Sources: Wolves stars protest at Bruno Lage’s plans behind the scenes
Wolves stars are protesting against Bruno Lage’s plans to implement a new system, Football Insider understands.
The Portuguese manager wants to overhaul the longstanding three-man defence in place and replace it with an orthodox back four.
A source with knowledge of Wolves has told Football Insider that the players are “pushing back” against the manager’s plans in what is developing into a battle of wills behind the scenes.
They believe the current players, who Lage inherited from his predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo, are better suited to a 3-4-3 system.
That is the set-up used by Wolves all season but results have nosedived in recent months and the team have lost seven of their last 10 Premier League matches.
Hopes of a push for a European spot, or even a top-four finish, have diminished and Lage is now getting criticised by fans for the first time.
Wolves have four games left to play this season, starting with Chelsea on Saturday (7 May).
They hope to end a run of three successive games without finding the back of the net.
Lage has used a back five as his go-to system for the entirety of his time at Wolves and former club Benfica.
It is also the formation favoured by Carlos Carvahal, under whom Lage worked as an assistant at Swansea City and Sheffield Wednesday.
Wolves currently have seven senior centre-backs and six senior full-backs competing for the five spots in the backline.