Vitor Pereira got an unusually frosty reception to one particular choice he made during Wolves’ away loss to Bournemouth.
There’s a certain inevitability as a football manager that you’re not going to please everyone with the decisions you alone are responsible for making.
One such example was the decision to start Jean-Ricner Bellegarde over Andre in the midfield, something that Vitor Pereira must have recognised was a mistake, as he rectified the issue at halftime.
But another substitution didn’t go down too well with the travelling Wolves support.
Wolves fans boo as Vitor Pereira takes off Jhon Arias
Following Toti Gomes’ red card, Jhon Arias was the player sacrificed to bring on another centre-back.
As Nathan Judah reports, this decision wasn’t well-received by the fans, who clearly thought others deserved to be taken out of the game.
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Getting such reactions in just the second game of the season isn’t the best sign for Pereira and Wolves, nor is two losses from two games, leaving Wolves right down at the bottom of the table.
But the negative reactions are understandable in this situation, as there was clearly another choice to be taken out.
Marshall Munetsi should have made way instead of Jhon Arias
Arias created the most chances of any player at the Club World Cup this summer, and as a natural attacker, taking him off while a goal down is not the right decision here.
It’s not to say Marshall Munetsi was terrible today, but he should have made way.
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Munetsi is a physical presence and a fantastic runner, but his deployment in the attacking line hasn’t worked out so far this season. Against Man City, he was caught out by their high line over and over again, and today, he just didn’t look threatening in the final third.
The game today was a tough one to win, certainly when you factor in the early goal and the red card. But the issue fans had is that the substitutions made didn’t look like efforts to win, but rather to minimise damage.