Although disappointed to have two goals disallowed in Saturday’s Premier League clash with Southampton, the Mexican striker is hoping to add to his nine-goal tally for the season and claim a good result against Slovan Bratislava before inviting the Slovakian outfit back to Molineux on Matchday 4.
On test of Slovan Bratislava
“We’re going to have to go there thinking we can win this game because they then have to come here to Molineux and it’s a good opportunity to take a good advantage.
“But we know that they are playing well; they beat Besiktas, they drew with Braga, so they’re doing well, and we’ll have to be careful and face this game as another final – the way we face the Premier League matches.”
On prospective atmosphere in Bratislava
“There will be a lot of kids, but they are going to be there to enjoy the match and maybe some of them have never been in a stadium before.
“It’s going to be strange because you’ve never played a match with that many kids, but we have to keep our minds on the pitch as it doesn’t matter what happens in the stands, we have to focus on the game ahead.”
On balancing different competitions
“It’s difficult to recover because you play 90 minutes on Thursday and maybe you’ve had some kicks, maybe pain in a place, and then you have to play again three days later.
“It’s hard, but as a footballer we all want to play, we all want to be there. We have to enjoy it because our career is not too long. Since I arrived in Europe, all I think is that I want this – I want to play a lot of matches. Now that I have it, I don’t want to lose it.”
On the current unbeaten run
“It feels very different because against Watford we knew we were playing for the last place and then when we played against Manchester City at their home, we know it’s difficult to take points from there, but we have a very good team and we stuck to our game and achieved something good.
“Then, in the middle of the week we had that win in the last second with a goal against Besiktas, so it’s an impulse for us to keep going and recover what we were doing last season.
“In the first games of the season we were not the team that we want to be, but now we are getting better – maybe this last weekend we deserved more, we made mistakes and then had the two goals disallowed, but this is football and you have to face all of these things to make you better as a team.
“Why can’t it be as good as last season? This season we’ve drawn with Manchester United, we’ve beat Manchester City, we did lose against Chelsea, but we can do it.
“We can keep on going and make that kind of matches as good as possible and in the other ones we can do the same. It doesn’t matter who’s in front of you, you have to face the game as a final.”
On VAR decisions against Southampton
“The decisions were right. First, the handball, I didn’t feel it like it was a handball, but I see the replay and it touched me. The second one, maybe those are the types of plays that don’t need VAR.
“It’s difficult for us, because you’re celebrating your goal with your team mates and then the ball is in the middle ready to start again and then they say it’s not a goal.
“It’s difficult to face that but those are the new rules and now we can’t do anything, and we have to help and keep trying to make it better.”
On his goalscoring hunt
“As a striker, I always want to score goals – every game, every match. First of all, my aim is to make more goals than last season.
“I’m not competing with my team mates, it’s a competition for a place in the starting 11, but a good competition. We are never fighting, or anything like that, we know that the one who’s on the pitch is going to be good and can do it as good as the one who is on the bench.
“We are ready for that, but for me it’s about making more goals than last season. I’m going well, I have nine, but we’re just beginning. I have three in the Premier League but there is still a long way to go and I can make it.”
