Bruno Lage: Wolves must play like a pack

The new head coach has now been in the job for two months but has only had a few weeks with his full squad available as he aims to overhaul the playing style at Molineux.

From the cautious and defensive approach of predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo, to the aggressive and forward-thinking style of Lage – Wolves’ pre-season has been mixed with some promising signs, alongside some defensive frailties.

But Lage still needs time to implement his approach and the 45-year-old is clear with his vision.

“We need to manage the ball better and be more aggressive without the ball,” he said on Sky Sports News.

“We want to go forward, to play in a different way. I do not know if it is better or worse, it is just my idea. We need to be a more competitive team, a better team.

“When we have the ball, we need to manage the ball better. When you start from the goalkeeper, if he has the chance to go short then we go short, if we have to go long then we go long, if we need to switch the play, we need to know how to switch the play. We need to always be balanced when we have the ball. At the same time, when we do not have the ball we should be more aggressive.

“If we go high, everyone goes high. If we stay medium, everyone is medium. If we need to drop to defend our goal, then everyone drops but we are still aggressive because the other team needs to feel that when they play us we are a hard opponent to play against.”

Despite having a disappointing campaign last year, Nuno was popular with the players and supporters after a hugely successful four years in charge.

And Lage has praised the atmosphere among the squad that he has inherited.

“The environment between the players, between the players and the staff, it is really amazing,” he added.

“They need to play as one unit. That is why the wolf pack means a lot because we need to play as a unit, as a pack. With and without the ball, we go together.”