Leicester City v Wolves: The Bruno Lage era gets underway

Supporters are crying out for more signings and it is clear the squad needs it, while Wolves also still have a very talented team at their disposal.

The change from Nuno Espirito Santo to Lage brings with it a difference in football philosophies – with the new boss aiming for an aggressive and attacking style.

His Benfica team, with whom he won the top-flight title in Portugal, were a wonderful free-scoring side and with Leicester the first challenge of the new season, Lage is eager to find the back of the net.

“That’s it. Football without goals is nothing,” he said.

“That’s why for me it is so important to create a dynamic with the players. Because then they feel like they belong to the dynamic.

“It’s also important to create a competitive group. That’s why I prefer to have two good players in every position. We need to create a strong squad.

“Everywhere I go, that is the way I work. If Wolves didn’t compete against other teams, what would the job be for?

“It’s the same for players – with competition, they will get better. Sometimes I joke with them that when they go to sleep, they need to dream about their colleague in the same position ‘because he is working hard to take your place’. This creates competition.

“The players will be better and the team will be better. With that I believe we can win more games. And if we win more games, everyone at the club, from the fans to the chairman, are happier. That’s why you need competition outside and inside.”

For all the work on and off the pitch, Wolves still face a stern test to start the season.

Spurs and Manchester United are still to come, but first they must face a Leicester side fresh from a Community Shield win over Manchester City.

But Lage is relishing his tough start, insisting that his side must be hard to play against.

He added: “We know it’s hard, that’s why we are training hard to be competitive. That’s why we want to create a good group and a routine to be competitive. Also it’s important to have points. That’s why we analyse everything in the game, so the players start to believe in this way and we can win more games.

“Most importantly, it’s not the way you start but the way you finish. This will be a long journey for us. We know how we want to play and we need to continue to train.

“It’s difficult for us and everyone. When I was in the Championship it was the same, you can play with the first position or last position and every time it’s a tough game.

“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.

“When we restart the competition we need to show that it’s very hard to play against us. That’s why we’re training every day before we start the competition.”