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When I received the offer from Wolves in the summer of 2021, I didn’t hesitate for a moment. It was the perfect project for me.

I was offered a thee-year contract. Within that period, I was asked to rejuvenate the squad while simultaneously changing the pattern of play in matches. The club wanted me to adopt a more attacking, possession-dominant style of football.

I really liked the quality of the first-team squad, although some adjustments were warranted, and I also liked the potential offered by the young talent in the club’s academy. And, of course, it was my chance to go to the Premier League. In other words, the opportunity to play against the best teams and coaches in the world.

However, this was not going to be my first experience in British football. I had worked there years before, between 2015 and 2018, as assistant to Carlos Carvalhal – first at Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship, and later at Swansea City in the Premier League. So my background made me feel ready for the challenge.

Results didn’t come right away. We actually lost the first three Premier League games of the 2021/22 Premier League by identical scores. All three, against Leicester City, Tottenham and Manchester United, ended 1-0. Despite those defeats, though, our performances in those games made us confident that the wins would eventually come.

Between October and November, the team achieved the solidity we were looking for. We were able to convert our good performances on the pitch into points in the table. The best period for us then came from mid-December and into January, when we took 13 out of a possible 15 points. That included a deserved win at Old Trafford. By the end of February, we were among the teams to have conceded the fewest goals across all of Europe.

"When he left, it was a major blow for the team"

Those good results, and our good standing in the table, allowed us to dream of qualifying for European competitions in the second half of the season. By mid-March we were eighth in the league, only one point away from the European spots.

Looking back, I think we missed a great opportunity. But some circumstances took us away from that goal.

In January, our performances had been improving and we were fighting for Europe. In that transfer window, we could have been more aggressive and brought more competition to some key positions. An extra forward, for example – someone who could play inside the box, and who was good in the air. This was not possible, though, and I respected the club’s decision.

The striker we had was Raúl Jiménez. He was a top player and a great mate, who was playing with protection on his head that made it almost impossible for him to head the ball. We didn’t have anyone to replace Jiménez when he was injured or suspended, or to play alongside him as a second centre forward – as I like to do in some situations. There were options of more mobile players, but none with the same characteristics as Jiménez to play the role of a number nine. That is very much needed in any team, but even more so in a competition at the level and with the demands of the Premier League.

On top of that, in January Adama Traoré went on loan to Barcelona. He had always been a key player for us, either playing from the start or coming from the bench to have an impact on games. He had been extremely important for us even that month, providing the assist for the winning goal at Old Trafford and scoring in our victory against Southampton. When he left, it was a major blow for the team.

The squad had quality, but it was undersized. So losing any key player hurt us a lot. Especially in the centre of attack, where our depth was at its weakest.

"with all the adversity we had faced, I think we had a good season"

We also went into the last few games of the season without three of our first-choice defenders: Nélson Semedo, Max Kilman and Romain Saïss. All three were injured, and so was Rúben Neves – a very important midfielder for us in controlling the game. Hwang Hee-chan and Daniel Podence, who gave us solid performances and goals in attack, also had some muscular problems. They weren’t always able to feature.

I must confess that, beyond the injuries, the fact that we had several players coming to the end of their contracts also didn’t help in securing different results in the final matches.

In the end, all of these shortcomings reduced our chances of securing a place in European football. We finished the Premier League in 10th; with all the adversity we had faced, I think we had a good season.

We showed a very good level, not only in our own stadium, but also away from home. We had eight away wins in the Premier League, including at Tottenham and the one I have already mentioned at Manchester United. To put this in perspective, Wolves had not won at Old Trafford for more than four decades. It was undoubtedly a historic victory.

My overall assessment of that season with Wolves is very positive. Not only because of the results but, above all, because of the way we played. In those wins at Tottenham and Manchester United, we didn’t play defensively. We attacked with courage and created a lot of chances.

I come from a winning culture, though, and so I still look back on that season as somewhat frustrating. Had we had fit players and a different solution to replace Jiménez, we could have finished the league in the position we deserved. That, for me, was much higher than 10th.

