Goals just before and just after the interval against City did the damage, inflicting only a second defeat in 90 minutes under Julen Lopetegui, who has rallied Wolves into much improved performances recently. Central defender Collins admitted those standards dropped at the weekend but says the players must show character to go again when the Premier League return in a fortnight’s time.
On a bad day at the office
“City were good, but it’s a step backwards I think for us, from where we’ve come from. Since the gaffer came in, we’ve been on the rise, we’ve been doing well, and that wasn’t us. I think we can be a lot better than that and we have to look at ourselves in the mirror and go again. We know what we have, we know how good we can be, and that’s not where the standards should be.”
On being better than Sunday
“We have to keep going. We know where our standards are, and Sunday was a bit of a blip. I think previously you could see the improvements. We let ourselves down a bit, but we need to dust ourselves off and go again.
“You can see us previously [improving] on the ball, creating chances, and defending as a unit – defensively we were a lot better. We weren’t at our best, I think we tried and worked hard, but maybe on the day we weren’t there, and they were.”
On the need to for goals
“Not Sunday maybe, but in previous games we’ve been a lot better, a lot brighter, but goals have to come from everywhere – from set pieces, midfield, so it’s a team thing.”
On facing Haaland and City
“He’s a top striker, you can’t defend strikers like that one versus one, you need to defend as a team, especially against City. He gets himself in positions and creates chances for himself, you can stop him three of or four times, but he always gets that extra chance. Everyone has to defend, it’s not just one player, no player can defend one versus one against him, I don’t think personally.
“You’re coming up against top players and a top team, but you need to defend as an 11. Today they got the better of us and showed their quality. We dust ourselves down and have to go again. It’s a team game, we win together, we lose together, and we have to go again.”
