O'Neil | On keeping intensity, being disciplined and Villa threat

Gary O’Neil has reiterated the importance of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa to his players and insists he will not accept any complacency from his squad after last weekend’s first home win of the season.

The head coach, who confirmed both of Wolves’ defensive Buenos – Santi and Hugo – would be facing a race against time to be fit for the game due to hamstring and knee issues respectively, understands the threat posed to his players by Unai Emery’s side, who come into the game off the back of a Europa League victory following a 6-1 thrashing of Brighton & Hove Albion, which left the men from Birmingham in the top five of the league standings.

On switching focus to Villa

“We tend to reset after every game. We approach the next one as the next game, regardless of whether we’ve won, whether we’ve lost and there can obviously be a different mood around the group when you’ve lost, but in terms of preparing for the game and what it is, it’s just a completely different challenge.

“We’ve tried to prep the lads this week as we have done every other week. There’s been no change, but we made sure that just because we beat Man City it doesn’t mean we can just walk on the pitch and beat Aston Villa.

“This is a tough test, so we need to make sure we take it as seriously as we do any other game. They’ve got a two-day turnaround, so it’s not like it’s unbelievably close for them, but we’ve had a full week, we’ve had a clear week, we’ve not had too many injuries, so I’m hopeful that we be in a really good place, start the game quickly, especially at home and then try to stick to the plan and make sure we execute.”

On Emery’s job with the Villans

“He's done incredibly well. I played against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa last season and they were very good. They’ve got a really good understanding of their structure and what he’s trying to do with them, and they’ve added some good signings into the squad too.

“They’ve got some great players too, with Ollie Watkins back in the England squad, Jacob Ramsey is a big threat, Diaby – who they signed in the summer – is a big threat, so it’s a strong squad.

“It will be a good test for us, but one that we’re ready for. The boys understand what Aston Villa are and what to expect, it’s one more day’s prep for us and then into a local derby that I’m sure everyone’s looking forward too.”

On making the players aware of the derby

“It would be different from a player point of view because if you’re brought up in the West Midlands and you’ve been to the game as a fan then you’d understand exactly what it is, but they get a real good understanding from the supporters and what it means to the area.

“They know it’s an important game for the spectators, but all of them are nowadays, so we understand our job every week is to make sure we win, make sure we put smiles on some faces and everyone’s happy.”

On Rayan Ait-Nouri’s performances

“I think he’s a really talented footballer. There are obviously some rough edges which I’d like to smooth out a little bit, but he knows that as well. I tell him that he’s fantastic going forward, but imagine how good you’d be if every time the ball comes into the box, you’re reliable at the back post and every time there’s a runner, you’re body shape is correct and you don’t switch off.

“I push him on everything trying to make him the best left-back he can be, for him and for us. I’d love him to last 90 minutes, that would be great, so we’re working hard on him with that, but he’s a good kid. He wants to work well and I’ve had no issues with him at all.

“I know Hugo [Bueno] is out with a sore knee at the moment, but the pair of them are both available at left back and then Doc [Matt Doherty] and Jonny can step in on that side as well, so we’re fortunate to have real good players in that position.”

On racking up the yellow cards

“It depends what they’re for. Each booking is different. There are some that I’m disappointed with and we speak about, and there are some that are unavoidable in the modern game and how easy it is to get booked for certain things, and then there’s adapting to new rules and guidelines as well this year.

“For example, Mario’s been playing for 10 years, so there are things he’s been getting away with in the past 10 years are being stamped out this year, so they’re trying to adapt to those changes. But across the league card numbers are probably up.

“Do I want to lose Mario, Nelson and Joao to suspensions? Of course not. We want everyone to be available for every game if we can, but it’s just about limiting the ones that we can and they know that. We don’t want to pick up any unnecessary ones, but we do want to be competitive, so I don’t want to stop Mario from fighting for every ball when it drops in the middle of the pitch.”

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