Wolves are up and running in the Premier League, recording their first win yesterday over Southampton.
Wanderers beat the Saints 1-0 at Molineux, with Daniel Podence grabbing the winning goal in the first-half.
It was a vital victory for Wolves considering there are some hard games coming up.
Wolves were put under some pressure by Southampton in the second-half. But in the end, Lage’s side were probably worth the win.
There were a lot of great individual performances for the hosts.
Jonny Castro Otto had arguably his best game of the season so far.
And Matheus Nunes also had a really good game in midfield. The 24-year-old also assisted Podence for the goal.
There was also a typically assured display from captain Ruben Neves.
Neves has made a brilliant start to the new campaign, and is probably in with a good shout of being Wolves’ Player of the Month for August.
Much is always made of how good he is on the ball and how well he executes all kinds of passes.
But Neves has seemingly really improved the defensive side of his game this season.
According to official Premier League statistics, Neves is joint-second for blocks made so far with eight – two behind leader James Tarkowski of Everton.
He is joint-seventh in the league for interceptions with 11 – just three behind leaders Ben Mee and Fabian Schar.
And he is joint-fourth for tackles made with 25 – five behind Fulham’s Joao Palhinha, who at one point was linked with a move to Molineux as a potential Neves replacement.
Ruben Neves has become a defensive monster for Wolves
These really are incredible numbers from Neves, who’s game is primarily based on playmaking and starting attacks from deep.
To be in the top 10 for each of these categories is hugely impressive, and it shows just what a class all-around midfielder he has become.
Given Wolves have shifted to a back four this season, it is very important for other players to be strong defensively to help protect Nathan Collins and Maximilian Kilman.
And Neves is certainly that.
One wonders how many other clubs will already be wishing they made a move for him in the summer window.