Vitor Pereira has enjoyed huge success since arriving at Molineux, with his clever tactical setup winning Wolves crucial points.
The Molineux outfit seemed doomed for the drop until Vitor Pereira’s appointment in mid-December.
Luckily for Wolves, the Portuguese boss managed to steer the club to safety, with Pereira creating history during a dramatic upturn in form.
Pereira’s tactical brilliance was a key factor in avoiding relegation, and the Wolves manager has since provided supporters with a small insight into his strategic setup.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Vitor Pereira gives insight into Wolves tactics
Jamie Carragher has lauded Pereira for the job he has done at Molineux, with many others also crediting Wolves’ safety down to the brilliance of the 56-year-old.
A strong tactical setup has been the driving force of Pereira’s success, and the Portuguese manager recently sat down with the Wolves club podcast to give fans a small insight into how he sets his team up.
When talking about what he wants from his players in possession, Pereira told Dave Edwards the key instruction he tells all his players when they are on the ball.
“Sometimes they need to wait for the pressure of the opponent, to have a player free, to play. The moment that they come to press, this is the moment to put the pass in between the lines.
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“That’s why sometimes the supporters outside they want faster and faster. But this is like a trap. We are cooking, we are cooking our play, cooking, cooking, cooking.”
Pereira’s tactical stability has been key for Wolves
Many may have thought that Pereira had implemented some revolutionary tactics upon his arrival, but what he simply did was provide his Wolves players with some much-needed clarity.
Previous manager Gary O’Neil was chopping and changing formations every week in search of a winning formula.
Formations under O’Neil
4-2-3-1
4-4-1-1
4-1-4-1
3-5-2
3-4-2-1
The Englishman played a total of five different formations during the early stages of the season, something which would have no doubt started to confuse the Wolves players.
Formations under Pereira
3-4-2-1
Pereira, on the other hand, has stuck to his guns and remained with his 3-4-2-1 formation, a setup that seemed to suit the Wolves squad more compared to a conventional back-four.