Liam Keen analysis: Day one of Wolves' pre-season training in Marbella
Wolves are enjoying the sun and putting in the hard yards as pre-season in Marbella gets under way.
In the team’s first full day, the Express & Star braved the searing heat to watch the morning training session taken by Gary O’Neil and his coaching staff.
Here, we take a look at some takeaways from the session as pre-season heats up.
Structure
From short passing drills and brief fitness work, to full pitch scenarios, the hour-long session was structured carefully.
Some of the in-house backroom staff worked with the players first to warm up their feet, as O’Neil closely observed them.
They quickly moved on to some fast-paced passing drills and worked on moving the ball from defence, into midfield and then into attack down each flank.
First-team coaches Ian Burchnall and Shaun Derry, as well as assistant head coach Tim Jenkins, were all heavily involved as Wolves focused on moving the ball quickly, being on the front foot and looking for goal. After that, the squad split into two teams with a mix of youth and experience, and as one worked on set pieces, the other worked on a full pitch in attacking and defending phases of play.
Working in both a back four and back five – similar to the hybrid system we saw last season – the team worked on moving the ball through the lines and finding space in attack, before quickly reacting to a ball in behind the defence at the other end of the field.
Everything was done at speed and with intensity as Wolves gear up for the new campaign.
Fitting in
One of the biggest advantages Wolves have this pre-season is bringing three new signings in from the very beginning.
It allows O’Neil to work with them closely and benefits both manager and player.
Jorgen Strand Larsen is a physical presence at 6ft 4in but he can also play. He certainly did not look slow running in behind and his finishing was acute.
Pedro Lima will need time to get up to speed at just 18-years-old, but he looks like an exciting attacking prospect, while Rodrigo Gomes is a talent that will catch the eye.
Gomes can play on either flank but regularly played on the right last season. Now at Wolves, O’Neil often favours inverted wide players and Gomes could be seen at either left-wing-back or left wing.
All three players have settled in nicely and the camaraderie among the group bodes well.
Hands on
Throughout the whole session, O’Neil was never far away from the action.
Even when his coaches were leading a particular section, he was heavily involved and a constant presence on the training pitch.
During the passing drills he was encouraging his players to play with one touch and take risks.
And then throughout the attacking and defending phases of play with each XI, O’Neil carried a whistle around his neck and was in the thick of the action as he praised his players for getting the ball forward quickly and finding the back of the net.
The head coach was involved in changing the direction of play as he forced his defenders to react quickly, with everything focused on speed and aggression.
It was an impressive display of leadership and a modern approach to coaching as O’Neil did not shirk his responsibility.
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