Gary O’Neil says he sees a group willing to “fight and scrap” for everything and believes that’s exactly what Wolves will do at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
The Old Gold’s wait for a Premier League win has been a long and frustrating one, but after their latest unrewarded positive display against Manchester City last weekend, the head coach is remaining upbeat.
In his pre-match press conference, O'Neil discussed the group’s attitude, his formation options and the fitness levels of in-form striker Jorgen Strand Larsen.
On a willingness to fight
“When I walked into the changing room after the Manchester City game, it was much more around us and what we'd done, which is how it needs to be. We're ready to fight, no matter what. As you could see with the supporters against Manchester City, when we had to dig in and fight and scrap for basically all of the game, they're right there with us. That will continue to be the case with the club, the team, myself, the staff, we will all just continue to fight and push, and this weekend is a great opportunity for us to go and show that again.
“We created a couple of chances. It was obviously an extreme version of a defensive display but planned that way. It wasn't like we were sat deep in the pitch and we didn't want to be, that's where we wanted the game to be because we felt it gave us the best chance. The detail, the work and the understanding of all the situations really came through and helped us really give ourselves a chance to beat the best team around.
“So disappointed that obviously the lads had to suffer another defeat, because it's not what we're here for, but there were a lot of positives in it. There were a lot of positives around focus and effort and application to game plan and the results in performance it can bring if you really do commit to it.”
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On his goalkeeper decision
“We'll see how he [Johnstone] is, but he's come through training, so we'll make a call tomorrow on the goalkeeper situation. I'm really clear on who's the best goalkeeper to start for us tomorrow.”
On Strand Larsen’s fitness improving
“He's working very hard. He had a small quad issue in pre-season that limited the work he could do. He works really hard every day. It's just an adjustment to the league and the intensity of the League. He had no problem getting through 90 minutes every week in Spain. His numbers are required to go up in the Premier League, he is required to do more than he did, and he's just adapting to that. He'll adapt fine, no problem.
“Of course, in the Premier League, and especially at the bottom of the league, there's always an urgency for him to adjust. But it's part of the process. You see players arrive from other leagues and take time to adapt. I think the positive is the amount of goals he’s scored, the threat he is, how well he helps us if we decide to play a little bit more direct.
“I’m really please where he's at, just really keen for him to understand the urgency and how keen I am to be able to leave him on. Even when he doesn't come off with cramp, there's certain parts in games where you can see he starts to fade a bit, and I don't want to feel that. I want to feel like if I choose to take him off it’s purely from a tactical perspective.”
On preparing for Brighton
“It will be a great test for us, but I'm looking forward to taking the lads into battle there again, and going there against whatever people may think our chances are, and just putting on a real rugged display and trying to show real grit and fight and quality that we know we possess to try and cause them some problems.
“I think last year we counter attacked really well there. They do still have a lot of possession. They do still play in that sort of way where they try and dominate the ball with lots of rotations. It'll be a good game, I'm sure it will. Another big test, they've got lots of attacking talent in the 11 and on the bench, so we're going to need to be right at our best again to give ourselves a chance of taking three points.”
On the system to use
“Being a back five every week in the Premier League is really difficult. There's no back fives left really in the Premier League, because it is difficult against certain systems to be a back five. You can be a back five, but you'll end up with one of your centre backs out of it for ages, which basically means you're a four with a centre back higher up the pitch. There are opportunities to be a five in the league, we will use both because of the situation we're in and because of what we have in the in the building.
“Santi did really well last weekend, I thought, in a tough test. So, there are opportunities for us to be a five. Last year we were a four quite a lot, with Toti at left back and Rayan in front, which people would have definitely taken as a five. It does matter, but certain games it is really difficult to be an actual five but let's see. We’ll see what fits best tomorrow.
“Against Manchester City [using] a back five I think is really good. I think it fits really well against what Manchester City do. There will be certain teams that I don't think it fits very well against. And that doesn't mean that we can't do it, it just means that it will cause its own problems as well as solve some. Just decisions to be made around what we think is best each week. Really clear around what I think helps us best this weekend, in a tough away game. The good thing is a lot of players are available, not too many missing.”
