Vitor Pereira has called for his Wolves players to ‘show their hunger’ and do everything possible to take a positive result against Burnley this weekend rather than just waiting for their season to turn around.
With his side still awaiting their first Premier League win of the season ahead of Sunday’s clash, the head coach feels there needs to be a shift in the mentality of his squad if they are to add three points to their tally at Molineux.
Although Pereira has reiterated how a season cannot be defined in October, he understands the importance a much-needed victory would have on his side’s chances of repeating their heroics of last season in avoiding the drop.
On not repeating same mistakes
“The conversation with the players this week was about the way that we played the first half, because in the first half we weren’t proactive. We weren’t looking and fighting for the results since the first minutes.
“When they scored the first goal, then we started to play, and we analysed the second half and we played a very good game. In my opinion, we didn’t deserve the result because we had three or four chances to score, but we didn’t. We cannot repeat and we cannot have two different faces.
“We cannot be one team in the first half and a different team in the second half. This is not possible because we are in a league where we must compete from the first minute until the last minute. We start to win games in the warm-up – if we are there mentally.
“The warm-up is not only about preparing physically, but mentally we need to be ready to start the game, and this is something we must correct.”
On having belief in turning season around
“We are struggling with the situation. We lost some important players and we brought around 10 players who were not here last season, including player who came back from loan. If we start the season with everyone, it’s easier to connect them, and is easier to build identity. But that was not the case because some of them came in the end of the window. But I understand the market – it is not easy.
“This week was a clean week. We have everybody together with the same tactical direction, understanding the timings to press, the way to press, the way to start playing, the way to create the dynamic to attack, working hard with the true spirit, so of course I’m confident that in the next game, the work that we did on the pitch in the trainings, we can show what we did on the game.
“I don’t have any doubts. If I have the players with me, I don’t have any doubts that we will increase our level, tactical level and mental level.”
On building a strong mentality
“If we had the results, it is easier to build, because when you want to build an identity, it is not only tactical, it is a mentally identity. We have a lot of players who are first time in Premier League, and the Premier League is different, in my opinion, than the other leagues that I’ve worked in before because here, from the first minute, if you are not mentally ready to face the game, they can score.
“If you lose your focus in five minutes, they can score four goals, because the quality of this league – the individual quality and the tactical quality of this league – is the best for me.
“This means to create and to build the identity, we need to have the players together, to create the right mentality to face and to compete in this league, and this is what we are trying.”
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On giving everything against Burnley
“If we are waiting for life to give us something, you can sit waiting and waiting and nothing happens. We must go and take from life, go and take from the game. What we need in this moment is to show this hunger since the first minute.
“I have my responsibility and we all – the players, everybody in the club – know our responsibility. I don't believe that it’s possible to be champion in October. It’s impossible. And it’s impossible to be relegated in October. But we know that each game is a chance to take the chance and get the points or not.
“This is another chance, an important chance, because this is a team that will fight with us for the points and for the result. It is an important time to go there and show what we do in the training. Because the way that I see my players is that they are a good group.
“They want to change things, they fight, they compete, they are trying everything to improve as a team and to turn over the situation. I want to see the same team that I see in training this week. I want to see the same team with personality, quality and ambition to go there and play to win the game.”
On Gomes’ 100th Wolves appearance this weekend
“Joao has a lot of qualities, but he knows that he needs to improve. His shot outside the box and the long pass, he needs to improve, tactically he can be better. But when the team is in a good moment, individually, the player can show the best version of himself.
“When the team is struggling and is trying to change a bad situation, sometimes they [try too much] to force a game and to decide a game, and it is not the best one. It means that we need to go with tranquillity to this game and we need to go with confidence in ourselves, because it is important to be the best version of ourselves.
“We must go there and do the best of ourselves to help the team, and this is what Joao needs to do. He’s not a piece in a machine that makes everything work, but he is a piece in the machine, which can help the machine to work in a better way.”
On Mateus Mane’s opportunities
“It was me last season that pushed the club a lot to keep Mane and to renew the contract of Mane, because I believe that he will be a top player in this league, not only in our club, but in the league generally.
“He’s young, but he is a talent, and he is very focused on what he wants in his career and he’s working very hard to win a bit of physicality. Every day he listens about what to improve so he can try to improve the things that he needs to improve. And I believe, sooner or later, he will have the opportunity.
“This is not the time, because – as a team – we are struggling and we are fighting to change the situation, but to give chances to this kind of talent, this kind of player, a young player, we need to be in a situation that the team can help him and support him, not to give him the responsibility to go there, go there, and to support the team. But he’s a player who will fly in his career.”
