Another loss for Wolves puts even more pressure on Vitor Pereira, but he isn’t the only one at fault for the disappointing Sunderland loss.
Another game, another loss for Wolves, and this one stings more than most.
As well as Sunderland have performed this season, Saturday’s tie felt like a great opportunity for Wolves against a newly promoted side.
But it was Wolves who looked a level below for much of the 90 minutes, and Vitor Pereira is getting his fair share of criticism.
That being said, he has his own finger to point as well.
Vitor Pereira not happy with Wolves late on
Ladislav Krejci’s own goal was the nail in the coffin, but before it went in, Wolves were within reach of the home side.
Pereira’s half-time talk had some effect, as Wolves came out with more intent and retook control of the possession game. But when changes were made with 15 minutes to go, the Wolves boss was frustrated with his players’ decision to deviate from the gameplan.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, Pereira said: “In the second half we corrected our moments and in my opinion we played 30 minutes of high quality football and created three or four chances to score.
“In the Premier League you cannot lose these moments. But in the end we concede. In the last 15 minutes with two strikers we stopped playing, we started playing the long ball and this is not our game.”
The introduction of Tolu Arokodare meant Wolves had two big strikers up top, and they decided to take a route-one approach. That’s not what Pereira instructed, though, and it threw away the momentum that had been building since coming out from the break.
Pereira still has a right to criticise
There’s no hiding the fact that Pereira is going to take most of the heat for this result. The buck stops with him.
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Just because he is the focus, doesn’t mean he’s the only issue at Wolves. The players didn’t show up today. Some really didn’t show up.
Two things can be true. Pereira deserves criticism for decisions, and the players deserve criticism for not adhering to the coach’s gameplan.
But the blame game is a fruitless endeavour. Wolves need to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and prepare for Burnley. Oh, and maybe avoid the news.