Adrian Clarke looks at the favoured tactics of the managers who have taken charge of Premier League clubs this summer, and assesses how they can take their sides to the next level.
Bruno Lage (WOL)
New Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Lage is certain to introduce a more attacking style at Molineux.
Under Nuno Espirito Santo Wolves struggled to score goals last season in the absence of injured striker Raul Jimenez.
Indeed, of the non-relegated sides, only Burnley found the back of net on fewer occasions than Wolves, who netted just 22 of their total 36 goals from open play.
Often lacking spontaneity and freedom inside the opposition half, Wolves only scored more than two goals on one occasion in 38 matches.
Lowest times 3+ goals scored 2020/21
| Club | Total |
| Sheff Utd | 0 |
|---|---|
| Wolves | 1 |
| Fulham | 1 |
| Burnley | 2 |
| Crystal Palace | 2 |
| Everton | 2 |
Lage has a reputation for delivering positive and adventurous football.
After becoming head coach at Benfica in January 2019, the 45-year-old led them to victory in 18 of their remaining 19 matches to land the Portuguese title.
His side scored 72 goals in the process, an average of 3.78 per match.
Lage's first training session
During that exceptional four-month spell, Benfica netted three or more goals an incredible 14 times.
Throughout his 18 months in Lisbon, Lage continued to implement an attack-minded philosophy and averaged 2.38 goals per match.
This track record suggests he can unlock the potential of players such as Pedro Neto, Fabio Silva, Daniel Podence and Adama Traore, as well as new signing Francisco Trincao and the fit-again Jimenez.
Lage's record with Benfica
| Club | P | W | Win % | Goal diff. |
| Benfica B | 13 | 8 | 61.5 | +8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benfica | 76 | 51 | 67.1 | +108 |
Lage switched Benfica's formation to a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 with great success and may opt for the same shape at Wolves.
Nuno consistently selected a back three until last season when he tinkered with a four-man defence, using it on 14 occasions.
Wolves are accustomed to deploying a front two, but they did not start any matches in 2020/21 in Lage’s preferred system.
Wolves' formations used in 2020/21
| Formation | Times | Formation | Times |
| 4-2-3-1 | 10 | 4-3-3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-4-3 | 7 | 3-5-2 | 3 |
| 3-4-1-2 | 7 | 5-3-2 | 1 |
| 3-4-2-1 | 6 | 4-4-2 | 0 |
One distinctive feature of Lage’s 4-4-2 system at Benfica was him encouraging his full-backs to supply width.
He used inverted wingers and tucked the opposite full-back into central midfield when the ball was on the other wing, with his teams often attacking in a 2-3-5 set-up.
When he assesses data from last season, Lage may also look to inject more energy into Wolves' play.
By the completion of 2020/21, Wolves had covered the second-lowest amount of distance and recorded the second-fewest sprints, too.
Distances ran & sprint stats 2020/21
| Team | Distance (km) | Rank | Team | Sprints | PL rank |
| LEE | 4,296.9 | 1st | LEE | 6,450 | 1st |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRY | 4,049.1 | 18th | WHU | 4,438 | 18th |
| WOL | 3,985.1 | 19th | WOL | 4,181 | 19th |
| AVL | 3,980.2 | 20th | CRY | 4,037 | 20th |
To address this, Lage will not be afraid to introduce younger players to add fresh impetus.
With the return of their main striker and a new man in charge, expect Wolves to be more dangerous going forward this season.
Also in this series
Part 1: Benitez must balance attack and defence at Everton
Part 3: Vieira must get Palace used to keeping possession
Part 4: Nuno can add defensive stability to Spurs' attacking threat
