Nelson Semedo insists Wolves’ focus will be fully on themselves this weekend if they want to overcome a Chelsea side which will be looking at bouncing back from disappointment under a new manager.
The Blues announced former boss Frank Lampard would be taking temporary charge until the end of the season, starting with their visit to Molineux on Saturday afternoon, and Wolves’ Portuguese right-back is hoping being back playing in front of their home support will inspire his teammates to earn another three points against a side led by the former England midfielder.
On a difficult campaign
“This season has been difficult because we didn’t start well. Fortunately, we had a change in the middle of the season that was good for us and we’ve had good development with Julen Lopetegui.
“He’s brought us new things, new ideas and new ways of playing, and we got into his way of playing very quickly, which helped us a lot. We just need to keep going in this way and try to be better and better.”
On facing Chelsea
“They have a new manager and things are changing there, but we have to be focused on us. We have to be focused on what we can control and what we can do to beat them. We have to put everything on the pitch and only focus 100 per cent on us, so we can try to get the good result.
“It will be a very important game, because we’ve got nine games to go and it’s the first of two games that we have at home.
“It will be very important for us to get a good result, because next week we also have another tough game at home, so it would be good to get a good result. We will have our fans with us again, supporting us, and together we will do great things.”
On going up against Joao Felix
“He’s a great player and a great guy as well. I really like him as a person, so on Saturday it will be a good battle, but I hope it will be an enjoyable game.
“He’s a very good player so we know that we have to be very careful with him. He’s good with the ball at his feet and we’ve got to be at our best to stop him.
“Between 3pm and 5pm, we won’t be friends, and I’m sure at the final whistle there will be hugs, but he’s my opponent, so during the 90 minutes, we will not be friends.”
On previous meeting with Lampard
“It was a good game for us [against Everton] and we won that game, especially because we won in the last minutes so it was very good.
“It was also the beginning of the journey under Julen Lopetegui in the Premier League and I remember it was a very good game, so I hope we can get a similar result on Saturday.”
On three seasons with Wolves
“It’s been a good three years. I’ve enjoyed it a lot, I’ve learned a lot and I’ve improved a lot as a person as well as a player. I always knew I was coming into the most competitive league in the world and you can see that this season.
“The last nine teams are all fighting from relegation and that must be the most competitive season ever. It’s been a good experience for me, I’ve enjoyed being here a lot and I’m very happy to have my story here.”
