While the fight for Europe will be fierce until the end in the Premier League, Wolverhampton intends to upset the hierarchy of the Big Six in England. Bruno Lage’s excellent work is paying off at Wolves, one of the most impermeable formations in the Kingdom.
“Now, until the end of the season, it will be a question of character. We’ve had solid training and performances, and we want more wins. » If he obviously, on February 18, called for caution and warned his troops against a possible relaxation which could be fatal by the end of the season, Bruno Lage knows that he will have to count on his Wolverhampton in the fight for Europe in the Premier League. And for good reason. The Wolves, after a complicated start to the 2021-2022 financial year (4 defeats in the first 5 days), are now one of the most solid formations in Her Majesty’s Kingdom, as evidenced by their 17 goals conceded in 23 days in the league, making of them the 2nd best defense behind Manchester City.
“For the players and myself, we need time to grow because we want to play in a way that you will all enjoy”, declared Bruno Lage last August, asking for leniency after the sluggish start in terms of the results of his players. Because in the game, paradoxically, Wolverhampton displayed an attractive face. The game ideas of the former Benfica coach have had time to be assimilated and applied on the field.
A well-oiled machine started by Lage
The 45-year-old Portuguese technician was able to rely on the foundations laid by the quality work carried out over 4 years by Nuno Espirito Santo near Molineux. Bruno Lage also perfectly managed departures during the summer transfer window, like the replacement of Rui Patricio by his compatriot José Sá, who established himself as one of the most decisive goalkeepers in the Premier League (76 saves, 4th championship goalkeeper in this little game) since his arrival from Olympiakos. While attracting quality players who bring a real plus to the team, such as Francisco Trincão (FC Barcelona) or Hwang Hee-chan (RB Leipzig).
The least we can say is that the collective mayonnaise took well. The Wolves are distinguished today by an extremely compact team block, arranged in 3-4-3 or 3-5-2, with three central defenders therefore. Max Kilman was able to take advantage of Willy Boly’s long injury to gain even more depth alongside a still reliable Romain Saïss and captain Conor Coady. The pistons that are Nelson Semedo (1 assist) and Rayan Aït-Nouri (2 assists), when he is not replaced by Fernando Marçal, flourish in their role.
Serious European contenders Wolves can do better offensively
In the midfield, it’s also tough. Ruben Neves (2 goals, 1 assist) has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the championship, he who now has more than 200 caps with the orange jersey on his shoulders. The very versatile Leander Dendoncker (1 achievement, 1 PD) has also taken on another dimension, while the former Monegasque João Moutinho supervises his partners and brings them all his experience. Young Luke Cundle (19) is even able to integrate brilliantly into this midfielder, as evidenced by his recent performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (2-0).
Able to bend without breaking and explode quickly on the counter-attack with quick and devastating transitions (47.8% average possession in the Premier League) under the impulse of the will-o’-the-wisp Daniel Podence (2 assists in the league), who must do better in the finish like his team (21 goals scored only in 23 PL games), combined with the elegant Francisco Trincão and the formidable Raul Jiménez (5 goals and 2 assists), the Wolves also know, per period, play the game perfectly and impose it on their opponents. “We are stronger. December and January are a good example – we had consistency in our game, we had the personality to play against any team. It comes from solid training, solid performance, consistency, that’s all.”, analyzed Bruno Lage in front of the media. Knowing that Willy Boly, Yerson Mosquera and Pedro Neto are all on their way back to competition bodes well for declared European candidate Wolverhampton.
