GEORGE LAKIN SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON WHETHER WOLVES SHOULD STICK OR TWIST WITH FOUR AT THE BACK
There’s a question to be asked about our incessant obsession that, as a club, we must move to a back four. Is a back five really that unfashionable?
I will start by firmly setting out my stall: I’m an advocate for five at the back, especially for Wolves, as I believe it plays to our strengths in terms of the individuals we have in the squad. Furthermore, let’s not forget recent history. Our current relative success as an established Premier League club was built upon this system, and its roots now lie deep within the club.
Nuno and the Beginnings of an Era
Nuno’s philosophy was entirely embraced by the club, with the youth setup incorporating the same system as the first team. This ensured ready-made replacements were prepared to step up and impact the first team. I vividly remember all the talk that Christian Marques was heir to Conor Coady’s throne in the sweeper role. He now plies his trade in the Swiss Super League for Yverdon-Sport, never to get a sniff of the first team at Wolves.
But then, if memory serves me right, there was a sticky patch, and even Nuno, the godfather of the system at Wolves, began having doubts. He attempted to move away from this system into a more forward-thinking and, on paper at least, attacking system that would allow Wolves to get another attacking player on the pitch. In principle, it seems obvious: more creative, attacking players on the pitch equals a more attacking outcome.
Nuno, as much as I love and respect him for what he has done for our club, began to lose his way in the face of a puzzle he couldn’t solve. Despite this, I did not agree with the decision to part ways with him. Given time, I think he would have figured out the solution, but he felt his time was up. He often cut a glum figure on the sidelines during his last season in charge, in empty stadiums due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Much was made about his plateau being down to the absence of the fans, which I think definitely played a part. However, I think some portion must be attributed to the fact that he didn’t know where this team could go next or how to develop them. His philosophy became so deeply ingrained in Wolves that he became a victim of his own success.
Bruno Lage and the Failed Attempt to Change
Then came Bruno, firmly believed to pioneer a new four-at-the-back attacking philosophy. We famously saw this for three brilliant games, which all ironically ended in defeat at the start of the 2021-22 Premier League season. Then he, too, reverted back to the tried and tested five, and a first win of the season came immediately at Watford. Bruno never looked back. But it was obvious this wasn’t his system. He didn’t know how to formulate attacks, and as a consequence, Wolves grew more defensive and less fluid.
Towards the end of his regime, it was honestly some of the worst football I have ever seen played at Molineux. We were an atrocious, dour watch, embarrassingly low scoring, and that season, doomed to relegation; rock bottom at Christmas, which in fairness was exactly where we deserved to be at that stage.
Julen Lopetegui’s Influence
But then someone arrived with a Robert Plant seal of approval and a chino-wearing swagger about him that promised change: the now divisive figure of Julen Lopetegui. At the time, he was hailed and now held by some with the utmost respect and gratitude for how he saved us from oblivion that season. Others hold him in disdain for walking out on us days before the start of last season. I myself fall into the school of thought of the former. And change indeed there was.
One of the biggest retrospective criticisms toward Lopetegui is that he saw no place in the team for Rayan Aït-Nouri. Had Julen stayed on, Rayan would likely have departed by now. Given the season Rayan has just had, many fans deem this proof that Lopetegui didn’t have a clue. They say, “look how wrong he was.” But he did have a clue. He valued Rayan as a player; he just didn’t fit the system. Julen finally found success in a four at the back for Wolves by playing a true flat back four. He recognized the absolute imperative need for a center half who could play in a four and made bringing in Craig Dawson an absolute priority. It also meant Toti Gomes was the only option to play at left-back, and actually be a left-back, not a wing-back.
A flat back four must first be defensively sound; the attacking abilities of the full-backs are secondary. Such a system works even with playing three (or even four) center backs across the back line. See the likes of Atlético Madrid and their successes under Diego Simeone over the last 10 years for a prime example. Lopetegui implemented this and staggeringly, temporarily altered the philosophy of the whole club, such was the weight of his reputation and gravitas. I believe with 100% certainty that had we appointed anyone else at that time (anyone realistic, that is), we would have been relegated that season. I will be fascinated to see how he develops Max Kilman in a four at West Ham next season. His certainty that Max was his man, at a club that would’ve backed him to bring in pretty much whoever he wanted, speaks volumes.
The Gary O’Neil Way
This brings us to Gary O’Neil and what we saw last season. I think we saw Gary play it safe. He reverted back to the status quo at the club and went for the low-risk strategy of swimming with rather than against the tide. Julen Lopetegui, in little over six months in charge, had not changed this tide; he was merely beginning to.
Just like Bruno before him, Gary’s first lineup, in a 1-0 defeat at Manchester United on the opening day of last season, was a four at the back. And just like Bruno before him, we were phenomenal and free-flowing, playing incredible attacking football. And just like Bruno before him, we still somehow contrived to lose. This was followed by a 4-1 drubbing at home to Brighton, where we weren’t so good. Results remained patchy, and it didn’t take long before Gary, again like Bruno Lage, reverted to a back five, again turning to the ever-versatile Toti Gomes.
This switch heralded a famous 2-1 victory over the mighty Manchester City. With that, Gary somewhat cemented himself in the job, as doubts were growing, especially after the 3-2 loss at Ipswich in the Carabao Cup.
O’Neil’s moment in the sun had come, and as he basked in the limelight, the media afforded him, breaking down in fine detail exactly how he outwitted Pep Guardiola on Sky Sports News. In reality, while taking nothing away from a fine performance, he had simply set us up to play to our strengths.
The story of the rest of last season unfolded much like Bruno Lage’s first season in charge: a poor start, an uptick in form during mid-season that threatened to whet our appetites as we flirted with the European places, followed by a dramatic tail-off in form at the end reminding us all that it’s the hope that kills you; and 10th and 14th place finishes respectively.
Where the similarities end, however, is that Gary did not have the benefit of a preseason to properly implement his style of play. I’m hoping in the preseason games we have coming up, O’Neil will see that, for now, with the makeup of the current squad, a back five is the way forward this coming season. If we go for a four, as proved by Julen, it must be a flat back four. In doing that, we render one of our most effective players, Rayan Aït-Nouri, totally ineffective. This cannot be allowed to happen, and I don’t think he is anywhere near as effective as part of the front three as he is from wing-back. Ultimately, O’Neil needs to build the team around his best players.
So, what will we see this coming season? I suspect if Gary O’Neil doesn’t end this alleged back-four experiment exactly where it should end (which is in preseason), then we will see exactly the same thing we have done for the past two seasons. Remind me of the definition of insanity again?
ARTICLE BY GEORGE LAKIN
George fell in love with Wolves the moment Colin Cameron fizzed one into the bottom corner against Plymouth Argyle on the 31st December 2005- during his first ever Wolves game as a child.
He loves digging a little deeper when it comes to Wolves, often conducting his own research to help him read between the lines and increase his knowledge and understanding of all aspects of our great club. He is keen to share his insight and findings with fans who share in his biggest love, -after his lovely wife, Amy and little boy, Tommy of course!- our mighty Wolverhampton Wanderers!
George is passionate about reaching and uniting all corners of the Wolves family, young and old, near and far. So make sure you don’t miss his weekly column exclusively for Always Wolves this season!
