Julen Lopetegui reportedly sometimes invites his Wolves players’ families to partake in team building days.
According to the Birmingham Mail, the head coach has placed a big emphasis on building cohesion and team spirit since coming to Molineux.
It’s been a brilliant start for the Spaniard so far at Wolves.
Lopetegui has totally changed the picture and crucially, the team is getting points on the board.
Wolves have now won back-to-back games in the Premier League and are five points clear of the relegation zone after Everton’s defeat to Liverpool last night.
Performance levels are much better. And you can tell all the players are relishing working under Lopetegui.
Lopetegui arrived at Wolves with a big reputation.
He wasn’t just seen as a great tactician before coming to Wolves.
By many accounts, he was someone many players loved on a human level.
And that is already looking to be the case at Wolves, with Lopetegui placing a focus on improving team spirit.
Apparently, he puts on team building days, ‘some of which have included the players’ families’. He also puts on meals, which he pays for himself.
Supposedly, taking the players out for a meal is something Lopetegui now does when Wolves keep a clean sheet.
The manager said previously about raising team spirit (Birmingham Mail): “We are going to need all this spirit inside the dressing room. I believe a lot in this dressing room energy.”
Julen Lopetegui team building idea shows he’s a top-class manager
Top managers are not just about tactics.
They also consider other things to get the best out of the players they are working with.
Lopetegui is clearly a very holistic individual.
He understands that players need more than to be bombarded with tactical ideas and football-related things.
At the end of the day they’re human beings. To bring in their families is a really smart idea and the paying for meals thing is a good incentive.
Clearly, these things have been working well as Wolves have picked up some great results recently.