Welcome Bruno Lage

[Tony Towner]

The club have really let him down with the complete lack of support for him in the transfer market. He’s on a hiding to nothing because as soon as results start to go against us the fans will turn in him and negatively compare him to Nuno. But let’s be honest, he’s had zero backing to give him the best chance of success. It’s basically “Nuno couldn’t get these players to play attacking football, here have a go see what you can do”. Shameful.

Assuming no further signings that's one interpretation, another is they appointed a yes man. Not saying that is the case, but it would be convenient

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

I think some of this is a little over the top, we have made 4 signings, and there are still 2 and a half weeks left of the window, i think we've actually done more business at this stage of the window than in any window since we were promoted?

 

[Tony Towner]

I think some of this is a little over the top, we have made 4 signings, and there are still 2 and a half weeks left of the window, i think we've actually done more business at this stage of the window than in any window since we were promoted?

Jota and Boly loans were made permanent. Jonny, Patricio and Moutinho all played in the first game of the season

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Jota and Boly loans were made permanent. Jonny, Patricio and Moutinho all played in the first game of the season

Yeah that's what I'm saying, since that promotion window.

Tomorrow we'll have 2 new signings playing (Sa, Trincao) and had Yerson not got injured it would have been 3 I'm sure, the same as that first game in the Prem back.

 

[Banjo]

Jota and Boly loans were made permanent. Jonny, Patricio and Moutinho all played in the first game of the season

Yeah, if you look back to the heady days of our first PL season under Nuno, we were ready to go on Day 1 of the season. I gave the benefit of the doubt last year because of the truncated pre-season, the pandemic etc - plus, we still had a strong first 11 (it was the wider squad that needed upgrading imv). This year, it seems like we're under-prepared and having to make do with what we've got.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Yeah, hard to disagree with Jasper or Dire on this. It feels a bit like when we hired Stale to work with MM's squad. Luckily, it seems like Lage is prepared to more flexible than Stale in terms of working with what he's got rather than trying to get players to perform roles they simply aren't capable of doing.

Kind of. I mean he's moved away from 4-4-2 which we obviously can't play, but he's still got a slow back three playing ridiculously high, and he doesn't seem to know what to do with central midfield at all.

 

[BGreenWolf]

Hard to hold not knowing what to do with CM against him, considering that Nuno didn't either and we've had absolutely no investment in that position since he joined.

 

[Banjo]

Kind of. I mean he's moved away from 4-4-2 which we obviously can't play, but he's still got a slow back three playing ridiculously high, and he doesn't seem to know what to do with central midfield at all.

Yeah, sorry - I meant in terms of what he said in that Spiers interview rather than any evidence on the pitch.. at least he recognises some of the players' shortcomings, even if there's not much he can do about it

 

[prawnking]

Skeptical about MGW being a top 10 PL midfielder, but new manager means clean slate so we'll see. I'd love it to happen

 

[sycophantia]

I'm hopeful MGW can step up, always thought he could if given the chance. For all Nuno's top work, thought he handled Morgan quite poorly tbh. Looks like Bruno will give him a chance....if he doesn't quite cut it, he should still bring a bit of cash in.

 

[Throbber3]

Skeptical about MGW being a top 10 PL midfielder, but new manager means clean slate so we'll see. I'd love it to happen

I would love to get a sexy text from Jennifer Lawrence but I doubt that will happen either. I think there is a chance MGW comes good but I doubt it will be as a wide striker. He is a 10

 

[Tony Towner]

Still not sure we are going to play a formation that will get the best out of him (ie with a 10). Hopefully if we get the players in the manager wants he can play in a 4231

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Still not sure we are going to play a formation that will get the best out of him (ie with a 10). Hopefully if we get the players in the manager wants he can play in a 42131

Always helpful if they let us sneak an extra player on...

I can't see him working in a midfield two.

 

[Throbber3]

Still not sure we are going to play a formation that will get the best out of him (ie with a 10). Hopefully if we get the players in the manager wants he can play in a 42131

I like that system if we can get a man advantage!

