Vitor Pereira became poetic when discussing Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s unexpected starring role in Saturday’s derby victory.
“He was amazing,” Pereira told radio reporters after a 2-0 home win against Aston Villa. “He’s not a big player, but he was a giant on the pitch.
“Bellegarde played at a high level and showed me he’s a player I must look at with different eyes.
“I spoke with him because I didn’t know his position in this system and today he proved he can play with two in the middle without problems and with high quality.”
Bellegarde’s best performance in a Wolves shirt, which came in a rare outing in his favoured centre-midfield role, was certainly food for thought for Wolves as the transfer window ticked down towards its final hours.
Pereira was unconvinced before the game that the Frenchman could operate centrally in his 3-4-3 formation.
Bellegarde did his best in the victory over Villa to convince his head coach otherwise. “It was a surprise, a fantastic surprise,” Pereira added in his post-match press conference. “He worked in different positions in our system, so I asked him to play in a different role and he played a fantastic game.”
Bellegarde’s emphatic and vital opening goal helped Wolves end a four-match losing streak, but his performance against Villa was not spectacular. It was simply impressive enough to catch the eye, chiefly because the former Strasbourg man did not look at all out of place in a role in which Pereira was reluctant to deploy him, making himself man of the match in the eyes of many Wolves fans. His impact is illustrated in his player dashboard below.
He offered the same energy levels as Joao Gomes, the suspended midfielder he replaced, and the same commitment out of possession, even if he inevitably lacked a little of the Brazil international’s ferocity in the tackle.
He also provided the extra ingredient of darting runs beyond the Wolves front three, one of which brought him his goal, but his performance does not solve the problems of a squad still in flux.
Throughout January, Pereira has spoken of his reservations about Bellegarde and fellow midfielder Tommy Doyle’s ability to operate effectively in midfield in his 3-4-3 setup.
With Mario Lemina sidelined for most of the month after expressing a desire to leave Molineux, Pereira has been left with just two players — Andre and Gomes — to fill the two vital roles in the heart of midfield.
And despite Gomes being absent at the weekend, Pereira made it clear in the build-up to the game that his basic system will not be changing irrespective of the personnel available.
“I cannot change my system,” he told his pre-match press conference. “If we build a system or a style of play or a game model around one player, it would be a disaster.
“We must improve our dynamic in our game model in the way that we started to work since the first day.
“I can play with three midfielders when we are defending and with one of them making the offensive midfielder in the middle of the lines when we are attacking.
“But I’m changing the qualities of the players, I’m not changing the system.
“We cannot do this because we will miss the references and we go on the pitch and we don’t know how to play.”
As the window entered its final hours, Wolves were still chasing midfield additions, but landing one was looking considerably less likely than the centre-back that remained their No 1 transfer priority despite Tottenham Hotspur stealing in to sign Lens’ Kevin Danso.
And to add to the spinning plates, there was no clear sign of Lemina leaving despite his desire for a move.
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The transfer window in Saudi Arabia closed last week, ending his chances of joining Al Shabab. Wolves are aware of interest from Galatasaray, but they have not made an official offer.
Lemina’s future remains uncertain (Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images)
The deals being mooted via agents would be unacceptable to Wolves, leaving a distinct possibility that Lemina will remain at Molineux.
That would present both player and club with a major PR challenge to rehabilitate him in the eyes of fans feeling let down by the lack of focus that has seen him frozen out by Pereira in recent weeks.
If Wolves can help Lemina regain his focus for a final push, then a midfielder of his quality with considerable Premier League experience could be an attractive option.
When that trick can be achieved is one of the many questions hanging over Wolves’ midfield in the hours, days, weeks and months ahead.
Can Lemina still be a significant factor? Can Doyle develop his game enough to change Pereira’s mind? Can Gomes and Andre maintain fitness and form for the vital fixtures ahead? And can Boubacar Traore stay clear of injury long enough to play a part?
After Saturday, we can add to the list the question of whether Bellegarde can recreate this hugely encouraging display consistently.
The answers to all these questions are almost impossible to predict, but they could have a huge bearing on the direction of Wolves’ season.
(Top photo: Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images)
