'The Confidence At Wolves Is Sky High'
- Wolverhampton Wanderers host Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday (4:30pm GMT kick-off)
- The West Midlands club are enjoying an encouraging season under Bruno Lage's management
- The Express & Star's Liam Keen has provided the lowdown on the Foxes' next opponents
- Live coverage of Sunday's clash is available, for free, on LCFC Radio
Leicester City head to Molineux on Sunday in the Premier League to tackle a side they defeated 1-0 on the opening day of the campaign at King Power Stadium – with Jamie Vardy on the scoresheet for the home side. Now, though, Wolves are in seventh place in the league table.
Last time out, Lage's side defeated Tottenham Hotspur in north London and the Molineux outfit are currently just six points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United. Speaking to LCFC Radio earlier this week, Keen explained the mood in the camp ahead of their clash with the Foxes on Sunday.
"A lot of Wolves fans believe that Bruno and the team is probably over-achieving, over-performing and they really are doing something special this year," he said. "The squad and the talent that’s there is undeniable, but I think a lot of the concerns come from the size of the squad.
"They’re only a couple of injuries, certainly in some positions, away from really struggling. They’ve been fortunate with injuries for the most part and with COVID. They’ve only had a handful throughout the season. That’s been the biggest concern.
"When you take those aspirations of Wolves fans, to have them within touching distance of the top four, and seventh, it’s unbelievable. Bruno’s done a superb job. With the same system and largely the same players, he’s made Wolves a lot more entertaining and a lot more resolute in defence.
"They’re picking up results against a lot of the big teams. It’s a tough run-in this month, with Leicester coming off the back of a win at Spurs. They’re in a really good place coming into this game."
Former Benfica manager Lage is making a real impact on Wolves' players this term. Keen says his unique management style is paying dividends and he believes they can continue their excellent form.
"It's sky high," the Express & Star journalist added, discussing Wolves' confidence. "The togetherness in this group among the staff, right down to some of the staff at the training ground, the cooks, the cleaners, the groundstaff, there’s a real togetherness and a real community among the club.
"It’s something Bruno’s brought in. The squad was always close because it was very small, also under Nuno previously, but under Bruno, he’s a lot more amicable. He’s a lot more approachable and friendly with staff. He spends a lot of time, for example, chatting to people in the canteen.
"Things like that rub off on people. They’ve come away from a home game against Arsenal, where they were a little bit lacklustre and disappointing, losing 1-0 of course, but you can never write this Wolves team off.
"They come back from games like this and pretty much dominated in the first half and, in the second half, they were defensively very sound and held on to what was a very good 2-0 win. They just keep rolling with the punches and keep coming back every time they have one or two bad results.
"Overall, that breeds consistency and confidence, which is sky high at the moment."