Nuno Espirito Santo has said that he hopes referees can better control the way Adama Traore is treated on the pitch.
What did he say?
The Portuguese boss was speaking prior to his team’s game away at Norwich City on Saturday.
The 45-year-old was talking about the protection of the former Barcelona man, and he explained: “It’s for the referees to judge. There are different ways to try and stop Adama but fouls over and over again, the only person that can judge and intervene is the referee. Hopefully the referee can control it better.”
Potential weapon
Traore is having arguably his best season in English football. This term, he has picked up an average WhoScored rating of 7.54 in the Premier League, with him also having bagged three goals and provided three assists. His performance against Manchester City was his most impressive match – he scored two goals at the Etihad as the Midlands outfit won 2-0.
He has also been on the end of plenty of fouls from the opposition. He has won 2.5 free-kicks or penalties per match, which puts him in the top five in the whole division. His explosiveness and trickery – he has 4.7 dribbles per match – are clearly causing opposition defences plenty of headaches.
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Whilst it is understandable that Nuno would rather reduce the number of times he is brought down, it is something that he can use to his advantage. So far this campaign, Wolves have scored eight goals from set-pieces, with just Bournemouth and leaders Liverpool managing more. However, they have won just 8.8 fouls per match, with only five teams managing less.
£25.2m-valued Traore – as per Transfermarkt – does already influence the game an awful lot, but Nuno can encourage his players to get the ball to him even more, and particularly in dangerous positions. In his attempts to beat players, the defenders will often have no choice but to bring him down and give away a free-kick, and that could be a potent source of chances and indeed goals if they come further up the pitch.
In Traore, Santo has an unconventional weapon that he can use to his advantage. As they once again look to qualify for European football, it could make all the difference.
Meanwhile, this man could be the ideal successor for Traore at Molineux.