Portuguese coach was an unexpected replacement for Nuno Espírito Santo but he is taking the club in the right direction
![Bruno Lage has won over doubters and rewarded Wolves’ leap of faith | Ben McAleer](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b87b0e0477222148e90d9f59184ae717c4a9dd72/0_0_4716_2831/master/4716.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=c286bf3a5c7ba67132cd89784c3ecec4)
By Ben McAleer for WhoScored
In the midst of questionable match postponements, relegation scraps and
Manchester City having basically wrapped up the
Premier League title by mid-January, Wolves have been moving up the table quietly and effectively. A 3-1 win over Southampton on Saturday extended their unbeaten run to four games, taking them up to eighth. They are now just six points off fourth-placed West Ham, with two games in hand.
Even though Nuno Espírito Santo had a disappointing final season at Molineux, finishing 13th in the league after three straight defeats at the end of the campaign, the appointment of Bruno Lage as his successor felt underwhelming. Lage had been out of work for a year following his time at Benfica and Wolves fans must have worried about his lack of experience in top-flight management. He has been coaching teams for 25 years but often at youth level or as an assistant manager – as he was for Carlos Carvalhal at Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea City.