With Wolves hoping to get their 2023 off to a positive start under Julen Lopetegui, Traore believes the work the players are doing both in training and in matches since Premier League football resumed following the World Cup will soon make a big impact to help turn the old gold’s difficult start to the campaign on its head.
On taking positives from New Year’s Eve
“Against Manchester United we showed that we can compete with any team. Even though we didn’t get the win, we have to take the positive and go from there.
“We have a good feeling and then on the day, we are trying to improve every game. That’s the main thing for the team.
“We all celebrated New Year’s with the family and we still prepared ourselves because we have a game, so we celebrated, but we’re still focused on the game.”
On the difficult start to the season
“It’s been a tough start, and we know that. None of the players and none of the fans want to be there [in the relegation zone], but now we are here, we have a new manager, we have belief and this is what we have to think about.
“We cannot change the past, we have to think about the games we have in front, and the first one is Villa and we have to win this game.
“The most important thing is that we’re going to fight in every minute of the game and this is how we’re going to be until the end of the season.”
On facing his former club
“I only have good things to say about Villa. They were one of my first teams that I had when I came to England and had my first impact of how different football was here. There were very good people inside all of the club who helped me to settle in very well.
“It will be a very good game and I like going back there, but now I’m in a Wolves shirt so I will do everything I can to win that game because this is my club now, but I only have good things to say about the club who welcomed me when I left my hometown.
“There’s a big difference [from when he joined Villa]. I was young, I had come from Barcelona into a different city, different weather, and many things were different. It was a long time ago, but I was very happy to be there and I was able to grow with the team.”
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On working under Lopetegui
“I didn’t know him before, but I knew about him as a coach in Spain and with the national team, so I’ve known about him for a long time. He’s brought a positive mindset to the dressing room and now we’re trying to follow his mentality and what he wants inside of the pitch and outside of the pitch, and this is what we’re working on.
“When he first talked with the team, he told us to focus. That is one of the things that is important for him; focus on every game, focus on everyone within the game, and that is the main thing that he wants – everyone to be focused for the 90 minutes. He thinks this is important at the training ground then inside the games.
“We’re working hard with the new manager, a new mentality and new tactics that he wants and the first mentality he gave to the players is to be focused in every aspect of the game. We’re trying to follow that, we’re trying to improve.”
On making an impact off the bench
“It is very important, even if you pick up injuries, to have good [goalscoring] numbers to help the team, and we are all working on that, for sure.
“The quality to drive the ball and beat anyone one-v-one and try to help the team, I think that’s one of my qualities. I want to have an impact and help the best that I can, but we can improve. I can improve in scoring or assisting, like I did against Everton, so this is the impact that I want to have and this is the impact that I’m working for.
“We are already working on it and the first game he [Lopetegui] was here, I came on and did an assist for Rayan, and this is what I’m trying to do.”
