Julen Lopetegui insists recent victories over Chelsea and Brentford are in the past now and Wolves must put all their focus on the challenge which lays ahead.
Wolves head to Leicester City on the back of seven points from nine and back-to-back Molineux wins, but with just two away victories to their name this term, a third would ease Lopetegui’s fears of relegation further. The Spaniard praised Matheus Nunes and Diego Costa in his pre-match press conference, and discussed the returning Ruben Neves, as he turns his attention to an important trip to the King Power Stadium.
On work still to be done
“We are not safe yet and we have to work very hard to achieve a lot of points. We have to put the focus on the war we have to do and not the work that we have done. This is football, it depends on a lot of focus, and we have seven finals in front of us. Now, the first final is against Leicester, we know the kind of match we are going to find there, and we have to be ready. We are in the middle of the battle, and we have to continue.
“There’s no space to relax. We are fighting. You only achieve your aims when you achieve them, not before, it’s very clear for me. We are fighting very hard to have this kind of possibility, and now we have to go there with all our strength and spirit, always respecting because Leicester have plenty of top players, fantastic players, we know what we are going to find there, so we will be ready.”
On not looking back
“Chelsea and Brentford are finished. This is very important for me and for our players. They have been good results, but in the end they’ve passed. We have put the focus on the future, and our future is only Leicester. They have a new coach and he knows the Premier League. Above all, we have to be ready with our answer and be ready to face a big team in all the facets. This is our expectation.
“We are talking about the best competition in the world. The hardest competition with high demands. We have to continue because we haven’t done anything yet. We have to continue working. To achieve our aim we have to get a lot of points, we have to put the focus on the work we have to do, not the work we’ve done in the past.”
On Neves returning from suspension
“Ruben is a very important player for us. Now he’s ready to play and of course it’s good news for us, for sure. He’s been a very good player for us all the season. An important player for the dressing room and on the pitch. It’s good news for us that Ruben is coming back. After, we are going to choose the best line up for each match.
“We’ve had problems in the week. We will see how we are going to finish tomorrow, to have the last assessment to make the better squad list and line up.
“We are going to try to compete with them. In football you have to do a lot of good things if you want to beat the opponent. We have to be ready to make a competitive team. I am sure there’s going to be different parts in the match, and we have to be ready to compete in each moment of the pitch.”
On heading to Leicester
“With the situation for both teams, it’s a final for both. This kind of environment, new coach, very good players, top players in my opinion, so it’s going to be a hard test for us, with a big demand. We have to be ready and to be able to make good work there.
“They are fighting with us for the same and they have a new coach. There is going to be a reaction with the fans, so we have to be ready to go, showing our strength until the end. We have to be ready.”
🔙 in contention. pic.twitter.com/pmqvrY2UqI
— Wolves (@Wolves) April 20, 2023
On Costa hitting form at the right time
“He has been working very hard in the last months, sometimes on the pitch, sometimes on the bench, sometimes out of the squad. He is always ready. It’s a good thing for him, a good thing for us. He has to continue. His experience is good for us and he’s fighting to have his space in the team. Competitive work.”
On Nunes growing into the role
“Matheus is growing, sure. He’s playing in a different position he’s played before. He has played in different positions for us too and it’s a good thing for him. He has to improve more, knowing the competitive demand here in England, in the Premier League. He has to be ready to have a good answer. We are happy with him, he has to continue, it’s non-stop. It’s not about one or two matches, it’s about the rest of the matches, to be consistent in your performance and he has to improve in this way, sure.”
