Pereira must instantly destroy Wolves’ “promising” star

Vitor Pereira will be well aware that the Wolverhampton Wanderers the job he has taken on will not be a walk in the park.

But having managed around the world in Germany, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the 56-year-old nomad will be hoping to find success in another new country in England.

After all, fresh ideas from the dugout could be just what is needed to break with the terrible end to Gary O’Neil’s reign, with Pereira perhaps preparing to drop Andre into the center of the park for his first Premier League test against Leicester City. .

Andre’s struggles at Wolves

It feels hard to single out some of the Old Gold performers, given that the collective effort has not been up to par, with the recently sacked coach only winning two of their last 16 games in charge

But summer recruit Andre has visibly struggled in games in recent weeks for the relegation candidates, leaving many concerned that his bumper £21 million the cost was not value for money.

He would only last 45 minutes against Ipswich Town in O’Neil’s final game in charge, with just he won two of his five duels in the middle of the park as the likes of Jens Cajuste for the visitors ended up controlling proceedings centrally.

Pereira could opt to start Tommy Doyle in his place when they travel to the King Power Stadium on Sunday, therefore, with the former Manchester City youngster making two key passes in a spirited second-half display.

Of course, Andre beat the Wolves Player of the month for September when O’Neil’s job security wasn’t a constant conversation, but in the here and now, Pereira might consider him unworthy of a particular starter.

More urgently, away from the midfield positions, the Portuguese manager will also need to prove he can shore up the defense if survival is to be on the cards, with Santiago Bueno another name who could be dropped for the Foxes game.

Bueno’s poor performances in December

Once considered as a “promising” talent of football journalist Lewis Kenn when he signed an improved deal at Molineux in 2022, Bueno has slowly but surely become a first-team regular.

This season, the Uruguayan has rebounded nine Premier League startsbut he may not be able to reach double figures when they face Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s men next, when you look at how dire their numbers have been so far in December.

Indeed, no defender walked off the pitch at Everton earlier this month with their heads held high, but Bueno was noticeably below par in that shock 4-0 defeat, with possession wasted 13 times together with only 50% of their duels. being won

Their troubles have continued since that dreadful day on Merseyside, with their performance against Ipswich also out of sorts as they only won three games weakly, resulting in their side succumbing to defeat of third league in the round that ultimately cost O. ‘Neil his job.

Pereira could be set to bring in Craig Dawson in his place, who will want to exorcise his own December-related demons if he is picked against Leicester, having scored two tragic own goals against Everton.

While Bueno has shone in the past for the Old Gold, bringing in someone with the 34-year-old’s experience could be key to trying to fix such a porous defense, with Dawson accumulating 300 appearances to the Premier League and beyond.

Whatever line-up Pereira makes, the well-traveled manager will be praying he can get a debut win against a relegation rival to start his new tenure on the best possible footing.

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