When Bruno Lage was appointed the manager of Wolves in the summer of 2021, a lot of people wondered what he would bring to the team and how much Wolves would change from their previous years under Nuno Espírito Santo. Those same people can now look at the current Wolves side and tell that not much has changed and the team from the Midlands has only gotten better in the recent weeks. Wolves are currently eighth in the table and are pushing to finish in a European spot. Two players who have been absolutely key to Wolves’ season so far are the two players at the heart of their midfield, Rúben Neves and João Moutinho.

The following visualization shows how these two midfielders have fared this season so far when compared with the other central and defensive midfielders in the league.

Wolves play a 3-4-3 quite frequently and at the heart of the midfield, they have two players in Neves and Moutinho who complement each other very well. Neves, in spite of being linked with a move away from Wolves for quite some time now, still continues to produce some of his best performances. As seen in the visual above, Rúben Neves ranks top tier for passing in the league. He is in the 96th percentile for progressive passes per 90 minutes and 98th percentile for passes into the final third per 90. The 24-year-old Neves also ranks average for defensive actions.

Moutinho strengths are in the defensive side of the game with the 35-year-old Portuguese ranking in the 81st percentile for successful defensive actions per 90 minutes and 73rd percentile for defensive duels per 90 minutes. In contrast to Neves, Moutinho does not attempt progressive passes quite as frequently. When it comes to creating chances for teammates, Wolves are largely dependent on Neves and Moutinho to create their chances. Neves ranks in the 65th percentile for key passes per 90 minutes and Moutinho ranks in the 75th percentile for xA per 90 minutes. However, both of these midfielders are not frequent scorers.

Wolves have had a strong first half of the season and their defensive record is particularly eye-catching. Only Manchester City have conceded fewer goals than Bruno’s Wolves. If they are to continue this form in the second half of the season, they will first of all need Rúben Neves to stay at the club until the summer and second of all need Neves and Moutinho to continue this form.