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Vitor Pereira praises Marshall Munetsi after Bournemouth win
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WOLVES picked up a massive three points in their quest for Premier League survival by beating Bournemouth on the road.
Wolves entered their clash at the Vitality Stadium above the relegation zone by two points but a 1-0 victory over Bournemouth thanks to Matheus Cunha's strike saw Vitor Pereira's men create a five-point gap.
Defeats for Leicester City on Friday night and Ipswich Town on Saturday saw the Old Gold capitalise after Illia Zabarnyi was shown a red card for his challenge on Rayan Ait-Nouri.
But even before the hosts were reduced to 10 men, the visitors carried a threat on the counter-attack and had multiple chances to score, including through Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.
Alongside Bellegarde and Cunha, Pereira handed Marshall Munetsi his first start for Wolves and the Portuguese tactician was seriously impressed by his display.
Signed from Stade Reims for £16.6m on transfer deadline day, Munetsi has come off the bench in the last two outings – the win over Blackburn and the defeat at Liverpool.
Some noticed Munetsi playing close to the striker in those clashes but in Friday's press conference, Pereira suggests he sees him as more of an advanced midfielder.
In the win over Bournemouth, the 28-year-old was used as one of two attacking midfielders in the first half but after Joao Gomes was substituted, he was dropped into a deeper role.
Regardless of what type of talent he's seen as, Munetsi is relentless at both ends of the pitch, with Pereira praising his ability to attack the opposition's box and then defend 30 seconds later.
"What I'm asking him is to help the team as a midfielder and to appear from the back into the box. And he has again a situation to score, and it was not today, but every time he appears there he has a chance to score," Pereira said via Wolves' official website.
"But what I like in this player is the guy is the player that can miss a goal in the opponent's box and then after 30 seconds, he is defending in our box.
"This is what we wanted when we look for him. We wanted to find a physical midfielder who can support the other two midfielders."
Munetsi is different in profile to the likes of Andre and Gomes, offering a more physically imposing build and a greater attacking threat.
The Zimbabwe star capped off his debut with an assist for Cunha's strike but should have got on the scoresheet himself, shooting wide of the target in the second half despite being right in front of the goal.
Wolves entered their clash at the Vitality Stadium above the relegation zone by two points but a 1-0 victory over Bournemouth thanks to Matheus Cunha's strike saw Vitor Pereira's men create a five-point gap.
Defeats for Leicester City on Friday night and Ipswich Town on Saturday saw the Old Gold capitalise after Illia Zabarnyi was shown a red card for his challenge on Rayan Ait-Nouri.
But even before the hosts were reduced to 10 men, the visitors carried a threat on the counter-attack and had multiple chances to score, including through Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.
Alongside Bellegarde and Cunha, Pereira handed Marshall Munetsi his first start for Wolves and the Portuguese tactician was seriously impressed by his display.
Signed from Stade Reims for £16.6m on transfer deadline day, Munetsi has come off the bench in the last two outings – the win over Blackburn and the defeat at Liverpool.
Some noticed Munetsi playing close to the striker in those clashes but in Friday's press conference, Pereira suggests he sees him as more of an advanced midfielder.
Regardless of what type of talent he's seen as, Munetsi is relentless at both ends of the pitch, with Pereira praising his ability to attack the opposition's box and then defend 30 seconds later.
"What I'm asking him is to help the team as a midfielder and to appear from the back into the box. And he has again a situation to score, and it was not today, but every time he appears there he has a chance to score," Pereira said via Wolves' official website.
"But what I like in this player is the guy is the player that can miss a goal in the opponent's box and then after 30 seconds, he is defending in our box.
"This is what we wanted when we look for him. We wanted to find a physical midfielder who can support the other two midfielders."
Munetsi is different in profile to the likes of Andre and Gomes, offering a more physically imposing build and a greater attacking threat.
The Zimbabwe star capped off his debut with an assist for Cunha's strike but should have got on the scoresheet himself, shooting wide of the target in the second half despite being right in front of the goal.
Source - Molineux News
