The Portuguese number one has been a key piece in a defence which has kept four clean sheets and conceded just one goal in the past five matches in the competition.
And although he knows Wolves are trying to establish themselves in the Premier League, the 30-year-old goalkeeper, who made the move to Molineux from Sporting CP in the summer, thinks the club can ‘achieve more’.
“What we’ve done up until now, for me, without a doubt, it’s the best football in the world and it’s an amazing experience for any player,” Patrício said. “If you enjoy playing, working hard and evolving, it’s a great experience.
“We want to establish ourselves in the Premier League but knowing the quality that we have and what we could do, we can have the ambition to do more. Not just stay in the Premier League but aim higher. This isn’t just the players, staff and club, but I think the fans can also think bigger.
“Talking about the fans, the atmosphere has been fantastic. Without a doubt when they say it’s the best football in the world, the fans have something to do with that. They go to football to watch a match but also to watch a show.
“They have so much respect in the stadiums, to the players, the coaches. It brings a spark to everyone and trust. The respect they have we feel it. The entrance, the fireworks, the lights; it’s a show at the football.”
The stopper is currently away from Molineux with the Portuguese national team for their games against Poland and Scotland; joined by Wolves teammates Hélder Costa and Rúben Neves, and Patrício admitted having his fellow countrymen, including head coach Nuno Espírito Santo at the club has made it easier to settle in Wolverhampton.
“We’re in a team with a few Portuguese players which makes settling in easier. Our coach is Portuguese, so what’s happening now are the fruits of his labour. The structure that he’s created around us is very important.
“Nuno works at all levels. Physical, tactics, technical and psychological. He’s the leader of a very well-formed team that helps the athlete reach the highest level.
“He used to be a player, so he knows when he needs to speak to a player. He knows how to manage, and our team feels good. As players, we feel good. He knows when he needs to support us or tell us off.
“Nuno, for every game, manages to maintain every single player’s focus on the game at hand. Even if next week there’s a big game who are fighting to be champions, he can make us stay focused on the present and not look ahead to a couple of weeks.
“But the most important goal is to continue to feel good, to be happy and have the urge to train and carry on, for me this is the most important goal.
“If we always feel this, if we are good, we train good, we play good and things are good. If we are good with ourselves, we will be good with friends and without a doubt that’s a goal to continue.”