"THAT WAS THE BIG MISTAKE WE MADE"

In the following pre-season, my first objective was to convince the management that the good results we had enjoyed could be repeated in the future. We had to foresee it.

Some players were coming to the end of their contracts, though, and we lost important players like Fernando Marçal, Romain Saïss and, early in the new season, Willy Boly, Conor Coady and Leander Dendoncker. Unfortunately, the club had failed to bring in enough replacements during pre-season. We only brought in a centre-back, Nathan Collins, from Burnley.

And that was the big mistake we made. I was very vocal, warning of the potential problems and insisting on having the new players for the pre-season, but I still hold myself responsible. Maybe I wasn’t persuasive enough about the importance of having the squad ready as soon as possible.

Any further reinforcements, who would come from outside England, would need time to adapt to a new country and, above all, to a competition like the Premier League.

To make matters worse, the following season was to have a modified calendar because of the World Cup in Qatar, which would be played in the middle of the English season (November/December 2022). As a result of this change, there were more matches than usual in August, September and October. This only added to the importance of that specific pre-season; we needed to prepare the team to play well and be competitive from very early on – and often every three days.

So, when the season began, my idea of what the squad should look like was very far from the reality. A competitive squad ensures healthy internal competition among the players: each day, every single player must know and feel that they have to fight for a spot in the next line-up.

"we had the same problem on our hands again, and it was a big one"

Nevertheless, we had a fantastic pre-season. Raúl averaged almost a goal a game before getting injured in our final friendly. When you only have one centre-forward at your disposal, problems emerge. Starting the season without a centre-forward was clearly a limitation. The records show that, in that season, we never lost a game when we started with a recognised centre-forward.

So we started the season with a different dynamic than the one with which we had prepared the team during pre-season. We were playing well, with plenty of chances to score, but that was very difficult without a striker.

Our first win of that 2022/23 season came on matchday six, when we were finally able to count on newly signed centre-forward Sasa Kalajdzic. Sasa’s presence in the team gave us back the momentum we had been working on all pre-season, as well as that important reference in the striker position. Soon after, however, he too was injured, and didn’t play the rest of the season. We had the same problem on our hands again, and it was a big one.

My coaching staff and I always believe that we have the ability to overcome a negative situation, and we also believed that in that particular moment with Wolves. But the board decided to end our relationship. In these situations, it is always easier for the club to change the manager.

Still, they later acknowledged the problems we had identified, and that the squad was not competitive enough for the Premier League. They had to bring in top players like Craig Dawson, Mario Lemina, João Gomes, Pablo Sarabia and Matheus Cunha.

We always gave our best, in every single moment. That is certainly what we did in that 2021/22 season: 15 wins, eight of them away, 11 clean sheets, 51 points. No one who followed us has done better.

"CLUBS MUST LOOK AT MANAGERS AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY CAN PROVIDE IN THE LONGER TERM"

I know the Wolves fans understood the difficulties we faced during our time at the club. It’s very difficult to score goals in the Premier League if you don’t have a centre-forward. And the fans liked our performance in the first season. I always did the best I could, with what I had at hand, to try to solve the problems.

Before now, I have never spoken about my time at Wolves in the media. This is the first time I have done so, but I’m very proud of the work we did and I realise that, above all, I look back on that time with very good memories.

Looking ahead, it would be ideal to find a project made to measure. One that matches our ideas in terms of playing, training, leadership, our excellence-oriented culture, which is very much our DNA, and talented youth ready to join professional football.

Short-term stability can be conquered with results but, more than ever, clubs must look at managers and understand what they can provide in the longer term. And, given the existing players and available investment, what are the financial and competitive results the manager can realistically achieve?

We did this at Benfica, where we won titles with players from the academy while also delivering financial results. We also did this at Wolves, where we played good football and helped Max Kilman consolidate his place in the team. Ideally, we would find a new project where we can continue to pursue this sort of approach.

Author: Felipe Rocha

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