Vitor Pereira came to Wolves with a blank canvas, a tactical philosophy – and a desire to paint a picture at Molineux.
Listening to the Portuguese manager, his desire to turn football into an art is clear. He often compares managers who build teams to painting, calling Pep Guardiola, Roberto De Zerbi and other influences 'Davinci' coaches.
“Football allows me to express my creativity. Creativity is something that I have within myself, within me, and I have to express it,” Pereira told Sky Sports from the analysis room at Wolves' training ground.
“And I express that by creating a playing style. That's why I said it looks like a painting. Every club, every team, we can create a different playing style.”
“I try to play with quality. I like to see the teams with the ball, creating things, being key players. And this is what I want to create here, something with identity.”
So how did that identity go from pen to paper, from ink to canvas, from idea to vision? And how can that be done at a Premier League club sitting at the bottom of the table and looking for every ounce of confidence?
Pereira passed on his tactical game model to Sky Sports in his bid to turn around the fortunes of a relegation-threatened club.
The importance of pressing triggers to bring compactness
The first job for Pereira was to fix a leaking Wolves defense. The 48 goals conceded so far are the fifth highest of any Premier League team after 21 games. Of the five teams that conceded 47 or more goals at this stage of the stage, four were relegated.
But the good news for the club is that Pereira is known for his compact, defensive structure – and Wolves' defensive numbers have improved in his first few games.
This is no surprise as this is the same coach Pep Guardiola who, as manager of Bayern Munich, was called to get some advice on the defensive structures in his team.
Pereira has implemented a strict back three, compared to Gary O'Neil who alternated between a three and a four in defence. But protecting that backline in a more solid team block has been key to the improved defense.
It is commonly known in the game as a 'middle block' – a mix between a high press and a low block, but a tactic that is perfect for a team that wants to press in short bursts, as Pereira teams do.
What Pereira is instructing his Wolves team to wait for their chance, to wait for their opponents to produce an urgent trigger. Then they jump up and try to steal the ball.
According to Pereira, a push button can be anything. It could be a bad touch, a negative square or a back pass, a ball through the lines of his Wolves team – or just a slight hesitation in possession.
It could even be an opposing player who is considered weaker on the ball by the Wolves team. “Sometimes we analyze that one center back is better than the other in terms of build-up, so I will try to invite them to the other center back, on the side we want to press,” Pereira said.
“To have a good defensive organization, we don't have to press every time. But we need to understand the moments when we need to press together. We close the block and wait for the trigger.
“It's not the same trigger every time. It depends on the opponent team – what they want to do, where they want to play. And we are waiting for the right moment to apply pressure.
“Sometimes we try to go under high pressure, to go into the last third of the pressure. Other times we block the team, stay compact and organize the team to start the defensive trigger.”
Perhaps Wolves' best presser and main trigger analyzer is Matheus Cunha, who backs up impressive form in front of goal with some encouraging work figures.
The Brazilian has taken on a slightly deeper role under Pereira compared to life under O'Neil at Molineux. His ability to move the ball up the pitch via carries means he can still influence the ball at the top end of the pitch.
But a deeper role means Cunha can contribute defensively and help when Wolves lose the ball. “This is the spirit I want in my team,” says Pereira. “The moment we lose the ball, we have to set an example for everyone.
“He is a captain, he is a top player. He is a perfect player. Because he is a player who, if he receives the ball in the right areas, can decide the game. He has the qualities to decide the game.”
“He is fast with the ball. He is unpredictable with the ball. He can create something special. He can score goals. It means he has everything we expect from a creative player in a creative game. But he has to show his commitment .”
Cooking the play and finding 'the box'
There are also triggers in attack, especially as Pereira's Wolves like to start by playing from the back – a process described by Pereira as 'cooking the game'.
Attacks are 'cooked' by the back three. “They have the freedom to support the attack,” Pereira said. But there is a twist to this back three, as it does not consist of three central defenders, and never should.
Pereira insists on having at least one full-back in his backline. Right-back Matt Doherty in each of Pereira's back threes is the best example of this.
The reason for it? Pereira wants a ball player there and wing-backs are technically superior to centre-backs. Playing backwards requires quality on the ball.
And just like the press, wolves use patient triggers to carry out attacks. They invite the press, find the space and attack it as soon as that space opens.
“Even the central defenders, I want them to create a play and decide every time to have the intention to attack the open spaces,” says Pereira.
“We try to generate pressure and open spaces to attack these spaces. It means we have an intention when we have the ball. We have an intention to create some spaces and put the ball in these spaces. “
But there's a problem. And it has to do with the fact that, after a three-match unbeaten start for Pereira, Wolves' form has dipped in recent games.
In their recent defeats to Nottingham Forest and Newcastle, Wolves have struggled to make the most of their attacking triggers of late. That's because they failed to find their manager's 'box'.
The 'box' is Pereira's term for the half-space in the center of the pitch, where creative players sit to link defense to attack. When Wolves are in transition, an attacking player in 'the penalty area' is crucial, he must be found and then that player relieves the pressure on the defense.
“This is one of the principles of my game,” says Pereira. “If I want to control the game and create chances to score, I have to put the best players around the ball. Around the ball every time.”
But if players are not regularly in the 'box', the game plan begins to crumble and teams are not compact.
“We tried to find the men in the box. But the men in the box were not there,” Pereira said. “It means that the setup of the match was not correct.
“And this is the time to go to the analytics board and explain to them, 'Look, right now the free space is here. And you're not there.'”
The other side of the game is to be more patient while 'cooking the piece'. Of late, Wolves' attacks have rushed forward, leaving little time for key creative players to get up the pitch and into the 'box'.
This is what Pereira meant when he said during his first Wolves press conference that he wanted to implement a 'tactical GPS' in his team.
“This is the next step,” he says. “We have to find the right time to go fast and the right time to slow down, hold the ball and be patient to cook the game. This is something we need to improve in the future.
“I don't want a team. I want an intelligent team. We don't have to run too much. Because we run a lot, but we shouldn't. I want to run at the right time.
“If we recognize the attacking trigger, this is the moment to run. This is the moment to go fast. I have to receive the ball in the free spaces. In half spaces. And this is something that takes time to understand. “
A style that never changes
The idea of having attacking and defensive triggers as key principles means Pereira's tactics aren't too complicated for this Wolves team.
It's why, when Wolves take on Chelsea on Monday Night Football, live on Sky Sports, his team will play in exactly the same way as if he were playing one of his relegation rivals at home.
“Of course, sometimes the team on the other side forces us to defend more than other teams,” Pereira said.
But we must have the intention to play, to play our football, to play good football, to be organised, to understand the moments to press, to understand the moments to wait, to understand the moments understanding to go fast, the moments to For me this is creating identity.
“When I play against Chelsea, I do it with intention. When I play against Newcastle, we go for our identity and try to play our game. This is the mentality I want to have in my team.”
So it doesn't change? 'No. Never.'
Watch Chelsea vs Wolves live this week from 6.30pm on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football; starting at 8 p.m
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