’s a pattern.
It hasn’t been from the touchline. It’s been centrally.
His assist against City came when he replaced Mbeumo through the middle. His winner at Arsenal? Same thing. Even when the lineup sheet suggests Mbeumo is the striker, if you actually watch the game, it’s often Cunha who ends up playing as the false 9.
And that’s not by accident.
When he’s central: he gets more touches, he links the play, he can use his strength and hold-up ability, and he operates closer to goal.
In my opinion, his hold-up play is better suited to that role than Mbeumo’s. The Cameroonian can do it, but it’s not maximising him either.
And that’s really the theme here.
Both Cunha and Mbeumo can “do a job” out of position. But doing a job isn’t the same as thriving.
We’ve seen Mbeumo look far more dangerous when shifted back to the right — his pace becomes a weapon, his combinations with Sesko start clicking. We saw it at West Ham. We saw it again last night.
Same principle.
This isn’t about saying Cunha can’t play out wide.
He can. We’ve seen it. His derby assist came from the right channel. His involvement in Sesko’s winner at Everton started from a wide position, even if it was deep in our own half.
But those are moments.
His best performances — the ones that actually define games — have come when he’s central.
And that’s why I keep coming back to the same thing.
A proper overlapping left-back changes everything.
- It allows Cunha to drift inside without killing our width.
- It creates overloads.
- It opens passing lanes.
- It gives us natural crossing angles.
- It adds an extra man in attack.
Right now, we’re getting glimpses of the Wolves version of Cunha. But we’re not fully unlocking him.
Fix the left side, and you don’t just improve one player: you elevate the entire attack.
Cunha has the ability to be a genuine game-changer, if we use him correctly.
And sometimes, the difference between “scraping wins” and “looking dangerous”…
Is just one profile in the right position.
Matheus Cunha | Image credit: Getty Images via Goal