Rob Edwards is someone Joleon Lescott knows well from his time at Wolves, and he is bullish about his old teammate’s prospects at Molineux.
Before Edwards was confirmed as the new Wolves manager, reports suggested Lescott was being eyed for a coaching role.
But the 43-year-old would not be one of the newly announced Wolves coaches. Harry Watling and Paul Trollope are the names that have emerged.
Lescott has praised Edwards already since the appointment was announced, and he has doubled down with a prediction as to what Wolves can do under his guidance.
Joleon Lescott backs Rob Edwards to put up a fight
At the weekend, the former Wolves and Man City defender was reacting to the news, claiming Edwards will have all the belief necessary to turn things around — but belief is just part of the puzzle.
Lescott revisited the topic on TNT Sports’ The Breakdown, sharing what he himself believes the new Wolves boss can achieve.
He acknowledges the challenge facing his old pal, saying: “It’s going to be very difficult. Hopefully makes a difference for them, for him. But yeah to say no team has ever recovered from that start, it’s a very uphill battle.”
But he has faith in Edwards, predicting: “There’ll definitely be an improvement, definitely, because he’s got the respect of the fans and a relationship with the players.”
Just how much of an improvement we will see is the golden question. Right now, Wolves feel miles away from the pack, but a gap of eight points is bridgeable.
Are you confident Rob Edwards will help Wolves avoid relegation?
The first step for Edwards at Wolves
Coming into a job of this magnitude, it’s hard to pinpoint individual areas for improvement. Wolves’ struggles have been more all-encompassing.
But a good place to start is figuring out his formation.
He may have an idea of how he wants to set up, but Edwards is tactically flexible according to those who have watched him regularly at Luton and Middlesbrough.
We saw Vitor Pereira go through a number of different formations in the opening weeks, but that led to problems with inconsistency and a defence that looked full of holes at times.
He may not have all his players right now, but that doesn’t mean he can’t start implementing his ideas.
With a top team like Crystal Palace coming to Molineux next week, Wolves will have to be organised and come into the tie with a game plan.
Lescott’s prediction should come good. With how poor the team has been of late, the only way is up.