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Good afternoon and welcome back to Molineux as we face another tough Premier League challenge, this time against AFC Bournemouth.
Each match we have experienced so far has been different, and today’s game is going to be different once again. Every match in the Premier League is very difficult because all the teams are good teams, they have good players and every team has the aim to win, but with different ways to win.
We have to adapt and get used to that so we can do our best no matter who the opponent is, and I think we are beginning to show that with two very different wins against Liverpool and Southampton.
But now, we must put the focus in front of us because we have a very important match against a very good team that is Bournemouth, and I would like to offer a warm welcome to Gary O’Neill, his staff, players, and the supporters who have made the journey to Molineux for this afternoon’s game.
Alongside Bournemouth, we are two of many teams who are all in the same way and fighting for the same aims. I know it will be a very hard match and they are going to try to take us to the limits, so we must accept this challenge to be able to overcome them and try to do our best in every way.
For me, Bournemouth have very good players, a big quality in the one-versus-ones, very fast players, and strong players in the middle. I have looked at their last matches and I know that it’s going to be a very hard match, so we have to be ready to do our best.
In the same way, we are aware that we have the ability to win against anyone, but also anyone can beat us. This is true of any team in the Premier League, so we must be ready to compete – that is the most important thing.
After our win against Southampton last weekend, I was asked a lot about the belief of the players, but it’s not about what we have done as coaches, this is about them as players and as people.
They believe in themselves and sometimes in football you can do a lot of good things, but in the end, you lose, because that is football, but you always give yourself a chance to win these matches by doing the best and believing until the very end. Every single one of our players has to keep doing this because when you believe, you give yourself the possibility to win, but if you don’t do this, then winning becomes impossible.
Belief can also come from the fans, and for us, the relationship we have with all of you in this stadium is key. The support you gave us at Molineux last time was incredible, and you did it again at Southampton, but I always say that this support is much more important when you lose or when you have problems during the match.
Until now, we have felt your support and it’s very important for us to have this. I repeat this a lot, but we have a very long and hard race ahead of us. We need a lot of points, and we have to be ready to win these points in each match because we’ve not achieved anything yet – and we can only do that, especially in the difficult times, with your continued support.
Thank you all for your support and enjoy the game,
Julen.
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Supporters can find the head coach's notes, as well as a host of bespoke content for the visit of Bournemouth, in the latest matchday programme, which is available to purchase here for just £4.
