The old gold competed well across 180 minutes against Liverpool in the Emirates FA Cup last month, but the Premier League has always been the head coach’s priority, and the opportunity to secure back-to-back Premier League wins at Molineux is on offer. Since the first of those games against West Ham United, the club have been busy in the transfer market and Lopetegui spoke about Joao Gomes and Craig Dawson, as well as the window overall, in his pre-Liverpool press conference.
On having prepared right
“We have had a good week’s work and now, obviously, we’re focusing on being able to complete with and a fantastic team in Liverpool. We know them, they’ll know us. It’s not the first time we’ve played against them, it’s going to be different, it’s the league, but in the end I think the most important thing is to put the focus on the next match. It’s the most important match.
“All the moments are good moments to win. Now, we have focused 100 per cent on the next match, and our next match is Liverpool. We have played against them two times, different matches in my opinion, in both we competed well, but this is history. We have to write the next history tomorrow, we have to be ready to compete against a very good team with fantastic players, to be able to overcome these kinds of teams is our aim and we are going to work very hard to get it.”
On welcoming Gomes
“Joao is a good choice by the club, for the present and for the future. He’s a young player. Obviously, he has just arrived here, and he has to adapt to English football, the environment, the rhythm. In Brazil, they are more or less in the pre-season, so he’s in a different moment to the players and now we have to put him in the same way as the rest of the players as soon as possible.
“When one player is going to change his life, his team, his country, of course it’s not an easy moment for them and it’s a big stress. It’s a good thing the player wanted to come here. This is a good thing for us, and I think it’s going to be a good choice for him too, to be here with us and trying to improve himself by helping us.”
On what Dawson will bring
“We hope he’s going to be important for us. He’s an experienced player and an English player – for me, it’s important to put English culture inside the dressing room, an experienced player and I think he has the quality. He can be a leader and we need this kind of player sometimes on the pitch and sometimes in the dressing room.
“All together, we have to be involved to achieve our aims. Craig wants to be here, we’re happy with him and we are going to build history with him. Once he’s here, he’s a possibility [to play], of course.”
On the window overall
“I think that the club has made good work, trying to help the team and trying to balance the team. I said always, the most important thing is not the window, it’s to try to improve our squad, to believe in ourselves, and all together to be ready to achieve at the end our aim. Of course, the new singings are here to help, but it’s not about only them, it’s about the rest of the players here, working very hard, trying to improve every day.”
Four fixtures for us in February.
— Wolves (@Wolves) February 2, 2023
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On Neto nearing fitness
“It’s one of the positive things, he’s improving a lot. He’s not ready for tomorrow, but in the last week he has made a big step and it’s a good thing for us. He was out for four months and he’s going to be ready to improve in the next week and he’s in a good way.
“In the last part of the recovery of players, sometimes it’s not about the medical, the medical is OK, but after it depends on the player, depending on his physical condition, so we’ll see.”
On building momentum
“It’s important, each match is a fantastic challenge to win. We have talked about it, when I arrived we had 23 finals and we’re saying the same. Tomorrow is Molineux and we are going to make a big effort to overcome a good team.
“I don’t think about how many points we got, I only focus on the daily work and the players have to do the same. When we make the line-up, of course there are going to be players out, and they have to be ready to continue. I encourage them to keep their focus, their commitment, their daily work because sooner or later the alarm clock goes off, so they have to be ready. This is about all the players.”
