Wolves manager Bruno Lage’s public criticism of Ki-Jana Hoever is a ‘risky move’ by the 45-year-old, according to The Athletic journalist Tim Spiers.
Wanderers were beaten 2-0 at home by Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon as their hopes of finishing in the European places in the Premier League took another hit.
Hoever lasted just 25 minutes at Molineux before picking up a hamstring issue midway through the first half and having to being replaced. After the match, Lage put the injury down to a lack of preparation from the youngster in a scathing interview which has elicited plenty of attention.
The coach fumed: “Injuries can happen, but this one happened because he was not prepared because Ki sometimes doesn’t work in the same intensity. This warning is not only for Ki, it’s for all the kids we have in our team. They need to understand that I don’t waste time with guys who don’t work hard every day to improve.”
Taking to Twitter on Monday as he shared a corresponding article for The Athletic, Spiers admitted that it was a risky stance for the manager to take and one which could either pay off or backfire.
The journalist stated: “After defending his players to the point of self mockery at West Ham, Bruno Lage’s patience ran out after Wolves produced an even worse performance v Palace. But will his castigation of Hoever and others have repercussions? It’s a risky move.”
It is certainly an interesting stance for Lage to take and he was clearly disgruntled after another negative result, with the pressure arguably showing a little.
Criticising any player’s professionalism is potentially asking for trouble, though, risking a backlash from Hoever himself and possibly other players, should they stick up for their young
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