The former Real Madrid, Porto and Sevilla boss is enjoying his first taste of Premier League football having been brought to Molineux just ahead of the World Cup break to begin a new era for the men in gold and black, and the signs of his impact are already on full show as Wolves have earned 13 points from a possible 18 in his short time at the helm. But the head coach is not looking any further forward than his next match, as AFC Bournemouth are the latest visitors to the Black Country.
On his first few months at Molineux
“I feel good, and we are happy here managing Wolves and we’re always looking forward in our first aim, which is to be out of the relegation zone by the end of the season. It’s going to be a really hard task, but we are here to try to do it and to help the team to improve, so in the last moments we can achieve our aim.
“They came to me because they wanted me to help build a good project. They waited for me in a key moment in my life and that’s why I’m here with a lot of our energy and very happy, and trying to help with a big responsibility, and trying to be happy and make our fans happy. This is our big aim, but to do this, you have to win matches and more points.”
The mood is good.
— Wolves (@Wolves) February 15, 2023
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On improving his squad
“When you are not working with them daily, you only have one idea about the players, but after you spend time with them, it’s different. Maybe it’s better, maybe it’s not, but every player is different. But I am happy with all of them, and especially their commitment in their daily work, which for me is key.
“They want to work hard, they want to improve, and they are good players, but in the same way, they are all very humble players. This is important. They keep a good spirit in the dressing room, which is very important for me, because at the moment, we are only playing in one competition – the Premier League – so we are only playing one match a week, and it’s not easy because we have a good squad list and a lot of players, and we have to put some of them out of the starting line-up.
“But football is about all the squad and having a good environment and the spirit within the squad is going to be key for us.
“The most important thing is that they are knowing us, we are knowing them, and we come here every day with the spirit to improve and to be better each day. This is the only way that I know in football.”
On the quality of the Premier League
“It’s not surprised me. I felt before I came here that the Premier League has the best players because it’s the best competition and because each team has the best resources, and they have all worked in the last year in a very good way.
“The result is that all the teams have a very good squad, all the teams have a very good coach, and each match is very difficult.”
On not having long-term aims
“I don’t have this point of view. I am just the coach. The point of view of the coach is to look at winning the next match. This is true.
You have to look at it step by step, you can’t look for the second or third match because, you have to put 100 per cent of you – the spirit of you, the team and of your staff – into the next match.
“This is all you can do in football. I don’t know any other way. You have to put the focus in the next match.”
On how Wolves’ fortunes have turned
“Our target when I first came in here was to try to win the next match because we were – and still are – in a very difficult position, so we have to be aware that we need in front of us in the next matches a lot of points. We have to put the focus and be able to put 100 per cent in the next match – and nothing else.
“The message [to the players] was that we had not done anything yet. We had a lot of matches in front of us, a lot of points to win, and we are still looking for the points that we need because the current point we have, it’s not enough.
“We have to continue to look forward and try to win each match. Each match is a challenge and a chance to achieve our aim, so we have to put the focus in each match, forget the last match and work in a very hard way between the week in our daily work and then be ready for the next game.”
