Vitor Pereira has not been helped by the lack of ambition from the board, but the Wolves head coach is not immune to criticism, and he keeps making the same continuous mistake each game.
Tides are starting to turn at Molineux, and fans are beginning to blame Vitor Pereira for the poor results.
The Portuguese did not help himself with his post-Sunderland comments, and it feels hard to find any positives for this season right now.
Over the last few weeks, fans have started to complain about Vitor Pereira’s in-game management, and he made the same error against the Black Cats.
Vitor Pereira’s substitutions continue to draw concern
After his first few months at the club, it feels strange to be sitting here criticising Pereira. The head coach did such a magnificent job after taking over from Gary O’Neil.
Wolves survived relegation thanks to his management, but now they might be heading for the Championship for the very same reason.
When the Old Gold conceded late against Brighton, Pereira’s in-game changes were questioned, and when Wolves travelled to the Stadium of Light, he made similar decisions that brought him the criticism in the first place.
With the Wanderers 1-0 down, it was a bizarre choice to call on Ki-Jana Hoever, a right-back who has not played since August, to come on and change the game as his first substitute.
Additionally, Pereira had Jackson Tchatchoua available, and he clearly realised his mistake, as just 10 minutes later, the Cameroonian was also brought into the fray.
Albeit, the head coach did not have many players available who could come on and add a spark to the attack, but bringing on Fer Lopez and Tchatchoua much earlier in the match would have been a start.
Furthermore, when Pereira decided to go with two strikers up top, it made no sense to also sub off both wingers in Rodrigo Gomes and Jhon Arias.
Tolu Arokodare and Jorgen Strand Larsen were subsequently left with little to no service.
Vitor Pereira’s options vs Sunderland highlight glaring squad issues
Pereira brought on every attacking player he had at his disposal, and the lack of quality off the bench does show the issues the squad has.
Even if Hwang Hee-chan were available, the South Korean would still not have given much hope to fans, as Hwang has become a figure of consistent frustration among supporters.
However, the Wolves head coach still needed to be braver. Arias and Gomes should have stayed on, and Marshall Munetsi should have made way.
The Old Gold were 1-0 down at the time of the subs. There was nothing else to lose by trying to be more proactive in the final third.