"We have to have more mobility," said Cesar Peixoto, pondering what Wolves could have done to overcome Portsmouth's "deep block" and avoid dropping points at home for the second Tuesday running.

"Speed up the game, attack one side, go to the other side, attack the spaces - in the first half we didn't do this."

It was all going so well last month, after Wolves had beaten Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion on successive Sundays, demonstrating all the qualities required of a strong Championship side: grit, nerve, energy and the conviction to grasp their chance.

There were flashes of that at Burnley, after a poor start, but the spark from the Albion game has gone out. Why?

There have been injuries. Fer Lopez looked like the best player in the league before the break, but a knock while with Spain Under-21s appears to have broken his stride lately.

Raul Jimenez was sidelined before the Black Country derby, but the news that his return may be significantly later than first hoped seemed to pull a grey cloud over Molineux.

Adam Armstrong was not in apex form but the issue that has cost him two games has demonstrated how much work he was actually getting through. Kieran Trippier has not taken the field in the last two games either.

That's not nothing. "I think if you have [Trippier], if you have [Armstrong], if you have Raul or other players, more experienced players in this kind of game help us," said Peixoto after the 1-1 draw against Portsmouth.

That is undoubtedly true, but many of those who did play were able to call themselves Premier League footballers this time last year.

For all Peixoto's increasingly agitated body language from the sidelines, evidence that they have the quality or energy to earn back that status was scarce on Tuesday.

Peixoto's diagnosis matches that of many fans. In the first half against Portsmouth, he said, the players did not "take the risk I want in our game… you have to take the risk to play with courage to win the games."

Yes, but somebody has to lead on the field. Losing Jimenez and Trippier at the same time is unfortunate, but it was hardly unforeseeable that such senior players would not be in every game even if they stayed uninjured.

All is not lost, far from it. Wolves are still only five points off the top, the amount lost in the just the past two home games, but the sullen atmosphere that has plagued Molineux for the last few years is back, and Wolves need a blast from somebody – Storm Mateus? Storm Fer? Storm Jordan? – to blow it away, quick.