Danny Murphy has given his verdict on Wolves’ head coach Julwn Lopetegui and their win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Murphy heaped praises on Wolves boss Lopetegui’s tactical tweaks in his side’s win over Tottenham Hotspur with Adama Traore proving to be the matchwinner as he thundered home the rebound from Raul Jimenez’s initial effort at Molineux.
Wolves begun slow in the game as Spurs rattled Jose Sa’s crossbar more than once, yet he was somehow able to maintain a clean sheet him.
Somehow, intuitively Lopetegui was willing and able to switch it up, making a double substitution at the interval in order to match Spurs’ three at the back formation. As a result, Mario Lemina and Pedro Neto were replaced by Nathan Collins and goalscorer Traore, leading BBC pundit Murphy to praise the Wolves boss as the fitting mastermind for the victory.
“(Lopetegui) does this a lot. He notices the problems in the game and he changes and adapts,” Murphy quipped on Match of the Day.
“He went to three at the back with wing-backs and matched up Spurs. He made two substitutions with Adama Traore and Collins, and it worked a treat.
“It gave them better control in the game and better width. It allowed the front three to be higher up the pitch and cause problems.
“It was a completely different Wolves in the second-half and that is due to the manager’s ability to change and adapt. And he’s done it on more than one occasion. That’s what the coaches are brought in and get paid for. Adaptability and seeing problems and finding solutions.”
Wolves clearly need the crucial three points, climbing to 13th in the table, five points clear of the bottom three.
A trip to Newcastle is next up for Lopetegui’s side, but there now spirits will be refreshed with morale boosted and a renewed sense of optimism at Molineux following the win over Spurs, while Eddie Howe’s side have won only one of their last eight league games.