Zenga passion is having its effect

Just six weeks into his Molineux reign, there remains a sense of the Italian, club, players and supporters still getting to know each other. What certainly isn't in dispute is the new boss' searing passion for the game. The promise, made during his very first press conference, that he would give his heart to the club, appears to have been anything but empty.

Players talk of a head coach who pores over every detail, while Zenga himself has made clear he takes things one day at time.

"Do I look at the next game? No. I look at tomorrow's training, not the next game," he said during this week's press briefing at Compton Park.

"I cannot think about the game unless I prepare well the team or I don't prepare well in training. The most important thing is that today I must be the best. Not the next game. Today."

This particular interview took a rather unexpected turn when Zenga began to outline his admiration for Brian Clough. Hearing him speak so warmly and with such enthusiasm about the Nottingham Forest legend was a reminder of how everyone in the game has their heroes and the lasting impact of English football's famous nights on those who witnessed them.

It was also a further indication that Zenga is a serious student of the sport, something which might give Wolves supporters some comfort. The obvious concern upon his appointment was to wonder whether Molineux would come to be just another staging post in a managerial career which had taken in 16 clubs in 18 years.

It still might, yet, without wishing to cause offence to the likes of Al-Nasr and Al-Shaab (now there is a sentence few journalists ever get to write) few of the 56-year-old's previous clubs carry quite the history and stature of his current one.

There is no doubt Zenga is well aware of the opportunity which has presented itself. The challenge, of which he is certainly well aware, will be in keeping a squad which has in a very short space of time been boosted both in number and quality moving in the same direction.

Wolves' takeover and Fosun's subsequent recruitment drive has rightly raised both the mood and expectations in WV1 but the Championship remains a fiercely unpredictable division with a healthy disregard for bank balance and they were far from the only club to overhaul their squad.

Zenga knows the influx of players which was needed to mount any serious promotion push could well prove his downfall should he select poorly or fail to maintain morale.

"If you have more options, you can make more mistakes," he said this week, before letting out a deep laugh. "It is my job and I love my job. Even if people criticise me or not. That is part of the job."

Certainly, today's team selection against Burton will prove interesting. While attempting to predict it for yesterday's match preview, it was tempting just to give up and just type out a string of question marks, such are the options available to the head coach.

Large squad overhauls carry inherent dangers yet the early signs at Wolves are promising. Conor Coady, always a good barometer of the mood at Compton Park, believes the arrival of the new boys has made everyone else raise their game – the best possible scenario.

Continuing in that vein will be Zenga's aim. Succeed and this could be one very memorable season indeed.