Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has accused Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui of ‘looking for a fight’.
In Saturday’s game against Nottingham Forest, things got heated once again.
In the second-half, coaches Alan Tate and Pablo Sanz were both sent off after a fracas on the touchline.
Later in the game, there was then some pushing and shoving, and Daniel Podence was involved in an incident with Brennan Johnson.
He is alleged to have spat at the Forest winger.
Replays don’t appear to show any actual spit come out of Podence’s mouth. Some have suggested he was blowing a kiss as a means of goading Johnson.
The incident is currently being investigated by the FA.
Earlier today on talkSPORT, Keown gave his take on the situation, and decided to take aim at Lopetegui.
He said: “It looks like he’s blown. Like a spit action. But if he hasn’t actually spat then he’s not guilty or anything. I don’t know whether there’s a new video or there’s pictures of that where we can see that that’s actually happened. But until that’s happened we have to assume he’s innocent.
“It’s a dangerous game to play, to pretend to do that.
“I think Steve Cooper is absolutely right though. Lopetegui is looking for a fight. I think Cooper dealt with it well.
“He’s not going to be drawn into a row. But Lopetegui wants to have a row. You can see it, every game, he’s like that.”
Martin Keown’s comments about Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui are very unfair
This verdict from Keown about Lopetegui feels very reactionary.
Before his appointment by Wolves, it was well known that Lopetegui was a gentleman, and someone whose nature has been praised by plenty of players he’s worked with.
The standard of officiating in Wolves games since he came in has been, a lot of the time, a disgrace.
He is well within his rights to be spikey given some of the unfathomable decisions that have gone against Wolves recently.
Perhaps he can sometimes overstep the mark. But there is so much at stake and Lopetegui’s task of keeping the club in the Premier League is being made much more difficult than it needs to be.
It probably looks like Lopetegui gets into spats every game to neutrals.
But Wolves fans would much rather have someone show a bit of passion than someone who’ll accept incompetence.