In his final programme notes of the 2022/23 season, Julen Lopetegui has thanked the Wolves fans for their unwavering support at Molineux since he arrived at the club and insists he and his players want to finish their campaign strong as they face Everton.
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Good afternoon and welcome back to Molineux for the final time this season as we celebrate a big achievement together.
We were all very happy to have achieved Premier League safety with three matches of the season remaining because my players, my staff and I really enjoy working at this club and we have enjoyed being able to help the team achieve its aim.
After the Aston Villa game, I reminded my players how far we have come as a group and as a club during the past six months. Being bottom at Christmas with four points difference between ourselves and the teams above relegation meant we were in a very dangerous situation.
But the players have worked very hard with a big commitment and our fans have helped us a lot. For me, this point is key. Without this energy, without this commitment and without the connection of the players and the fans, this would have been impossible.
I want to say thank you to all our fans for their support this season. Your support has been key. You have all played your part in our successes this season and I am very grateful for the support you have given us, especially here at Molineux.
Ever since I arrived here in November, I have been welcomed into the pack and I am proud that I have been able to pay back your support by helping to keep the club in the Premier League. It has been one of the most difficult achievements of my career, and we could not have done this without us all pulling together in the same direction.
Now we know that we will be playing in the Premier League next season, we can start looking towards the future, but for the future it’s key to know the economic future of the club, where we can go and the aim that we will be working towards.
We are always trying to do better not only for ourselves, but for our fans, and for the next season, we are going to fight to have the best squad to be able to make our fans happy, but to do that we know we are going to have to invest if we are to achieve greater things.
But this season is not over, and, of course, we want to finish in the best position possible and today we have a match against Everton, and I welcome Sean Dyche, his staff, players and supporters to Molineux.
Everton are a big team, a big club, and they are fighting hard to be safe from relegation. They have good players, they have a very good and experienced coach in the Premier League who knows how to avoid relegation and can show that to his team, and they are having a good end to their season.
That is why they are such a dangerous opponent because they are fighting to live or die, and we have to be ready to compete in this kind of match. It’s not only about the quality, but about the aim and the will that Everton will have.
The demands of this kind of match are more than just playing well, it’s about fighting until the end. We will need to put the importance in each individual fight so we are able to give everything possible on the pitch.
We are happy to be back playing in front of our fans and we are going to try to finish well, knowing the dangers of the opponent, but knowing our aim and our will has to match this.
Thank you again for all your support this season. 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 Everton, in the final matchday programme of the season, which is available to purchase here for just £4.
