Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Mario Lemina has urged his teammates to be more effective in possession against Leeds United. Despite managing 58 percent of the ball last weekend, Julen Lopetegui’s side had just seven shots to Newcastle United’s 19 and ultimately lost the game 2-1.
By contrast, one week earlier, Wolves created eight opportunities to Tottenham Hotspur’s 21, had 46 percent possession, but won 1-0. Defeat at St James’ Park left the Wanderers just three points above the relegation zone.
Lopetegui has excelled since his appointment in November, taking Wolves from 19th up to 13th. However, inconsistency continues to plague their season and a home clash against Leeds could be billed as a six-pointer.
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Speaking after the Newcastle loss, Lemina called on Wolves, who are likely to have more of the ball against the Whites, to use their possession wisely. He said: “I think in possession (where Wolves need to improve). They (Newcastle) are really aggressive.
“We should pass the ball quicker to make them run more and have more solutions in the middle because we could play behind the midfielders. We did sometimes and we had good chances, but it wasn’t enough.”
The 29-year-old also disagreed with referee Andrew Madley’s decision to wave play on instead of awarding a first-half penalty. With the scoreline level, Toon goalkeeper Nick Pope clumsily brought down Raul Jimenez but no spot-kick was given.
“For me, it was an obvious penalty,” Lemina added. “I don’t want to talk about referees and their choices. I don’t want to be this kind of player, if he says it’s not a penalty, we have to just do better and better to try and score a goal. It’s not about the penalty, we have to do better.”
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