Nuno “the holy saint” bows out with reputation intact
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 v Manchester United 2
My life being one lived in the proverbial fast lane it’s rare to find myself trawling through the BBC’s sports website on a Friday night seeking information. I was in fact watching the second round of the US PGA Championship and wondering why Sam Horsfield - who had shot a first round 69 - was no longer featuring on the leaderboard, when there on the home page was the headline “Nuno Espirito Santo – ‘an unquestioned success’ - but what next for club & the Portuguese manager?”. Nuno Espirito Santo: ‘An unquestioned success’ - but what next for club & the Portuguese manager? - BBC Sport
Reading Simon Stone’s piece made it seem like an age since the comical Walter Zenga and dour Paul Lambert had joined a never ending line of managers deficient in the task of meeting the job spec; “Bring success to Wolverhampton Wanderers”. So underwhelming had things been that the appointment, in July 2017, of an unknown Portuguese manager with a flamboyant name did little to dispel the thought that much was about to change.
My scepticism, however, began to thaw when from the off, Matt Doherty was hauled from a dead zone at left back and given a creative brief as a right wing back and Conor Coady was turned into a quarterback central defender. At a stroke did Nuno transform previously underappreciated pros into class acts and in so doing demonstrated a keen football brain. His 3-5-2 formation gave the side a solid defensive foundation to which the counter attacking pace of Diogo Jota and Ivan Cavaleiro provided forward line potency. When on the 15th October 2017 Wolves outplayed Aston Villa with a thrilling second half performance I was one of many wondering whether it was all a dream.
Nine months later Wolves were back in the Premier League with a team and manager more than equal to the task in hand. That opening Premier League season was a joy, with standout wins against Tottenham and Manchester City away and Manchester United at home (twice) one of which came in the quarter final of the FA Cup. That particular triumph, on a cold Tuesday night in March marked for me the pinnacle of Nuno’s time in charge. It was a performance of Champions League quality and vindicated the counter attacking strategy that had been employed from day one.
In terms of results, season two of Premier League life followed a similar path to the first, though the fluidity of some of the football was not quite as good. One might even argue that it became rather tedious, epitomised by a desire to retain possession rather than create openings. More than once I found myself frustrated when the ball would make its way into the final third only for it to be passed back across the half-way line rather than advanced to the by-line and delivered into the box. The last home game prior to the Covid induced lockdown against Brighton & Hove Albion in March - a dull 0-0 draw - was a case in point.
By the end of what seemed like an interminable season – exacerbated by a marathon Europa League campaign – Nuno appeared to be reaching the view that his side was too one dimensional. He therefore used this latest season to begin experimentation, a more expansive 4-3-3 formation frequently being employed. When, by the start of October, Wolves were riding high the loss of Matt Doherty and Diogo Jota through transfer and Castro Otto and Willy Boly through injury appeared a temporary blip. Then, on Sunday 29th November, disaster struck. Talismanic striker Raul Jimenez clashed heads with David Luiz and in that second the Mexican’s season ended.
It proved the defining moment of the campaign his loss over the weeks and months that followed demonstrating a fatal flaw in the side. That it contained only one player capable of scoring goals. A perfect storm ensued in which injuries to key players, experimentation with tactics and a reliance on untried foreign youngsters saw the club plummet down the table. A low point came on 16th January when Wolves lost at home to fierce local rivals West Bromwich Albion, the latter arriving at Molineux having not won in six. Rumours circled that Nuno was close to the sack. His touch line demeanour was certainly grim. But he survived, narrow wins during February against Arsenal, Leeds and Southampton averting any serious threat of relegation.
Yesterday’s defeat at home to a second-string Manchester United side – a team they had outplayed two years previously – was perhaps a sign that Nuno’s time is up. Despite the loss the adulation he received from the few fans present was confirmation of the high regard in which he is held. He arrived with a dream, to build a football team and during his four years in charge he certainly achieved that. He will always be remembered fondly and unlike many he leaves with his reputation intact.
©Mark Brennand