Paul Scholes has defended and sympathised with Bruno Lage after he was sacked by Wolves following their defeat to West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Manchester United legend added that Wolves were a ‘painful’ watch under the previous regime of Nuno Espirito Santo and he surprisingly thinks that Lage brought ‘a bit of excitement’ to proceedings, as he told Premier League Productions (02/10/22 at 5:30 pm).
After eight Premier League games, the Midlands outfit, who finished in the top ten last season, are currently occupying the final relegation spot.
It’s still early days, but it’s not just the results that have been a problem for Lage, but the performances and lack of goal threat going forward, despite spending £100 million+ in the summer and having a number of star players on show from Pedro Neto to Daniel Podence.
But it seems as though their 2-0 defeat at West Ham United over the weekend, against another struggling side, was the final nail in the coffin, as Scholes shared his thoughts on the call.
“Yes, I think so (it’s harsh),” said Scholes. “You look at the previous regime and watching Wolves, it was painful at times to go and watch them under Nuno.
“I thought he brought a bit of excitement at Wolves. They were missing a centre-forward for such a long time and that was unlucky for him. He has Costa in now, you thought he might make a difference. I thought he looked lively when he came on against West Ham. He looked quite dangerous.
“It’s not a surprise, but I do feel sorry for him.”
LAGE AS DULL AS NUNO
The issues at Wolves don’t just stem from this current campaign, but also from how the team performed during the second half of the 2021/22 season.
That lack of threat, risk and attacking bite wasn’t on show back then, and despite spending big in the summer, it has filtered its way through the current campaign.
After eight Premier League games, Wolves have scored just three goals – making them the lowest scorers in the division – Phil Foden scored that number alone in the Manchester derby yesterday.
Some may argue that, yes Lage was punished for last season’s performances as well, but with this new squad, he should have been given more time before making the call, but it’s better to make an early call rather than being late and feeling sorry for yourself.
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