Wolves are blessed to have Rayan Ait-Nouri at the club as he’s arguably one of the Premier League’s best wing-backs.
Only Fulham’s Antonee Robinson has produced more goal involvements from defence than Ait-Nouri this term, with the Algerian providing three goals and five assists in the top-flight.
Ait-Nouri has struck an excellent partnership with Matheus Cunha down the left, as the pair often combine to devastating effect.
While the 23-year-old continues to go from strength to strength with his attacking play, Ait-Nouri has been criticised for giving the ball away in dangerous areas, as seen on numerous occasions this season.
Luckily, Vitor Pereira is currently coaching that bad habit out of his game and one other thing that can take him to the next level at Wolves.
Vitor Pereira concedes that Rayan Ait-Nouri ‘must improve’ defensively
Wolves’ No.3 may be an exciting player to watch going forward but Ait-Nouri has often been described as ‘lazy’, emphasizing his unwillingness to defend.
There was a clear improvement in his positional discipline with the return of Toti Gomes against Aston Villa however, Pereira concedes that he ‘must improve’ that part of his game.
“He’s an offensive player, very offensive. A left-back who is sometimes more of a winger than a left-back,” Pereira said via the E&S.
“We must improve him as a defender and he can give us a lot when we are attacking, because he has the quality.
“But he’s trying, in a different system when asking him to do different things, to deliver what I’m asking.
“The next step is to understand that he can attack inside, attack outside and do different things.”
| Rayan Ait-Nouri’s defensive stats 2024/25 |
| 2.4 tackles per game |
| 4.4 balls recovered per game |
| 1.8 clearances per game |
| 0.7 interceptions per game |
| 5.6 duels won per game (55%) |
Ait-Nouri has a solid base to build from and applying Pereira’s advice could see his price tag skyrocket in the coming months.
Pereira on how Wolves can improving defensively
It isn’t just the Algerian international who needs to step up his defensive work, with the Wolves manager highlighting how their backline can improve as a whole.
“But in this moment we need to be more compact and better when we are defending, not allowing crosses. We need to work as a line, to know how to defend in the middle and now allow passes in our block.
“We cannot press alone and we should understand the moment to jump and press and the moment to wait. With time we’ll correct everything.”
It’s been a somewhat promising start under the new manager as Wolves kept three clean sheets in wins over Leicester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa.
Now, it’s just about being consistent and continuing to do so could result in Premier League survival come May.