Wolves have released footage from Julen Lopetegui’s first training session at Compton Park.
The Spaniard started work officially last week, but has only just started working with his new players after giving them the week off to recover and reset after the last game before the World Cup against Arsenal.
The first-team squad returned to Compton on Monday to be put through their paces by Lopetegui and his coaching staff.
The only absentees are the five players at the World Cup – Ruben Neves, Matheus Nunes, Jose Sa, Raul Jimenez and Hwang Hee-chan – and the three injured players, Sasa Kalajdzic, Pedro Neto and Chiquinho.
Goalkeeper coach Tony Roberts was also not there as he is working with Wales at the World Cup.
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It is now a big chance for everyone to get off on the right foot with Lopetegui.
It just hasn’t been good enough so far this season, and many of the players have underperformed.
There is a lot of work to be done, but fans have faith in Lopetegui to turn things around.
And many have been encouraged by the footage the club has released today of Lopetegui’s first session with the players.
The video starts with some of the players getting loose in the gym.
At one point, injured star Neto can be seen walking on a treadmill.
They then all head outside and to break the ice, Lopetegui has the players form a corridor for his coaches to walk through. They’re all given friendly slaps as they pass though, and Lopetegui jokes for the players not to touch him as he follows.
There is then what appears to be a tag drill.
There are then some passing and dribbling exercises.
Lopetegui then gives a pep talk and encourages the players to be more communicative. He then utters a word that many Wolves fans joked was a favourite of former manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s.
He says: “If I have the ball, I have to read what is going to happen in this moment. To take the best solution. Thinking and reading the situation. That’s why it is very important to give information. It’s not about (gestures above his head), I can’t see, I can speak (gestures to his mouth).”
Julen Lopetegui comes across very impressively in Wolves’ video of first training session
The word ‘solution’ ended up getting quite boring for a lot of Wolves fans towards the end of Nuno’s tenure at Molineux.
But few will mind Lopetegui using it at this stage.
He comes across very well in this video put out by Wolves. You can tell all the players already have a great amount of respect for him.
He just seems to have a real aura and a swagger about him.
It is interesting to see him talking about the need to be louder and more talkative on the pitch. Perhaps he has noticed that has been lacking before his arrival. Or maybe he has been tipped off about it by Steve Davis.