Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo tempted to start a back four against Arsenal after changing system for the first time in three years in draw against Southampton
- Nuno Espirito Santo is leaning towards playing a back four against Arsenal
- Wolves moved away from a back three for the first time since 2017 last week
- Sportsmail understands the Wolves boss has drilled the system in training
- The Portuguese made the switch after Conor Coady was ruled out last Sunday
Nuno Espirito Santo is leaning towards starting with a back four against Arsenal today after using the system for the first time in more than three years at Wolves this week.
Since Nuno arrived at Molineux in 2017, he has always used a three-man defence – until making the move to four at the back for the 1-1 draw at Southampton, because Romain Saiss and captain Conor Coady were absent as both had been self-isolating.
Nuno confirmed Coady was available again after his run of 121 consecutive games was broken, but Sportsmail understands that Nuno is minded to persist with the back four after drilling the system in training this week.
Nuno Espirito Santo is leaning towards playing a back four against Arsenal at the Emirates
Wolves changed system for the first time in three years in the 1-1 draw with Southampton
Wolves finished seventh in each of the last two seasons and reached the Europa League quarter-finals last year, but after Sevilla knocked them out of that competition Nuno talked about changing the style of play and starting a new cycle.
Asked about the back four before the Arsenal game, Nuno said: ‘This new way is based on our foundation – no matter which system or shape you play, the rules are always the same.
Sportsmail understands the Portuguese has drilled the new formation in training this week
‘We have to be a unit, we have to stick together, we have to reduce the space and we have to be compact, take advantage of our talent when we have the ball.
‘If we have the right players – and we have versatile players – then we can change it during a game.
“This can be a big step in our development because we can sometime be predictable and so in this aspect, we need some advantages.’
