Every time we have to take decisions and that’s what we did, admits Bruno Lage

After an impressive 2019/20 season, where he contributed to 13 goals, many expected Adama Traore to continue his vein of form but instead, things went in the opposite direction. The forward contributed to only five goals in the 2020/21 season, with Wolves struggling on the whole but the Spaniard’s absence of form only hurt the club even further. However, with the 25-year-old entering the current season with just one year left on his contract, it has seen Traore play sparingly for the club.

So far, Traore has made just ten league appearances for Wolves, with him yet to contribute to a single goal and it has many fans worried that the decision to give him limited minutes is contract-related. But rumours of that has been squashed by Bruno Lage as he admitted that the move to bench the Spaniard against Everton and Crystal Palace was solely down to tactics. The Wolves boss also hit out at his side and added that the performance against the Eagles “wasn’t good”. 

"That is the question every time. When you look for the starting team we want, every time we have to take decisions. We play with Adama also against Leeds and we don't have the chances to go in the transition. OK, I understand your question and for sure we think about it,” Lage said, reported Sky Sports.

"We try to understand the game and to find spaces to play with Rayan [Ait-Nouri] and Nelsen because they are in good positions. We try to see, especially from the back, if our midfielders come with the pressure or not and to also find Hwang Hee-Chan and Francisco Trincao between the lines.

"After that, we go and attack the defensive line but for that, we need to have good decisions from the back and to find the spaces, so that is why when I look at the game, it wasn't a good performance,” he added.