The old gold travel to Selhurst Park in a good place after victory over Nottingham Forest at the weekend, which came in Davis’ second game as interim head coach of his boyhood club. Although proud with what he saw from the players against Forest, Davis is now looking forward, with his aim of making sure confidence from a first win in four is carried into Tuesday’s clash in south London.
On changing the group’s mindset Saturday
“You need that type of performance and result. They knew the importance of the game, we didn’t really need to highlight it before the game, you could see in the dressing room they were ready. To get the result was fantastic for us in terms of giving everyone a boost.
“They worked hard the last couple of weeks for us, and although you work hard and have a good week, things look good, it doesn’t always guarantee the results. To get the result, hopefully it’s now one step forward and that’s all we’ve got to do, take little steps at a time.”
On taking the reins
“Along with James, we’ve tried to come up with a short-term plan where we can change the players’ minds, try to change what’s happening, so that’s all we’re focused on really, a game at a time. Palace is coming up next, then Leicester Sunday, so really, we’re focusing on Palace at the moment.
“Players focus on playing, we focus on coaching and planning for games. We’re all professional, we all want results, to turn things around, we don’t really focus on what’s happening away from the environment we’re working in.”
+3 ✅
— Wolves (@Wolves) October 16, 2022
Six more to play for this week 👊 pic.twitter.com/tp3zzsFa3l
On the squad’s update
“Nathan [Collins] will come into the squad. Everyone is available who isn’t a long-term [injury] to travel.”
On Crystal Palace’s threats
“Undoubted quality. It’s a tough place to go. In history, we’ve found it tough there, so we’ve got to be bold and brave and show some courage and do the things we did in the previous game. We’ve got to take the game to them, have some balance in how we attack and defend, and are under no allusions.
“They’ve got some great athletes, talented players, and having watched some of their games and clips, you can see why they’ve caused teams problems with their movements and the way they play. We expect a tough game there, it’s not going to be easy, but hopefully a bit of confidence our result at the weekend we’ll take into Palace.
“I’m know I’m privileged to be in this position, it’s a great club that I’ve loved for so long. Myself and James [Collins] feel grateful that we’ve been trusted to take over the reins in a difficult period.”
On the players doing what’s required
“We need more from everybody. There were some special performances from certain players who played with freedom and creativity, which is what we wanted around the box. We knew when they set up a deep block, it was going to be tough, we knew that and were prepared for that – we did a bit of work on how we were going to break it down.
“We’re looking for all of them to produce – Matheus [Nunes] to be making those runs, creating problems, which I think he did, I thought he was excellent first-half but tired as the game went on a bit. That role suited Rayan [Ait-Nouri], he likes to get down on the outside and get forward, same with Daniel [Podence] getting into pockets and causing problems that way.
“The good thing is they’re quite versatile, can swap around, and we’ve given them licence to use that versatility and not be afraid to make a mistake in there. Ultimately, you don’t mind players trying things and making mistakes in that area of the pitch, as long as your structure behind is right. That’s pretty much the message they’ve had, and I thought we saw good signs of that on Saturday.”
