Gary O’Neil says while he’d like to see his work transmitted into the performance on Saturday night, the priority from Wolves’ meeting with West Ham United is to build fitness further.
The Old Gold kick off their Stateside Cup account on Saturday evening in Jacksonville, following three days of intense training in the heat, where O’Neil has been impressed with the application of his group.
The friendly provides the next step in preparation for the new season, and against Premier League opposition, which is an ideal opportunity to see where his group are at.
On his approach to Saturday
“We’ll treat it as a pre-season game. We try to win all the games, even if they’re friendlies, but the teams will be mixed, and we’ll make sure we get the right amount of minutes into people. It won’t be one where we’re going full strength, and our only objective is to win.
“Obviously, the objective is to win, we want to play well, but the most important factor at the minute is around getting minutes and getting people in good shape, making sure we balance it around the group. The only real aim that matters is being ready for the first game against Arsenal.
“It would be great to play well, it would be great to win, but as long as we get everyone through and it looks like us, with what we’re trying to work on, and we start to see success, then that will be a successful afternoon for us.”
On working over in US
“The heat and humidity definitely affect the intensity of training. From a coaching point of view, you try to keep the intensity up because it’s what you’re used to, but it’s fairly obvious here that the speed in which training sessions are played is lower. Recovery between actions takes them a little bit longer, so it does impact the game, definitely.
“You see the players trying to have a rest with the ball and want longer spells in possession because they’re finding it tough physically. In the Premier League the game is played extremely fast because it’s not overly hot often and the pitches are always wet. The heat is extreme, so it will have an impact.
“The boys have found it good. It places a bit of extra stress on them physically, which is good for the time of year we’re at. We want to get them fit, so it’s making sure we get the balance right in terms of recovery and being ready to go again. It’s been a good first few days and we look to taper it down slightly as we go towards the game at the weekend.”
"I’m excited to see what we can do, what Mario can do, and how the group can perform this year with Mario as their captain.”
— Wolves (@Wolves) July 26, 2024
The gaffer on his new captain 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/pBjvKkgKlp
On the logistics behind pre-season in the US
“From a coaching perspective, and an idealistic point of view, you wouldn’t travel as far and to hot places, because it does bring its challenges. The first day’s training we have to take into account travel and the travel between games, so we do lose a bit of time to put on things we think will help the players work wise.
“The trade-off is a fantastic experience, being able to see Wolves and football fans in America, which we haven’t done before, and the level of opposition is obviously very good for us – West Ham, Crystal Palace and Leipzig as three games is a good test.
“It’s going to be a good week, and once we get back, it’s adjusting to the time difference and preparing for our last friendly against Vallecano. As with every tour, there’s always trade-offs and things you have to consider.”
On the positives of the trip
“It’s new for me. When I played, we’d travel around England. Of course, there’d be the odd trip around Europe, but if I kept the lads in Wolverhampton for six weeks now, they’d be wondering when we hadn’t travelled somewhere sunny.
“It’s a fantastic experience, the facilities have been excellent, the training ground is excellent, and the hotel are really looking after us. The lads, when they get downtime, have plenty of things to do to keep them occupied. Good trip to far, early into it, and the games will come fast which is good and we’re playing Premier League opposition, which will be a good benchmark for us.”
