Mario Lemina insists Wolves are going to ‘try everything’ between now and the end of the season to pick up as many points as possible to give the fans an enjoyable run-in to their Premier League campaign.
Although the midfielder admits he was left frustrated at not getting a result against Arsenal at the weekend, despite the squad being disrupted with injury – which included Lemina being rested for the first 50 minutes – he is determined to help the team bounce back from their recent dip in form as Bournemouth arrive at Molineux on Wednesday night.
On Arsenal frustrations
“To be honest, I was a little bit frustrated that we couldn’t have our best team playing against Arsenal, but at the same time, we were really happy because we could see that since the beginning of the season, we’ve been stepping up our level all of the time.
“Even the players who didn’t play so much are getting to the level that they weren’t at before. For sure, we were disappointed at the end because we thought we could get something from this game, but it was hard because with the players we were missing, we could have done better.”
On developing as a team
“You could see with the way we played and the way we tried to play, we’ve got a DNA now and we’re a team with something. We’re not a team who just go out onto the pitch to try to survive. We can compete against all the teams in the league.
“But at the same time, we’re really pleased and really happy to try our best every week to win games, to play good football and to enjoy it with the fans. We want to win. We want to win because at the halfway point of the season, we had an aim.
“We were really surprised with where we’d been and we are still there. We’re still competing for something, and we don’t want to give up right now. We’re really happy with the manager, we’re really happy with the team, and we’re going to do everything to get what we deserve.”
On fighting until the end
“We’re competitors and we’ll want to get something from the season, for sure. We gave something to the fans, to the clubs – we gave them hope that we could get to these European places, and we want to. We’re going to try everything.
“Of course, we’re going to have ups and downs, like we already have done right now, but we’re not going to give up. We’re going to try everything in our ability and try to run as much as we can, try to beat all the teams that we can, and we’ll see at the end of the season.”
On his relationship with O’Neil
“It’s been really good. He’s a really good manager, but he’s a really good human being as well. It’s not often that you find this kind of person in this job and in the football industry. It’s just the beginning of his journey with us and it’s only going to get even better.
“We still have work to do and we’re improving every day, he’s improving every day, and I hope next year is going to be even better.”
On his excellent season
“To be honest, I don’t really think about myself. It’s never about me, it’s more about the team and the teamwork. We can solve all the problems that we have by working together. If the gaffer wants me to play in a position, even if it’s as a goalkeeper, I’d do it because I want to win.
“If he thinks the position he’s playing me is the best for the team, then I will do it and give my best. Even if I’m not playing my best football, if I can help the team, that’s the main thing. I just want to help the team and see where we can reach.”
