This group of players have become known for having guts and determination in abundance, fighting back from losing positions to salvage points, and Saturday was a similar story. 2-0 down at the break, Nuno admits a lot was said in the dressing room at half-time and it had the desired effect as Wolves roared back to claim their first victory of 2020.
On his team’s character
“The way we are this season, we must have a reaction within the competition, which is very hard when you are 2-0 down because you cannot abandon your tasks. The boys believed because this is the game, this is why we love football, it never finishes until the end.
“Even though we started well, the first time they went to goal, they scored. With bad defending they scored and pressed really hard and didn’t allow us to play. The reaction was good, and this is what it’s about, reacting, knowing what’s wrong. I’m very proud of them because it’s been tough, but we had character.”
On what was said at half-time
“What I tried was to make them believe it was possible and we reacted very well. We know each other so well, we’ve been working three years now, we know when things are not OK, and we need to do something.
“Reacting during the competition is very difficult, because normally with this kind of game, the plan, your tasks – everything becomes harder, but it was the other way around, readjust, we knew what we had to do in the second-half and the boys did well.”
On a different second-half
“It was amazing the second-half. We realised the first-half was not good and we reacted very well. I’m very proud of the players. I was proud even in the first-half because the effort was there.
“In the first-half Southampton were much better than us. They pressed very hard. They were very organised, and the moment of pressure was very strong, they are very aggressive. In the second-half everything can change, and we saw today and it’s a fantastic win.”
On a change in VAR fortunes
“We’re talking about VAR every game. We’ve been on the other side of the decisions. Ralph is not happy, but this is the game and for sure something has to be done. The fans are the most important thing. If they send a message so clear, we cannot allow it. We have to continue enjoying the game.”
