The Athletic’s Tim Spiers has recently discussed Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Portuguese gaffer Nuno Espirito Santo and his managerial philosophy.
The 46-year-old former goalkeeper has been at the helm of the Molineux club since he was appointed in the summer of 2017 (per BBC).
Since then, the Old Gold have enjoyed a meteoric rise to their current stature after achieving promotion from the Championship and then earning a spot in the Europa League in their first season back in the Premier League (per Transfermarkt).
When dissecting the 2-0 defeat against Arsenal in the latest episode of The Molineux View podcast, Spiers discussed Nuno Espirito Santo’s managerial philosophy when considering if Wolves needed goals from positions on the pitch other than up front.
He said: “I think that [goals from elsewhere on the pitch] would take a change in mindset and I don’t know if Nuno’s got that in his makeup.
“If you look at his career, he’s very much about safety first. Clean sheet first and foremost, you build from the back, very solid defence. He was exactly the same at Porto, exactly the same at Wolves really, I know they scored a lot of goals in the Championship, but they rarely gave teams a hiding.
“It was always about protecting that clean sheet first and foremost and building from the back. That’s what he does. Maybe that’s why other clubs haven’t really looked at him yet.
“He’s a conservative manager. Wolves have perfected and honed this style of sitting deep, soaking up pressure and hitting teams on a break. They do it magnificently.
“That’s what earned them so many points against the ‘big six’ last season, who were happy to play into their hands, really.”
TIF Thoughts…
As can be seen in what Spiers had to say, it seems that he believes that Nuno Santo’s managerial philosophy may be why there have been no serious efforts to lure him away from Molineux yet.
Would you consider Nuno Espirito Santo to be a "conservative manager"?
No, I wouldn't say so
Yes, I think he is
However, no matter what his style is, it cannot be denied that the Portuguese manager is a master at getting positive results as he has proved during his tenure with the Old Gold (via Transfermarkt).