The head coach expressed his pride at leading the club back into the European elite after almost 50 years since Wolves last reached the final eight, but admitted the team will need to improve on the finer details if they are to make that next step.
On late Europa League heartbreak
“Frustration. In the last minute, something that happened to us too many times, it required focus on a set-piece.
“But I’m proud of the boys, they played a tough team and we were organised. We had moments that could, small details, small margins, it’s all about that, but that happens in football.
“But we came this far, now it’s over, let’s rest and look for the future.”
On tiredness of the players after a 13-month season
“It was not about thinking about extra-time. They made us run and we made a big effort to control, but of course there were people, there were players on the pitch who gave everything and everything.
“Of course, the legs and the brain doesn’t work so good, but like I said before, we must be proud of ourselves and admitting that we made some mistakes this season that we have to rectify to be able to compete in the higher level.
“In the Premier League and in Europe, you play against tough opponents, and we must work harder on small details, so we become stronger and these situations don’t happen again and we’re able to compete against such a good team.”
On Sevilla players encroaching on penalty
“I didn’t see the images. But if you tell me that, then VAR shouldn’t have allowed it, but I didn’t see the images so I couldn’t give a fair opinion on it.
“But now we cannot do anything about it. It’s one more detail that will make us even more sad than we are.”
On challenges this season
“We are here because we did things really good the previous season and we did really good this season. We made the same classification with more points, but things didn’t happen.
“European football is something we chase because we want to improve, and if you want to improve and compete against the best ones, European football is just one more detail because the Premier League is challenging enough – it’s almost like playing Champions League every week.
“Honestly, nothing can disturb the work that the players have been doing and they will be ready for the next one.”
383 days
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 11, 2020
59 games
10 countries
One team 💛 pic.twitter.com/8idPqv4fDk
On preparations for next season
“It’s a short break, you cannot stop and start again. We now have to prepare well for this period that we have to rest, prepare really well for the beginning of it. This is the best way and we will look at how we did things.
“It’s a small squad and we must be really proud, but now we need to make good decisions so we cannot make mistakes like we did before.
“We need more players that can help us.”
On a bright future for Wolves
“Of course, everybody, everybody [has enjoyed it]. A word back to our fans back in Wolverhampton; we miss them, everything could be different with their presence.
“This is a moment that we should, but the pandemic didn’t allow us to be together, but for sure, the future is bright for us.”
