Gary O’Neil says he learned more about his squad on Wednesday night and was pleased with what he saw.
The Old Gold beat Burnley 2-0 at Molineux thanks to a double from Goncalo Guedes and that came after the head coach made ten changes to the side which started against Chelsea on Sunday. A clean sheet, two fine team goals and players staking a claim was what Wolves took from the tie, as O’Neil’s side secured their route into the third round, where they’ll face Brighton & Hove Albion away from home.
On progressing in the cup
“Yeah, pleased. I like the team, that team's played quite a bit football in pre-season together, or parts of it. They look good. I thought they did really well. Obviously, it was an opportunity for them to get some minutes, which they've earned, because they've worked hard for pre-season and in training. I was confident today that we'd see a good team performance and they didn't let us down.
“It was only what I was hoping to see from them anyway, individuals that I knew were able to perform and it was good to see where a few of them were, because obviously there's some big decisions coming up in the next couple of days around transfers, around team selection. So today came at a good time for us to have a look at everybody and see exactly where they are.
“Games like tonight are different to pre-season games, so you learn a little bit more about people. The vast majority of them came out very, very positively.”
On Guedes getting his goals
“It’s a really complicated one with Goncalo. Even when we came back for pre-season, we weren't sure whether he was going to be with us or whether he'd be moved on by then, wherever he'd be coming on the trips with us in pre-season or not. Here we are with a couple of days to go, and he's still here, still a key part of the group, is integrated very well with the lads and what we try and do. He's bought into everything.
“The transfer window has been tricky for us so far. So, the way that we've managed to integrate him, Daniel Podence and Chiquinho at the moment could be key for us, because if we're not able to do too much, then boys coming back need to be the ones that can have an impact on what we already had. The three of them have done well so far. So, let's see what happens over the next few days.”
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 28, 2024
On Pedro Lima’s debut
“I thought he did OK, yeah. He showed that his athleticism and his power for his age is incredible. He's got a lot a lot of work still to do on some technical aspects. He's working hard on his English, so he understands a bit better. He's got the potential to be a big talent and be able to do well at Premier League level.
“We just need to help him keep moving forward and keep progressing to get him there as quickly as possible. It’s still a big ask for him at this moment, but it was a good game for him. It was a game where we were in control. The team structure was good. There was a clear understanding out there that was able to help him. He showed real promise in it.”
