Julen Lopetegui searching for success with Wolves substitute tactics
There has been a few peculiar soundbites from Premier League managers over the years.
From Claudio Ranieri’s memorable phrase ‘dilly-ding, dilly-dong’ to Jose Mourinho’s ‘special one’ moniker, some phrases stick to their creator.
Julen Lopetegui has been pleasant but serious since arriving at Wolves and has never come close to anything particularly obscure.
But he started Friday’s press conference with an act straight out of Ranieri’s playbook, by bringing three boxes of pizza for the waiting media, saying “this is for the clean sheet”, following the win over Spurs. What followed shortly after was even more unexpected.
When asked about whether he plans his substitutes before a game, or decides during it, Lopetegui made a left field comparison.
“Football matches are like a melon,” the head coach said. “You don’t know what kind of melon until you open the melon.
“You can have one idea in your mind but I’m sure it will be different in all the matches.
“You try to react, but it depends on the melon.”
It was an answer that earned laughs in the room, even from Lopetegui’s coach and translator Edu Rubio, but the message is much more interesting.
The manager’s approach to substitutes has been refreshing since he took charge.
Although predecessor Bruno Lage did not have the same squad size and strength at his disposal, he was guilty of being too reactive with his changes.
Lopetegui, however, is incredibly proactive. Every manager wants to pick the right game plan and starting XI from the start, but Lopetegui also has no problem with making quick and decisive changes. The win over Spurs is just one of several examples, where Nathan Collins and Adama Traore came on at half-time and helped mastermind a superb victory.
Lopetegui got it wrong, but was not afraid to make a change and get it right.
He also got it right with Hwang Hee-chan stepping off the bench to equalise away at Newcastle yesterday, but arguably made a mistake by bringing Collins on and inviting pressure, before Wolves conceded a late winner.
As a result, it is no surprise that the head coach consistently talks about the importance of the whole squad and demands a big impact from players arriving from the bench. He is a big fan of being able to bring on five substitutes during a game, and so far is making good use of them.
Lopetegui said: “I think they prefer to be in the line-up, but they know you have more chances to change.
“It’s not the same to change three players, than five. For me, it’s one of the most important changes in football in years.
“For me, it’s the right direction because you have a lot of players in your squad and a lot of matches, and you want to protect the players. You have to have this possibility to change more players, in three windows in the match so you don’t disturb the rhythm of the match. It’s better. Sometimes when you analyse the decision after, you are always right. I try to help the team, sometimes I’m right and sometimes no. With each change it depends on the players, their attitude, their commitment on the pitch. It depends on them. Football is about the players.”
Wolves have benefitted from Lopetegui’s approach so far and if he continues with a similar tactical nous, the club will pull further away from relegation trouble.
