It Is About The Game

Nuno Espírito Santo said it doesn’t matter which competition Wolves are playing in this season – he will want to win the game.

Wolves launched their Carabao Cup campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Yeovil at Molineux, Nouha Dicko grabbing the decisive goal with a 76th minute header from Jordan Graham’s corner.

And, whilst pleased with many aspects as Wolves chalked up a third successive 1-0 win taking into consideration the Leicester friendly, the Head Coach is still looking for more.

“In this moment I am not even thinking about what the competition is – it is about the game,” says Nuno.

“We played this game exactly as we would a Championship game with the preparation and the hours we spend analysing the opposition.

“It is a game we had to be prepared for to compete and try to win.

“Whoever we play it is about us breaking down the opposition and getting the result.

“This game can get complicated if you don’t score.

“Yeovil defended very well and dropped a line of five and then four and left one striker up.

“That closed the spaces up for us but we should have done better and been faster and created more mobility.

“But we had no problems in defence and I think we deserved to win.

“After the goal we had chances but couldn’t get any more goals but the objective was to win the game.

“We have to growing and keep improving because we will play a lot of opponents like this who are well organised and fighting for each ball.

“It is up to us to build and make the most of possession and score.”

Nuno made nine changes to the side which had beaten Middlesbrough on Saturday, and believes every player in the squad will need to be ready for what lies ahead.

“We were able to rotate and give players minutes and think of the game before,” he explained.

“The idea in the game was the same, to prepare the squad for every situation.

“They have to be ready for every game we play and are working hard in training towards that.

“We need all the players, we need a full squad, and everyone is important.

“They will all have a moment to help the team and we want everyone to co-operate and compete to help the team – we will need that spirit.

“Competition gives you what you need to improve.

“To have a large number of players who can play is a good problem for a coach to have.

“And we try to find the solutions

“Some days players will play 65 minutes and others they may play 90.

“It is always about managing the situation for everyone.”

Two competitive wins out of two is a promising start for Nuno’s Molineux reign, but he is still demanding more.

“We are pleased with the start but we will never be happy because we have to work a lot to improve,” he added.

“We need to make the boys feel more confident and grow as players and become a tough team.”