Vitor Pereira took some heat for certain decisions made in Wolves’ loss to Bournemouth on Saturday, but he’s standing firm on one controversial choice.
Wolves weren’t firing on all cylinders as they fell to a second straight defeat at the Vitality Stadium, and Vitor Pereira wasn’t immune from blame.
Fans were not happy with Pereira’s decision to take off Jhon Arias after Wolves went down to ten men, but there was another personnel choice that raised eyebrows.
Vitor Pereira explains his choice to leave Andre out of the starting lineup against Bournemouth
The exclusion of Andre from Wolves’ midfield was a head-scratcher when team news came out, and it didn’t help that his stand-in, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, was at fault for the first goal.
When asked about this decision, Pereira was ready with an answer, as The Athletic reports.
He says: “The positions are not a gift. They are not something I give to Andre. I like Andre a lot — he can give us a lot.
“But I must push him to be better and increase his level. In my opinion, in the last two weeks, Bellegarde in training and in the games has been in better condition.”
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On what he said to Andre regarding the decision, Pereira revealed: “I spoke with Andre and told him: ‘I know what you can do for us, but it’s time to increase your level’. We must deserve things in life. He has to deserve to play in the first XI. We need to work and work hard.”
An unhappy Andre spells trouble for Vitor Pereira
Andre was clearly not happy with being left out of the starting lineup and even though he was introduced at the break, his displeasure was evident after the full-time whistle blew.
The Brazilian went straight for the tunnel, rather than joining his teammates in thanking the travelling Wolves support.
Pereira has enough headaches in this squad as it stands, with the midfield really the only part of the side not a cause for concern in pre-season. Andre’s partnership with fellow Brazilian Joao Gomes has been key to the success Wolves have enjoyed since their new manager took over.
Hopefully, this is just one of those ‘out of shape’ issues that can occur at the start of a campaign, and not indicative of a breakdown in the relationship.
We absolutely cannot afford to lose another star.