Wolves clinched an impressive 4-2 victory over Tottenham on Sunday, and Vitor Pereira deployed a smart tactic to outsmart Ange Postecoglou.
On a day when Pereira made history, becoming the first Wolves manager to win four Premier League matches in a row, his side swept aside Tottenham.
Rayan Ait-Nouri was named in Troy Deeney’s Team of the Week after scoring and assisting while Alan Shearer praised Emmanuel Agbadou for his solid defensive performance.
It was a thrilling contest at Molineux, packed with moments of drama, and the sort that will get Wolves fans feeling excited for the 2025/26 campaign.
Impressively, Pereira outsmarted his opposite number as the Portuguese showcased his expertise.
Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty ImagesJorgen Strand Larsen was key to exploiting Tottenham’s high line
Pereira knows Ange Postecoglou very well as the pair clashed against each other in the Asian Champions League with the Wolves boss managing Shanghai SIPG while Postecoglou was in charge of Yokohama F. Marinos.
So, ahead of their clash at Molineux, Pereira knew that his opposite number deployed a ferocious pressing system and a high line, two elements that the hosts exploited.
Instead of playing through the press, Wolves were told to send long balls into Jorgen Strand Larsen, who scored his 12th of the season and played a major role in keeping possession for his team.
Speaking to the E&S, Pereira explained how he used the Norwegian international as a target to exploit their high line.
“Larsen is a team player who has quality,” he said. “For a striker, we want goals, but he also works a lot to help the team.
“He’s a team worker. Mentally we are in good shape, we are strong. We feel we can win, we can compete with the other teams.
“Football is strategic. I know Ange (Postecoglou) very well and I know they like to press the pass back. They came as a block to press.
“But the spaces at the back were there and with a long ball, prepared for the second ball, is what we did in training to prepare the team for this moment.
“If you create problems, the back line will be afraid to go and then we’ll start to have spaces in between the lines. When we create these spaces, we can play with the ball.”
Wolves are prepared to mix it up
In modern management, adaptability can often get lost and sticking with the same tactic can result in a team losing a game.
As seen with Postecoglou at Spurs, the Australian isn’t prepared to change his system no matter who he’s playing against, and that is why his side are languishing in 15th position.
On the other hand, since becoming Wolves manager in December, Pereira has tweaked his play style slightly depending on the opposition.
Pereira would normally promote playing out from defence and through the lines but against an attacking Spurs side, he sought to play the long ball and it worked a treat.
Strand Larsen bullied their defence and his presence opened up space for his teammates, as Wolves ran riot at Molineux.