One month ago, as Wolverhampton Wanderers’ season threatened to peter out, Bruno Lage decided to take one enormous risk. Lage wasn’t willing to make the same mistake twice after a shambolic first half display against Palace. Ki-Jana Hoever took the brunt of Lage’s anger during a fiery 20-minute press conference, but the message was clear to all of the youngsters within the squad.
Bruno Lage said: “I have too many kids in my team that sometimes don’t work the way they should work. They need to understand that I don’t waste time with guys who don’t work hard every day to improve. I can see guys who are 35-years-old and they don’t play, like Joao (Moutinho) didn’t (at West Ham), and they are trying to win balls in the air, ‘Hey, look at me, I’m here’.”
The following week Lage correctly pointed out that he isn’t the first manager to publicly blast a player and that he won’t be the last. But this Wolves squad have become so accustomed to problems being kept in-house that Lage’s outburst must have taken everyone by surprise.
Bruno Lage said: “Sometimes it’s good for the young players to listen to the truth. Sometimes it helps them to wake up. These days the mentality is very different. It’s good for me to understand when I talk with (Conor) Coady, (Romain) Saiss, Moutinho and (Willy) Boly, they are different, when I talk with Ruben (Neves), Leander (Dendoncker) – guys of 25, 26 – and the kids of 18, 19 and 20. I put a lot of pressure on my players. I really don’t care if they feel comfortable with what I’m saying to them, what I want is to take the best from them in every moment. I don’t put everyone down. When I put them down, I will be the first guy to put my hand up and put them in a game.”
The recent improvement of Trincao and Silva, coupled with the club’s excellent form, shows Lage’s gamble has paid off. If Wolves do finish inside the European places, Lage’s comments on March 5 should be viewed as a turning point in their season.
