Gary O’Neil has confirmed he has a fully fit squad to select from after Boubacar Traore and Hee Chan Hwang returned from international duty ahead of Saturday's Brentford challenge.
The head coach has had a full week to work with his players at Compton Park, on the back of the thrilling 4-2 win at Chelsea. O’Neil discussed the reset required, where Wolves need to go again against the Bees, and they’ll do so with Toti, who signed a new contract this week.
On Hwang and Traore returning
“They’re both fit and available to start, so there will be decisions to make. First thought was disappointment for Channy because I know he was extremely keen to try and win the Asian Cup for his country and I know he would have given absolutely everything over there. He had a few niggles and injury issues he had to contend with.
“Disappointed for him that he wasn’t quite able to go all the way, but the upside is we get him back a little bit early, one game earlier than we were expecting, and he gives us a fantastic option, whether that be from the start or from the bench. Channy back in and around the group gave everyone I lift this morning, so it’s fantastic.
“We’re fully fit. We’ve had a few small issues in the week with a couple of little illnesses or knocks from training, but absolutely everybody was out training today. The squad’s still in a good spot, we’re working hard as a medical team and fitness team, training and making sure the load we give them is as good as we can and try keep everyone fit.”
On Toti signing a new deal
“I think the journey that Toti’s been on from the club recruiting him, to the work he’s done every day since he’s been here to make himself as an extremely credible option for a Premier League team, to now being a regular starter – one we rely on heavy, with a good importance of role within the group – speaks volumes for what a great guy he is and what ability he has.
“When I first came in, he was initially out of the side, but even then he was desperate to make an impact. He trained in a way that always got your attention, took real pride in his work around how he took on information from meetings. He does his best to try and do it in a way we want it done.
“I knew the contract stuff was going on but when I saw it yesterday, it gave me a big smile because he’s worked extremely hard and deserves it. It’s always good to see the guys that are working really hard get rewarded.”
Toti's trajectory ⬆️ pic.twitter.com/LxmNKlODAf
— Wolves (@Wolves) February 8, 2024
On going again after Chelsea
“It’s important that we remind the lads that it’s not all roses and sunshine and we’re not going to roll out against Brentford and it’ll feel like the last ten minutes at Chelsea. The work to get us to that point needs to start all over again.
“It was a fantastic day, of course I loved being part of it with the players, but I spoke to them before about how good it feels when you get to the end and you’ve produced. The work and suffering you have to go through to get there, when it’s tough, we’re trying to get to that point where we arrive at the end and have achieved something together. That starts again against Brentford, it’ll be a really tough home game. Beating Chelsea last week isn’t going to help us at all against Brentford.”
On facing Brentford once again
“To play a team four times in real quick succession, and make sure you don’t lose any is really tough. It’ll be a really tough test tomorrow because they know us very well. Any issues we’ve caused them before, they’ll have had a good look at. Any time you play a team that many times, to try and keep coming out on top is a real big test, so it’ll be that for us tomorrow, especially at home because they can make it frustrating.
“I remember the cup game being a low tempo game, where we had to inject all the pace ourselves and needed the crowd. We needed the ball to come back on the pitch quickly when it went off. I’m sure it will feel a little bit like that, and of course they’re a very good side with good players. Ivan Toney’s back and they have a fantastic coach in Thomas Frank who has them excellently organised and they’re a big threat from set plays. Any day before a Premier League game, I’m going to tell you how tough it is.”
On scoring more goals
“We are more organised. They were an extremely talented group, who had their own individual ways of trying to find solutions, which they still have, they still produce moments of brilliance and still stand in positions I don’t want them to, and sometimes it works. It’s a game of football and random stuff does happen and it does benefit you at times.
“To add to that quality we have, and that randomness, we’ve added a little bit of structure, a little bit of understanding of where we’re trying to get to and what to expect – when the ball might be coming in the box and where.
“I’m not one for talking about how well things are going or how pleased I am, because we’re halfway through a journey, so we need to make sure we keep going, but the goals to game ratio has improved a lot. Credit to the players, scoring goals in the Premier League is the toughest thing to do, and they’ve managed to produce fantastic moments of quality to see us score enough goals to get where we are at this moment.”
