Wolves are preparing to take on Liverpool in an important clash at opposite ends of the Premier League table.
Surprisingly, despite being 16 places below Liverpool, the Old Gold come into Sunday’s game in better form.
Vitor Pereira’s men have enjoyed back-to-back wins, including a 2-0 victory against rivals Aston Villa.
Liverpool, on the other hand, recently suffered an embarrassing FA Cup Fourth Round exit at the hands of Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle.
READ: What Vitor Pereira once said about Liverpool got him fired and enraged an entire fanbase
Vitor Pereira inspired by ‘artist’ Arne Slot
Pereira arrived at Molineux last December after leaving his role at Al Shabab. The 56-year-old’s move to the Midlands makes England the eighth country he has worked in.
And although the Portuguese boss is well experienced having managed in several different continents, he still wants to learn from the best, including Sunday’s opposing manager.
“I like the Da Vinci managers,” the Wolves boss said last year. “The managers that are a step ahead of the others, they create new things, new football. The beautiful thing in football is the things we haven’t created yet.
“Football for me is about being surprised. [Roberto] De Zerbi came (to Brighton) and did something different. Guardiola came and did something different, so did Klopp and now Slot. We are discovering football and football continues to surprise us. That’s why it is such a passion”
Clearly a fan of the mystic surrounding Slot and Co. Pereira is obviously hoping to have the same impact at Wolves.
Pereira’s admiration for what Slot has done at Anfield suggests he wants to revolutionise the way Wolves play.
Something new
In seasons gone by, Wolves have had most of their success using a counter-attacking system. While this approach is useful when going up against sides who dominate the ball, Pereira has changed how the Old Gold defend.
Typically using physical centre-backs like Conor Coady and Craig Dawson, Pereira is keen to move away from those traditional types and utilise a more technical and modern approach to defending.
Similar to what Klopp did when he first arrived at Liverpool, Pereira’s first piece of business was to bring in a new centre-back.
Wolves signing Emmanuel Agbadou was the first piece to the puzzle. Deadline Day signing Burkinabe Nasser Djiga will replace Dawson, who is in talks to terminate his contract, and be expected to form an all-African partnership at the back.
And just like Slot’s seamless transition since taking over from Klopp, Liverpool continue to be one of Europe’s best sides thanks to their relentless high press and devastatingly quick attacks.