HOW WILL THE BRUNO LAGE ERA LOOK AT MOLINEUX?

Bruno Lage had been touted in the press long before Nuno Espirito Santo left Wolves, so it was no great surprise to see him announced as the new man at the helm, after his countryman gave Wanderers four largely memorable campaigns.

Following promotion as second- tier champions, two seventh- place Premier League finishes and runs to the quarter- and semi- finals of the Europa League and FA Cup respectively, last season was a tough watch. Though many clubs would be happy finishing 13th, the many slow starts and lacklustre performances proved hugely frustrating. The club’s exemplary injury record became a distant memory, as an already tired side continued to lose key players throughout the campaign.

Some will be unconvinced by Lage – twice Carlos Carvalhal’s assistant, at Sheffield Wednesday and then Swansea – because he has taken charge of just 76 top- flight matches as a coach. As Benfica boss from January 2019 to June 2020, he promoted youth including Joao Felix and Ruben Dias and clinched the title, evolving the Eagles’ style to an expansive 4- 4- 2 that afforded one of the two deep- lying midfield positions to a player as mercurial as Adel Taarabt.

However, coaching Portugal’s biggest and richest club is very different to his mission at Wolves, whose ambitious owners Fosun are determined to upset the established elite. Lage’s record in the second half of the 2018- 19 campaign was the best ever recorded in Portugal, winning 18 of 19 games to top the Primeira Liga, but such a streak will not be repeated here.

Having had his initial refusal of a work permit overturned, Lage ( pronounced with a soft ‘ g’) inherits a team accustomed to playing mainly with a back three, and he must decide whether to persist with Nuno’s wing- back policy or mix things up. Wolves are blessed with an abundance of versatile players; they do, however, need fresh blood to restore their former vibrancy and threat. The spine needs addressing, and with funds potentially limited by COVID- 19, creative thinking may be the key.

Wolves’ counter- attacking system thrived in their first two Premier League seasons under Nuno, but as he ventured away from that style to become more front- foot, the goals began to fly in at the wrong end. Just two of their 12 victories last term came by more than a single- goal margin, and none more than two. Lage’s job is to find a happy medium.