 

[Kenny]

Skeptical about MGW being a top 10 PL midfielder, but new manager means clean slate so we'll see. I'd love it to happen

I gave up on predicting on how players will do when Coady turned into an England player and Doherty was signed by Jose Mourinho. Essentially what the fuck do I know

 

[Tony Towner]

fat fingers, I did change it

 

[leedswolf]

Bruno

Meet Bruno Lage - the coaching obsessive charged with breathing life into Wolves

Lage arrives as an unknown quantity in English football - and faces a tough task succeeding the popular Nuno Espirito Santo

www.telegraph.co.uk

Lage arrives as an unknown quantity in English football - and faces a tough task succeeding the popular Nuno Espirito Santo
By John Percy 12 August 2021 • 10:30pm Daily Telegraph
One of Bruno Lage’s first demands after his appointment at Wolves was for a new auditorium to be built at the club’s Compton training ground.
Attention to detail and clarity with his players is crucially important to the 45-year-old, who is the latest Portuguese coaching obsessive to be entrusted with taking over an ambitious Premier League club.
He is taking time out from a hectic pre-season to outline his vision for the future. In the short-term, the focus is all on Saturday's opening game against Leicester, but this moment has actually been almost 30 years in the making.
Lage was just 17 when he was first struck by the coaching bug at Vitoria de Setubal, and inquiries over why he started at such a young age prompt inevitable comparisons with Jose Mourinho.
"Because I didn’t have the ability to play football!" he says, laughing. "I started very young as an assistant coach and never thought about the future. Now I try to do the best work here to make everyone have a big smile.
"In the Premier League it's like playing the Champions League. Every week you're playing against a top manager and top players, so it's going to be difficult for everyone."
Lage has not operated in the technical area for more than a year since his departure from Benfica, and unquestionably has a task on his hands to prove he was the right man to succeed Nuno Espirito Santo.
Nuno’s first two-and-half years were scintillating, as he led the club to the Championship title, an FA Cup semi-final and consecutive seventh-placed finishes in the Premier League.
Yet in the final 18 months, and particularly the final, excruciating campaign, it all became dour and predictable, until ultimately Nuno departed.
Lage is a client of GestiFute - the agency run by Jorge Mendes, a key figure at Wolves since the takeover by Fosun International - but a cursory glance at his record at Benfica confirms he is a more than credible option. After taking over in January 2019, Benfica won 18 of their remaining 19 games, scoring 72 goals - including a record 10-0 thrashing of Nacional - to claim the title.
"Football without goals is nothing," says Lage. "That’s why for me it is so important to create a dynamic with the players. I don’t want to ask them to do things they can’t do. When we restart the competition we need to show that it's very hard to play against us.
"What Nuno did here was truly amazing, but we must forget the past. This is the reality of football, it’s in the present. I have different ideas, I don't know if they are better or worse, but we try to play in a different way."
First impressions of Lage have been very promising: polite and calm off the pitch, he is full of energy on the training ground. Very demanding and thorough, he is hands-on with players in sessions, as he works to implement a brand new philosophy and style of play.
He holds regular meetings, either with the squad or one-to-one, and is far more involved with other departments than Nuno ever was.
nlike Nuno when he was appointed at Wolves, Lage has previous experience of English football, after working as an assistant coach with Carlos Carvalhal at Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea.

"When I look back, I can see that the time I spent in the Championship did a lot to prepare me for my future. The competition is very hard," he says. "Playing Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday, you learn to recover a different way, and there are different mentalities. I also learned about the intensity: that’s why we train hard every day.
"The time I spent with Carlos was very important for me. The way he worked, and the way he allowed his staff to work with a lot of freedom and responsibility in your tasks."
Lage has inherited a squad crammed with experience, with captain Conor Coady the beating heart of the dressing room. There remains a strong Portuguese contingent, and last month they increased that number by signing goalkeeper Jose Sa from Olympiacos.
Wolves have carefully added other players over the summer: the promising winger Francisco Trincao has signed for the season from Barcelona while Rayan Ait-Nouri, 20, joined permanently after impressing on loan. The return of Raul Jimenez, who fractured his skull in November, will also provide a huge lift.
Lage wants at least three further additions in this transfer window, while admitting there could also be departures, with rival clubs interested in Ruben Neves and Adama Traore.
"Every manager in the world needs time," Lage says. "The most important thing is to understand the players. There's a strong spirit and I can feel the real 'pack' inside our building. This is a very exciting time."

 

[BGreenWolf]

I must say, now we're hearing from him more, Lage does come across very well. I really hope this works out.

 

[big mean bunny]

I would love to get a sexy text from Jennifer Lawrence but I doubt that will happen either. I think there is a chance MGW comes good but I doubt it will be as a wide striker. He is a 10

Message from Jennifer:
I think Jose Sa is going to have a positive Post Shot expected goals ratio.

 

[redvictor]

He's certainly a very personable guy. Night and day from Nuno. Of course that doesn't make him a world beating manager, but it's nice to hear he has an idea how to do this. Let's see where we are in a few games time...