Bruno Lage
I.
Carlos Carvalhal was already involved with teams from the top division in Portugal when he decided to take on the head manager’s position at a third division club, one which he believed had potential to make it to the Premeira Liga. That first year, third division team Lexiões, under Carlos Carvalhal, made the final of the Taça de Portugal an equivalent to the FA Cup, winning games against teams from the two divisions above them which qualified them to play in the Europa League, something which had never been achieved by a third division club before. For Carvalhal the impossible run required them to be better than their opponents in “strategic organization” as their opponents had better players. As Carvalhal put it: the objective was to “be more organized” and “have a very good strategy.” But also, it came down to the psychological mindset of the players. Carvalhal wanted his players to “think and act like the best” just like the players from the “big teams” they’d be facing.
For Lexiões and Carlos Carvalhal, that first year was unbelievable. However, in the second season, after observing a tactical training session in preparation for an important match, the chairman of the club approached Carvalhal believing the team could not win with the squad Carlos Carvalhal had chosen and suggested changing several players. Carvalhal believed however that the squad he had chosen would win. Even with the threat of being sacked if the team lost the match, Carvalhal stuck with his original plan with the original players. They won the match and afterwards Carvalhal handed the managers armband to the chairman.
Carvalhal next went to Portuguese club Vitoria Setubal where two boys would be observing and taking notes every session and at the end of the session they would come up and ask Carvalhal questions. Then in the next season Carvalhal moved approximately 35 miles away to coach Belenenses and the same boy was there taking notes and having discussions with Carvalhal at the end of training.
The boy? Bruno Lage.
Our Protagonist
Several years later, In 2015 as Carvalhal joined Sheffield Wednesday as manager in the Championship in England, Lage joined him as an assistant, and following him to Swansea in the Premier League before going back to Portugal to start his own managerial career as the Benfica B head coach in 2018. As an assistant under Carlos Carvalhal, Bruno Lage had the control over the training sessions and the dynamics with Carvalhal acting as more of a supervisor. There was a lot of hands-on work for Lage, dealing with the players himself and having to fix things. All the while Bruno Lage was always observing, studying, and trying to learn as much as he could not just on the field but in the press conferences as well observing how Carvalhal and other mangers held themselves and talked with the media.
Fast forward now and Bruno Lage is caretaker manager of the first team at Benfica after previously being in charge of Benfica B. At Benfica Lage was known for his tactical prowess and his ability to switch the tactics of how they would play from game to game depending on who they were facing. Tactical adaptions were essential for Lage when it came to how the team set up their formation and the tactics involved. Each game was different but always attacking and looking for different ways to attack. Lage would analysis their opponent with great detail to figure out how to adapt for certain situations. Benfica under Bruno Lage pressed heavily and early with their front players. The goal of this was to close the space and suffocate the opponent through their high press. They created a lot of chances through organized possession and in transition moments due to their pressure and winning the ball high up the field.
At Benfica Lage put a lot of detail into training and brought a lot of intensity with him to get the best out of players. To help facilitate getting his ideas in the players’ minds Lage would hold concise team meetings presenting as much detail necessary to discuss the tactics of the team and the opponent. In one meeting they analyzed the match of Belenenses to not only see how they play but also how FC Famalicāo were able to play against Belenenses in the match and how they were able to succeed. These meetings would be held all throughout the week in preparation for the match, holding them as well a day before games, and even after games to make sure the players are well informed. This preparedness certainly has an effect on Bruno Lage’s teams which can be seen in their organization during games.
Wandering Wolves at Wolverhampton
With Wolves, Bruno Lage still wants his team to attack and to be able to control the game in and out of possession. In the match against Leicester City, despite the win, according to Lage, they conceded some spaces and spent a lot of time without the ball which affected their mentality. A lot of this was due to the space Leicester gave them with little space between the lines and in behind so when Wolves won the ball they tried to go to goal immediately and so they didn’t control the game like they normally do, Lage further explained in the post-match interview.
