When the universally popular Portuguese Nuno Espírito Santo left Wolverhampton Wanderers after four highly successful years in May, there was little surprise when it became clear that another Luso coach would replace him at Molineux.
Bruno Lage was the man chosen, likely by club director Jorge Mendes, to succeed Nuno, but if the nationality of the new manager offers continuity within Wolves’ Portuguese project, there is a clear objective of tactical overhaul at the club under the former Benfica boss.
Lage arrived on a three-year contract 12 months after his departure from Estadio da Luz, retuning to Britain having previously spent time on the coaching staff at Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea City under Carlos Carvalhal. Despite his experience, Lage is an almost unknown to most Premier League observers, but his appointment is believed to be part of long-term thinking aimed at progressing the footballing culture at the club.
According to a report in The Athletic, Lage is already making his mark on the side with a variety of tactical concepts which differ in the extreme to those associated with Nuno’s tenure. Since Wolves’ return to the Premier League in 2018, the team’s tactical identity has been associated with a reactionary and pragmatic approach which commanded respect through its efficiency.
Lage may share the same nationality as his predecessor, but The Athletic report published in recent days depicts a pre-season of revolution regarding the on-field philosophy. Wolves are being prepared to play a far more proactive style, with a higher defensive line and a greater focus on positional play and controlling matches in possession.
Busy start
With two weeks until Lage gets his first taste of the Premier League as a head coach, the Setúbal native has given an update on his experiences and progress in making his mark. Wolves have spent the last week in Spain for friendlies against Real Betis, Las Palmas and Al Shabab, during which new loan signing Francisco Trincão has been integrated into the set-up.
“It’s been a busy first six weeks,” Lage said. “I want to know all about the club, I want to know every corner, I want to know every person, because I want to create something unique with the staff of all departments. It’s been busy, but at the same time I’m also very happy with the work of everyone.”
Indeed, Lage admitted he has so far been too busy to see much of the city he now calls home, but the 50-year-old has been following the fortunes of many at Wolves for some time. “When I started at Sheffield Wednesday in 2015, at that time, two or three players who I worked with at Benfica started to come here [to Wolves] such as Hélder Costa, João Teixeira. I followed them because I’d worked with them since under-10, they worked with me for four or five years, so after my match I wanted to see what they did.
“I remember João started the season very well here, but he didn’t have the same luck and moved to Nottingham Forest. Hélder was very happy, he did two or three years very good and now he’s still doing well at Leeds.
"Since then, I was following, and I saw the big change [of the club] under Nuno. But now, it's important for me to see the eyes of the players, I need to see them on the pitch every day, I need to see them training every day, the ambition and the motivation to keep going, because football is about working hard every day to bring success for the fans and for the people who work for the club.
“When I planned the pre-season, I planned it in two periods – the first three weeks and then the next three weeks. In the first three weeks, I tried to know everyone, I tried to know the players, to understand the dynamics and preparing everything with the guys here.
“Now I have all the squad with me, I want to know [Conor] Coady better, I want to know Adama [Traore] better, I want to know Leander [Dendoncker] better, and I want to create a good energy.
“We now need to train with our idea, and that’s why we’re training in the morning and the afternoon, that’s why we have meetings in the morning and afternoon, so everyone can understand our idea.”
Work comes first
Previous coach Nuno set remarkably lofty standards with back-to-back 7th place finishes upon Wolves’ return to the English top flight, but last season represented a step backwards. Set against the backdrop of Diogo Jota’s departure to Liverpool and an early-season injury to Raul Jimenez, Wolves struggled in front of goal and ended the campaign in 13th place.
Asked about his expectations for the upcoming season, Lage avoided speaking about the tactical changes reported, but spoke positively ahead of a start which sees them facing Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur (now coached by Nuno) and Manchester United as their opening three fixtures in August.
“What do I expect? To improve day by day. That’s why I’m working them very hard every day. We need to improve in training, we need to create that competitive squad, and the way we work, you can already see good strengths, good intensity, good dynamic, good spirit, a competitive squad, top players with a good mentality and guys that want to continue to bring success for the club.
“We can do something great, but we need to put these two things together, and work hard every day, and after we’ll see where we go.”
By Sean Gillen
