Experience the thrill of the game

By Eduard Banulescu

Wolves have been the pride of the Midlands since the team returned to the Premier League. But the good times are finally being questioned. What the team needs is a tough manager. Someone who knows his tactics. Someone with experience.

Vitor Pereira is Wolverhampton’s new manager. As expected, he is Portuguese. He also has a pretty good resume behind him.

But what exactly do Wolves hope to achieve from Pereira? Here’s what the team should expect tactically.

Career before managing Wolves

Vitor Pereira is a 56-year-old manager and one of the most important coaches yet to make it in England.

Pereira played amateur football in the lower Portuguese divisions for many years. He began his coaching career around 2002, initially working with youth teams and lower division clubs.

However, his big breakthrough came in 2011. After a stint as assistant coach at FC Porto, one of the three best teams in Portugal, he was given the management position.

Not everyone liked Pereira from the start, but he achieved good results. He won the Primeira Liga twice and played for the UEFA Super Cup.

The first indication that Pereira was a manager with an eye on money and results came in 2013. Despite being interviewed for several EPL positions, he opted to move to wealthy Saudi club Al Ahli.

For the next few years he bounced around the clubs. In fact, Pereira has managed seven clubs since 2014 (he was appointed as Fenebache’s coach twice), including in the Brazilian Serie A. His most recent appointment was Al Shabbab in the Saudi Pro League.

Tactical philosophy

In many ways, Vitor Pereira seems fit to lead a struggling Premier League side. His tactical philosophy is all about reacting to the opponent rather than dominating a game.

Vitor Pereira creates highly organized teams. He likes his teams to counterattack. He doesn’t encourage total pressing, but rather forces out the opponent’s mistakes. Wolves are likely to play direct and fast football when they gain possession.

Like Southampton’s new coach Danny Röhl, Pereira is brought to the Premier League because of his ability to exploit his team’s strengths and play against the opponents’ weaknesses.

Expect Pereira to change his tactical plans from game to game at some point. It will be important for him to adapt to the caliber of the opponent and thus get the most out of every game.

Formations and adaptability

Pereira likes to play with a three-man defense. This is how the Wolves played this season. And it’s clear that the club has tried to hire a manager who fits the team’s current style, someone who can work within the confines of the system already in use.

Pereira likes to play in a 3-4-3 formation whenever possible. Typically this can change to a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-1-2 depending on the opponent. During his time in Brazil, when he managed Corinthians, the team used a 3-5-2 formation.

However, Pereira will adapt both his formation and his style of play. During his short tenure as Flamengo coach in 2023, a 4-2-3-1 formation was used most often.

It is likely that Wolves will mostly start their build-up play under Pereira in a 3-4-2-1 formation, similar to how they have done throughout the season.

Pereira and Wolves in defense

Vitor Pereira is a manager who wants his team to react to the opponent. Like Jose Mourinho, he believes the pressure is greater on the team in possession of the ball.

Pereira’s team wants to frustrate the opponent and force mistakes. The team often sits in a middle block, around the halfway line. Players will try to be as compact as possible.

The players don’t press tirelessly, but rather cleverly create space. Attacking players are just as active as the defenders in this phase and try to force the opponent to play for a long time while building up.

Pereira also relies on trigger-pulling, which is usually dictated by his strikers’ defensive movement. When the full-backs move up while pressing, the team shape usually resembles a 3-4-3.

Ideally, this will result in the opponent moving the ball through the middle of the pitch, where it will run into heavy traffic.

Pereira and Wolves in attack

Pereira is a coach who likes to use the counterattack as his preferred method of scoring goals. But that doesn’t mean his teams completely reject possession of the ball.

No, Pereira just understands that it is easier to maintain a compact structure when defending in the middle block or breaking through on counterattacks.

Vitor Pereira operates according to the classic formula: make yourself smaller when defending and big when attacking. The Wolves will probably play with width on the counterattack. This will encourage options for players who want to move with quick, direct passes.

When the ball is won, Pereira wants Wolves to move quickly towards the opposition penalty area through direct passes. Mattheus Cunha’s technique and Jorgen Larsen’s ability to win aerial duels could prove valuable.

When building up from the bench, Pereira usually wants the full-back and one of the more technical midfielders to move deep. You have to support the ball-playing central defender. They form a triangle shape for passes and try to get the ball up quickly.

How does Vitor Pereira’s team usually score goals? Usually from flanks over flanks. The manager wants his players to create overloads in wonder zones and put the full-backs in positions where they can cross the ball.

From that perspective, Pereira has some of the right players to work with. Nelson Semedo is an experienced player and Rayan Aït-Nouri shows exceptional potential. However, both need to work on their crossing.

What’s next for Pereira and Wolverhampton Wanderers?

Vitor Pereira has his hands full keeping Wolves up to speed. But he has the tactical vocabulary and experience to potentially pull off a miracle.

It’s a job he’s been waiting for and he’ll relish the opportunity to prove himself.