Against West Ham, they lacked chance creation and, according to Lage, it’s about the movement particularly from the forwards up front looking to make diagonal runs between defenders. Getting the ball between the lines is ideal for Lage’s team but the players in these positions when receiving didn’t turn and exploit the space dynamically, Lage explains. Instead, they played backwards passes to players in support which allowed the opponent to stay in front of the ball. Lage says he wants his teams to “take risks” receiving and turning between lines then make the best decision in the final third to aid in finding more ways to create chances.
Against Everton, Lage says they were well prepared putting many players in the midfield to allow for more ball possession and allow for a good and calm rhythm like how they prefer to play. This allowed the players to find the available spaces even when the opponent changed from a back five to a line of four, they were able to adapt and change their approach, Lage analyzes. For every game despite the result, it always gives ideas for the future, he further explains. For his players he wants them to understand the game and how the opponent plays, how they press, how many defenders they use to press whether two or three, where are the opposition and where do [I] need to be? If they put a mark on [me] and play man to man, who is it that comes to help to control the game? Everton created a few problems for Wolves creating their own space and their central midfielders were able to receive the ball with threatening runs being made by the strikers. Wolves countered this and adjusted by putting a player around each midfielder of Everton, explained by Lage, which allowed them to then control the game having an extra man every time in space. For Lage, he wants his teams to be adaptable and adjust not just game to game but in game according to changes in the opponent. During the week they look at the opponent to see how they play and what they can do then try to create a strategy from that and choose the best eleven to fit that strategy. However, Lage says, if the team they are facing comes with one strategy but then change that strategy then they should understand what is happening and, as prepared, with one word or one signal they change their positioning and adapt to the space the opponent’s system now gives them.
Métodos de Entrenamiento del Lobo Portuguese
Bruno Lage ran intensive training sessions. He himself is very intelligent and has an extensive knowledge of football and implements interesting and engaging training methods with an attacking way of playing. In training Lage would convey what the individuals needed to work on precisely and saw to it that it was being worked on and that there was improvement made throughout the season. Going into Benfica, Bruno Lage brought a methodology described with “very intense training sessions” that the players picked up on and enjoyed from day one. Lage believed training sessions should be played like games where there is opposition. In the buildup to a game Lage would hold meetings to help facilitate the methods Lage utilized in the training sessions to help players prepare. Also holding meetings at the beginning of the week so the players knew what was expected from them in training and what details they were going to be going over. Then a day before the game Lage would go over with the team what to anticipate from the opponent, showing clips and discussing what their opponent did well and where they could be exploited. Then finally going through what they themselves would need to do against their opponent.
*From Bruno Lage’s first training session at Wolverhampton
2v2v2
Here we have three teams of two. Two of the teams work in possession to keep the ball away from the third team. Whatever color loses the ball then becomes the defenders with the team who won the ball transitioning to offense (possession).
Coaching points from Bruno Lage and staff: “Every time you need to see the ball and to play right, left, and more in front.” “Another thing that is important [in transition] if I lose the ball I need to go inside, me and my teammate, and try to recover the ball and play outside.”
5v2+1 Playing into Depth (one touch)
In this possession game blue looks to play quick one touch combinations in small spaces then looks to relocate the ball to the depth player on the far end then moving to support.
Coaching points from Bruno Lage and staff: focus on positions especially after ball relocation/playing into depth. Provide support options left, right, and center plus the option into depth. Adapting positions when needed.
Though this piece was a bit more journalistic than analytical it serves as a good prequel to the series of hypothetical match ups between Wolverhampton and Bayern that were previously published. If you haven’t read them yet or would like to again you can read them here:
KW
Written April 2022
https://www.coachesvoice.com/carlos-carvalhal-sheffield-wednesday-swansea-city-besiktas/
https://www.wolves.co.uk/news/club/20210610-expert-view-lages-benfica-success-story-shared/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXEaE4aR9q8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BzYweyPHQU
