Edwards credits Lage for changing Wolves’ philosophy and ability to press

Sky Sports pundit David Edwards was impressed by the way the Wolves team pressed in the 2-0 win against Everton on Monday night.

Former Molineux midfielder Edwards felt playing further up the pitch under Bruno Lage was something new for the likes of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho to get to grips with.

But he was impressed with how the Portuguese midfielders pressed Everton in possession which meant Wolves could put the squeeze on the Toffees.

He used his Express and Star column to highlight the radical change following the more defensive-minded approach under Lage’s predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo.

Edwards wrote: “We’re used to Moutinho and Neves almost sitting in front of the back three when they haven’t got the ball, to stop those passing lines.

“But when Everton were playing into the middle third, the duo were always looking to put pressure on to the holding midfielders.

“Bruno Lage’s men were very much on the front foot, and it’s not something we’ve seen much of in recent years.”

Edwards felt that Neves and Moutinho still have the “nous and experience” to drop off when needed, but in general he felt the midfield pairing “pushed really high to force mistakes”.

With Neves and Moutinho hassling and harrying the opposition, it almost resembles a trigger in the Wolves team to push higher up the pitch.

Edwards believes Lage’s attacking, positive and front foot philosphy will delight and excite the Wolves faithful.

Speaking about the impact of the Neves and Moutinho press, Edwards added: “It allowed the back five to be higher too, fans will be delighted, because there’s been a lot of times where we’d sit in – I used to call it our comfort blanket when we sat back in that five and two, be hard to break down and look to hit on the counter-attack.

“But we are now playing 15, 20, 30 yards higher up the pitch. When you do win the ball you’re in great positions and it’s really good to see.”

In a week where Nuno has lost his Tottenham job due to concerns surrounding his style of play, having Lage at the Molineux helm is a stark contrast to the style of play we witnessed under his compatriot.

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