Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Vitor Pereira was severely disappointed by the way his players let their emotions get the better of them during the 2-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Pereira was delighted with how Wolves competed in the first half and felt his side deserved to be level at the interval, let down only by Matheus Cunha giving away a penalty and Brighton striker Danny Welbeck converting. Pereira wasnât upset with Cunha for the error, assuring that mistakes are part of football.
What the head coach couldnât accept, however, was the lack of tactical intelligence from his team in the second half. Pereira believes Wolves let their usual standards slip and responded poorly to their emotions. In moments when Wanderers couldâve calmed things down and regained control, they did the complete opposite.
âIn the second half, to play this kind of match against this type of team, an open game is not for us. We cannot play like this,â Pereira admitted, with a vigorous shake of the head.
âI believe, of course, sometimes you want to push the motivation and ambition of the players. But in the end, they are fighting for something, they are fighting for European positions. I donât know if this inside makes a difference. I try to convince my team.
âIn the first half, we competed face to face. Maybe 1-1 in half time was the fair result. In the second half, it was a completely unpredictable game. It was an open game and this is the kind of game I donât like, I donât like.â
Pereira was particularly frustrated by his players not following the game plan. The Portuguese manager wants to see Wolves slow down the pace of the game when the tension rises, so as not to let the opposition punish his team on the counter-attack. But Brighton were allowed to play to their strengths on the transition and were clinical.
Brajan Grudaâs goal to make it 2-0 – his first in the Premier League – was a brilliant dink over Jose Sa but the chance was completely avoidable. Wolves gave away possession cheaply in the middle of the park when they couldâve sourced an easy pass away. Simon Adingra then dashed forward and played in Gruda to put the result beyond doubt.
âWhen itâs physical and physical with transitions and transitions, we lose the ball, they counter-attack, they lose the ball, we counter-attack, they come again, we come again. Itâs like tennis! This is not for me,â Pereira added.
âI think this was the first match that I watched my team playing like this. In an open game, running, running and running without organisation, you understand? Without tactical intelligence. Now is to look to the future, to correct in the next trainings to put the team with the focus – not only tactically but mentally – to compete the next game.â
The silver lining for Wolves, at least, is that this match didnât mean a great deal in their season as safety was secured many weeks ago. Pereiraâs not looking for excuses, though, and is expecting a big response from his players in 10 daysâ time as they travel away to Crystal Palace.
