The highest club for dispossessions is West Ham on 74, who similarly have created the second fewest big chances, and conceded more shots than any other side. All eyes are therefore on the manager, Julen Lopetegui, yet he was brought in for a reason.
His win percentage of nearly 41% at Wolves is more than any manager has ever achieved at the club. Lopetegui also became the first Wolves manager to win his opening match in the top flight since John Barnwell (1978). Data can be skewed as his time at Wolves was short, yet if we look at his total managerial career he has a win percentage of 55.42.
While he has managed some very good teams, the longest stint he had was at Sevilla, where he served for three years between 2019 and 2022, matching David Moyes’ record and winning a European trophy in 2020. Before that, in his first season at Porto, the team suffered their worst defeat in European competition, losing 6-1 to Bayern Munich, despite having the club’s largest budget ever thanks to the signing of seven Spanish players. His three-month tenure at Real Madrid was also their briefest ever, as he became just the second manager in club history to start his first game in charge conceding four goals.
Recently, he received yet another unwelcome honor when West Ham fell to Chelsea, marking the first time the team had ever dropped three straight league games at home.
Hopefully, the data gets better and he continues the club’s unbeaten road record for the next two games.
Although there’s no reason to panic just yet, the board is anticipating more from the new manager and his backroom crew.
