Bruno Lage’s time as the manager of Wolves has been a perplexing state of affairs so far.

The Portuguese hasn’t done a lot wrong but the fact of the matter is, the Old Gold have only won one of their opening five league matches.

On the chalkboard

Wolves have played some vibrant attacking football this term without gaining many rewards for their efforts.

Raul Jimenez is yet to find the net while Adama Traore and Trincao are also struggling with their end product.

Lage’s men did witness an upturn in form in the Carabao Cup, however, demolishing Nottingham Forest 4-0.

They have a sterner test in round three against Tottenham where it’s likely the manager will make changes.

One area he should look at making an alteration is at left-wing back.

Marcal has played well this term but has let the manager down in some key moments. He let Mason Greenwood get by him too easily when Manchester United beat Wolves and gave away a strange penalty against Brentford.

The defender grappled Ivan Toney to the floor and the referee had to point to the spot.

The solution

If Marcal does miss out on Wednesday evening then Lage must turn to the vibrant young face of Rayan Ait-Nouri.

The Frenchman joined Wolves on loan last season and then made his move permanent over the summer.

However, he’s struggled for game time and has only started once this term – in round two of the EFL Cup.

That said, Ait-Nouri could provide his team with plenty this week, especially in the final third.

The 20-year-old’s performances were inconsistent last season but at his best, he’s an incredible weapon that Wolves have in their armoury.

That theory is back up by his former manager Stephane Moulin.

He said: “He [Ait-Nouri] also made a lot of progress athletically. I also like his way of evolving, he is a modern player, able to eliminate his opponent and make assists. He creates play and danger. Now, he takes on another dimension because he begins to defend well collectively while being interesting individually.”

With that in mind, the £16.2m-rated defender could be game-changing when the Molineux outfit take on Spurs this evening.

After all, he completed a whopping six dribbles against Forest last month and also won nine of his 13 defensive battles.

If he can show similar form against Tottenham this week, Wolves supporters could be in for a treat.

AND in other news, Lage must unleash "ridiculous" £46k-p/w Wolves beast this week, he's a game-changer...