Jose Sa insists the Wolves players will approach this weekend’s visit of high-flying Newcastle United to Molineux in the same way they do any other game.
The Magpies arrive in the Black Country off the back of a six-game unbeaten run in the Premier League and although Newcastle fell to defeat in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday evening, Sa understands that their match under the lights on Saturday night will be tough.
However, the keeper believes hard efforts of the players, as well as work they have been undertaking with head coach Gary O’Neil and head of goalkeeping Neil Cutler gives the squad confidence they can continue their own top-flight run, which has seen Wolves claim seven points from their last three outings.
On responding to the Bournemouth fans
“I enjoyed the win a lot, like all of our wins. I celebrated [in front of the Bournemouth fans], of course, and I will explain why.
“I don’t like this kind of things, but when I came out for the second half, some of them started making gestures towards me. I like to laugh at the end and not at the beginning of the half. When we scored, I did nothing, but when we scored the second, at almost 90 minutes, then I do it in front of them.
“I don’t like to do this, but if you don’t respect me, then I don’t have to respect you either. This is football. Maybe another team will do the same, but I don’t care. I just do my game.”
On facing Newcastle
“We will approach it like all games that we’ve played. We are working very well, so we will go with everything on Saturday to win, because this is what we want.
“We know that it will be a difficult game against a strong team, but we believe in us and in our work. This is what we have to do – work.”
Happy Jose 😆 https://t.co/Lxo4HbATex pic.twitter.com/3hQUPDegSZ
— Wolves (@Wolves) October 26, 2023
On working with O’Neil
“We’re playing exciting football this season, it’s true. It’s different from last season, and we are enjoying it and we are happy with the people here.
“He’s done a very good job. We are really happy with him. We didn’t start so well, but that’s normal. He came only one week before we started the season and it was very difficult. He brought new ideas – very good ideas – and we very much like working with him.
“But he’s also an amazing guy. The way he handles and the way he is with the players, it’s very good. The confidence that he gives to us and the way he talks to us is not only as a coach, but also as a friend.
“It’s easy to talk with him and the players are with him with everything. He would say if I’d had a good game or these kinds of things, but to talk about the game is with Neil [Cutler] or with the video analysts.”
On his new contract
“I was very happy because it’s what I’m doing here. I gave everything on the pitch in the first season, and last season, it did not go as well as the first, but this season it’s been going well. Very good.
“But I want to do better, and I want to help the team. It was good when they offered me the new contract because it shows that they want me here and that they believe in me and my work.
“Some of the players that left in the summer were good friends, but I’m here to help. I’m here with the guys and there are still some Portuguese guys here, like Neto, Fabio, Nelson and the others. But we keep fighting and we keep helping the team. I’m here in a new project and I’m giving everything.”
Insight from Jose Sa, Dan Bentley and our head of goalkeeping Neil Cutler 🗣
— Wolves (@Wolves) October 25, 2023
Go inside the processes and aims of our GK department in today's podcast.
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On Wolves’ goalkeeper group
“[Cutler] has been very good. I want to say that Tony [Roberts] was very good too – they are both very good coaches and I liked a lot to work with Tony and I’m enjoying it a lot to work with Neil.
“I’m a guy who always likes to work and give everything on the pitch. It’s been amazing. He is very good. He said I can be top of the top and we are working to do this.
“But Tom and ‘Bents’ also help a lot. A lot. They are all very good and amazing guys. It’s very good to work with them because they work on the limit too, so this pushes me to grow up and to be better. But as well as this, they are amazing guys and really good people to be around every day.”
On aims for the season
“We’re just going game by game, winning as many as we can, and then at the end we will see. I have a clean sheet target and I want to be better than I was in the first and the second season.
“I got 11 in the first season and 11 in the second, even though the second was a worse season than the first, but we will do better this year.”
