Bruno Lage one name linked with the Wolves job: A profile of the former Benfica manager

Following on from the surprise departure of Nuno Espirito Santo at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bruno Lage has emerged as the early front-runner to succeed the beloved Wolves boss at the end of the season.

A Portuguese manager is widely expected to take over from Nuno, though Lage is not a guarantee - Wolves are understood to have at least two other Portuguese managers on their shortlist: Porto’s Sergio Conceicao and departing Roma boss Paulo Fonseca. Lage, however, is currently the favourite.

Having garnered minimal top-level managerial experience, Lage would represent something of a risky appointment, with his only notable stint being his year-long run as head coach at Benfica.

And a tale of two halves could hardly be a more fitting description of Bruno Lage’s stint at Benfica. Perhaps a tale of four quarters would be more accurate though, his first three quarters nothing short of sensational - while his final quarter was beyond disastrous.

Here, we break down his managerial career and credentials to assess whether he'd be the right choice for Wolves.

A phenomenal start at Benfica made him the talk of the nation

Let's start with the positives - and there are certainly a few. Taking over at Benfica from Rui Vitoria partway through the 2018-19 season, he completely revitalized a club that was floundering and losing its identity, and actively sought to give youth the opportunity to play and impress, João Felix being the clear standout. And it paid off big time.

Implementing a 4-4-2 formation that allowed for fluid, attacking football, he guided Benfica to an unlikely title triumph, entertaining fans in the process.

He took over the Lisbon giants 15 games into the Primeira Liga season. Benfica were 4th in the table, 7 points behind leaders Porto. The title looked virtually lost, especially considering Benfica's performance levels, but his impact at the club was nothing short of sensational. That probably doesn't do it justice. He had Benfica playing more adventurous football and scoring for fun. The 10-0 victory over Nacional still lives in the memory, one of the most extraordinary results in modern Portuguese football.

His league record in his opening season? P19; W18; D1; L0. In those 19 games, Benfica scored 72(!) goals as they stormed to the league title. Bruno Lage was nationally seen as the next big manager to come out of Portugal as he inspired Benfica to an emphatic league triumph that looked so unlikely when he took over.

Another positive from a Wolves perspective is that he has experience working in England, having been assistant coach to current Braga boss Carlos Carvalhal at both Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea City, while is also a level-headed, reasonable manager. Having been out of the game for some time, he'll have also had plenty of time to prepare for a new project.

A dreadful end tarnished his return

Onto the negatives then, which perhaps live longer in the memory because his end at Benfica was nothing short of a disaster. He started the following 2019-20 season very strongly as well, and it looked like Benfica were going to storm to another title triumph. Overall, in his first 38 league games across both seasons, he oversaw 36 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat. Ridiculously impressive.

The fall was extraordinary though. In his final 10 league games, he won just 2, drawing 4 and losing 4. 10 points in 10 games. Relegation form for the most successful team in Portuguese football. Unheard of.

The records kept tumbling. Benfica failed to win in 5 consecutive home matches for the first time since 1931. They conceded 4 goals in a home league game for the first time in 22 years. They lost at home to Braga in a league match for the first time in 66 years. Across all competitions, they went on a run of just one win in 10 games. Everything was going wrong, and the capitulation was as impressive as all of Bruno's stunning earlier work.

However, even in his first season, there were warning signs. His inability to navigate knockout football was very poor. They beat Sporting CP in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi final, for example, but a defensive approach in the second leg saw them concede late and go out on away goals.

The Europa League was even worse. Playing the ten men of Eintracht Frankfurt for the majority of their quarter final first leg meeting in Lisbon, Benfica scored 4, but carelessly conceded 2.  There was clear mismanagement in the game which cost Benfica what could have been a pretty comfortable victory.

Then in the second leg in Germany, Benfica turned up with no intent to extend their lead whatsoever. An embarrassing approach to the game which resulted in Benfica losing 2-0 and going out on away goals - a fully deserved defeat, making it all the more disappointing.

Lage's success stemmed from Benfica's attacking prowess, but they grew more conservative in certain high-profile games, and far less fluid in attack, and that was a recipe for disaster.

Tactically, he perhaps showed an element of naïvety, and couldn't find solutions when things started going wrong. He was pretty rigid with his formation and style, and it seemed the task of turning things around was too great for him. He ended up walking away.

But can we really pin all the blame on Lage, or do the players deserve the criticism? Ultimately, Lage's predecessor Rui Vitoria had similar problems at Benfica, while his permanent successor Jorge Jesus, who has a stellar reputation in Portugal, has had similar struggles. After a strong start to the season, Benfica hit a terrible run of form that saw them slip out of the title race having once been in such a commanding position, and the title favourites at the start of the season only ended up finishing 3rd.

Nevertheless, Jesus can say that the coronavirus pandemic - which did hit Benfica hard around the same time they hit the poor run of form - was a major reason for Benfica's collapse, while he also succeeded where Bruno Lage was unable - or unwilling - by revitalizing Benfica again afterwards, lifting them comfortably into 3rd in the table by the end of the season

Lage has therefore, somehow and quite uniquely, proven himself to be an incredibly impressive manager - able to motivate and rally his side while giving youth a chance and playing entertaining football - and one that can be quite rigid and perhaps unable to find solutions when problems arise

Appointing Lage at Wolves could therefore be considered a risk - and I make no secret that I believe Paulo Fonseca to be the best option for Wolves - but if Lage were to be appointed and replicate what he did early on at Benfica, he could once again rejuvenate a club that have struggled in recent times.