Managerial uncertainty not affecting Wolves performances, says Steve Davis

The club are searching for a replacement for Bruno Lage

Wolves caretaker manager Steve Davis does not believe the search for a new boss is affecting his players (Zac Goodwin/PA) (PA Wire)

Wolves’ lack of a permanent manager has not affected the team’s on-pitch performance, according to caretaker boss Steve Davis.

Wolves relinquished a first-half lead to lose 2-1 at Crystal Palace on Tuesday night, their 10th consecutive game without a win away from home in the Premier League.

But Davis does not believe the ongoing search for a replacement for Bruno Lage, who parted ways with the club earlier this month, should be used as an excuse to justify any poor form from the 17th-placed side.

“Maybe? I don’t know,” said Davis when asked if there needed to be someone in place before Sunday’s meeting with Leicester.

“No. I think the mood is good. I wouldn’t suggest that within the camp. Spirit’s high. They were disappointed (at Palace) because they felt like we should have gotten something from the game.

“They’re doing everything we want them to do, they’re fully committed. Hopefully they show that commitment to whoever the new guy is. They’re in a good place. Despite the result they are in a good place, believe it or not.

“Their spirits are very, very good around the training ground. Everyone is working hard for each other. We’re working hard to get out of the situation that we’re in at the moment.”

QPR manager Michael Beale, Peter Bosz, who was let go by Lyon this month, and former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo have all been linked to the Wolves job.

Whoever is in charge at the weekend will have to contend with the club’s ongoing fitness challenges.

Adama Traore scored the opener against Palace on Tuesday night before Eberechi Eze and Wilfried Zaha turned the match around at Selhurst Park.

Adama Traore’s substitution was one of three Davis made after 58 minutes, with Boubacar Traore and Matheus Nunes also coming off the pitch, decisions the caretaker boss confirmed were absolutely necessary.

Davis admitted Adama Traore was a doubt before the match and he needed to limit his playing time, while full first-team debutant Boubacar Traore was “fatiguing massively” after setting up the first goal and Nunes got a “bang on the head”.

Davis continued: “We got everybody off that’ll be available for Sunday, and hopefully they can get nearer to 90 minutes, because obviously it’s frustrating taking players off that do well, because you don’t want to do that. You want to keep players on the pitch that are causing problems.

“So it is frustrating, but hopefully Sunday those players will be able to compete longer minutes on the pitch to give us the best chance of winning the game.”

Patrick Vieira’s Palace climbed into the top half of the Premier League table on the back of their win. All three of their victories so far this campaign have now been comebacks after conceding in the first half.

It is a more pleasing pattern than Palace’s emerging trend earlier in the season of conceding vital goals late on, but still a situation Vieira wants to avoid when they travel to Everton on Saturday.

“(Coming back is) a good thing if you manage to win the game,” he said. “But we make it very difficult by conceding the first goal and this is something we have to change.

“It’s about being more clinical, defending better as well, but the performance (against Wolves) was really good. We showed character, we showed quality, we showed resilience, so I’m really happy with the team performance.”