Vitor Pereira must avoid costly Wolves mistake against Tottenham, choice for £26m gem is obvious
It’s becoming increasingly clear Vitor Pereira must drop one Wolves player and start another against Tottenham Hotspur.
Wolverhampton Wanderers are still searching for their first Premier League point of the season ahead of this Saturday evening’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
The Old Gold have endured their worst-ever start to a league campaign, losing all five fixtures so far. Many thought it couldn’t get any worse than the run under Gary O’Neil at the beginning of 2024/25, but this rut - albeit shorter at this stage - is certainly comparable.
There’s been something to shout about in the Carabao Cup, at least, as Wolves have beaten two Premier League sides to progress to the last 16. Vitor Pereira’s side saw off West Ham United 3-2 in round two before brushing Everton aside 2-0 a matter of days ago.
Wolves can surprise Spurs with important £26m call
Although it will be challenging to beat the third-placed Tottenham, we believe Pereira could give his side a much better chance if he makes two big selection decisions. Both of these calls were already made on Tuesday as Wolves beat Everton and they could work effectively once again.
The first is the decision to bench Emmanuel Agbadou in favour of £26 million loan-to-buy signing Ladislav Krejci. Despite only joining in January, Agbadou was Wolves’ best defender last season as he made a substantial difference in the second half of the campaign; however he’s failed to carry that momentum over to this term. With two, Agbadou has made the most errors leading to goals in the Premier League so far. He’s also looked very shaky in possession.
Krejci, meanwhile, has made an instant impact. The 26-year-old made his first two starts in central midfield against Newcastle United and Leeds United. He played well in the second and earned a goal for his efforts, but it was at centre-back against Everton when he really shone.
The Czech Republic international contributed five clearances, two tackles, two interceptions and two chances created in 90 minutes. Most importantly, Wolves looked like they had more confidence in defence. Krejci, narrowly beaten to the man of the match award by Marshall Munetsi, has given Pereira some serious food for thought ahead of Saturday.
Change of formation key for Wolves
Pereira’s second big call against Everton was changing to a back four, something supporters had been calling for. The stubbornness to stick with the back three - or five, if that’s how you see it - was really grating on fans as Wolves continued to be overrun in midfield.
Having that extra man in the centre of the park really helped against the Toffees. Although the away side racked up more shots and efforts on target throughout the match, there was a noticeable improvement from Wanderers. Given how much pace Tottenham have in wide areas, Pereira may decide to revert to a three, but we think that could be a costly mistake.
If Wolves go with a four, they are much less likely to be outnumbered in the centre of the park, where much of Tottenham’s attacks begin. Having the extra player in the middle would also give the Old Gold a better chance of having sustained spells of possession of their own. That in itself is a good method of defending, and it would of course help in creating chances.
Would you like to see Wolves play with a back four against Spurs? And would you like to see Agbadou benched in favour of Krejci? Let us know in the comments section.