Wolves comment: Nuno goes for quality over quantity in squad
Wolves’ team photo during the week offered a window into Nuno Espirito Santo’s thinking.
Lined up on the Molineux turf for the annual shoot were 21 players and 19 staff.
And that is pretty unusual. The number of first-team staff are very nearly on a par, numerically, as the playing squad.
Nuno is paying significant attention to those behind the scenes and the role they can play in the team’s success – the motivation and attention to detail each and every employee can bring.
More than that, though, it shows the Wolves chief has very much opted – on the playing front – for quality over quantity.
On the face of it, a 22-man Premier League squad (also including Dominic Iorfa, who has been left off the photo) is pretty small, given you are allowed to name 25 – and also when you take into account the fact 28 Wolves players are currently out on loan. But it actually makes a lot of sense.
Nuno wants everyone in the league squad to really feel part of it, to believe they are close to the starting line-up and have a role to play.
Even Iorfa, although he did not get the memo for the photo, could find himself involved if a few injuries were to happen.
It is unlikely, but you cannot rule it out as stranger things have happened.
Nuno has chosen to have a tight-knit squad as he wants no cliques.
He is out to achieve unity – something he feels is of vital importance.
“Unity means that you co-operate,” said Nuno. “This is the philosophy of a group – you co-operate, you help each other.
“In football, there is no individual success.
“Everything is achieved through a team.
“In all the teams that achieve some kind of success – no matter the competition – it is based, for sure, on unity. There is no other way to win in football.”
One man who has certainly been made to feel a significant part of proceedings is youngster Morgan Gibbs-White.
He was introduced as a substitute in two of the four league games before today’s trip to Manchester United.
Gibbs-White may have only got 21 minutes against Leicester and three against Burnley, but not many 18-year-old Englishmen are getting Premier League opportunities. Quite often we hear about how not enough homegrown players are not given a chance to impress – and that is absolutely correct.
So credit to Nuno for taking a step in the right direction and giving the Stafford-born midfielder a taste of top-flight life.
After all, given the riches Wolves are blessed with and the ambition the owners have, he could have easily kept Gibbs-White in the under-23s, or sent him out on loan.
Nuno did not take the safe option.
He clearly sees potential in Gibbs-White, who – you would like to think – will be desperate to hold on to his place in a very competitive squad.
It just seems like a good bit of management, from a man who has all the makings of a truly excellent boss.
