Vitor Pereira says that Wolves’ players are starting to show more leadership within matches, which has contributed to their recent upturn in performances.
The head coach was impressed with how his group handled Saturday’s clash at Bournemouth, managing the game with an extra man to see out an important three points thanks to Matheus Cunha’s strike.
The game management also led to a third clean sheet in four matches at the Vitality Stadium, which has given Pereira even more reason to be optimistic, as he prepares his group to face Fulham on Tuesday evening back on home soil.
On a successful weekend
“It was good, but the most important is the next one, and the next one is against Fulham, and it is very important for us. I expect our best version. We can improve a lot of things, scoring goals when we get opportunities, defending well, because it's important. This is a very good team with a very good coach, working together [for] the last three years. It means that they are consistent. Very good players, but we must look at ourselves and compete to get the three points.
“I just put my focus on Fulham, I block my mind. I need to put all my energy in this game, because it's very important for us, because if we get the three points, it will be fantastic to start to look to up, not down, to have more tranquillity to play at our best level.”
On seeing leadership within the group
“If we have leaders in the team, we don't need to be every time at the scene. I like to give my players confidence, organisation, and in between they solve the problems. When the problem comes to me, it means that they didn't solve the problem. But if you have leaders, it’s easier to command and my leadership is easier, and we have this kind of player in our team.
“A lot of times it’s a matter of seconds, and they need to decide for themselves. They need to play without the coach, because I don't like to command the team, the team has to be intelligent or to manage the pace of the game, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. This is maturity. I go out of the box to see what happens. It takes time to understand the leaders, but in the act, we will find them.”
A well deserved break for Matheus 😂 pic.twitter.com/E4Nipo8kO7
— Wolves (@Wolves) February 23, 2025
On facing Silva in Portugal
“I think four times [they’ve met]. I was the coach of Porto, and he started his career at Estoril. I think he was the sporting director, and after he started his [managerial] career. We realised that he is a talented coach, and he has proved it with his career, he proved it in England and also in Portugal. He has quality in his work, and he likes teams playing good football, and this is something that I like too.”
On Andre’s growing influence
“Andre is important for us because he keeps the balance of the team. When we have the ball, he needs to be aware, to be organised, to be balanced in the moment that we will lose the ball and is a player to connect the sectors, to switch the play, and to be intelligence, to play in that position, and that’s what I'm asking him to do.”
On three clean sheets in four
“It is the block, it’s the team. If we know the moments to press, and if we go to press together, it’s possible to be compact every time. If we start with the individual pressing, we will not be effective. In this moment, what we are trying to do is to compact them, to give them the GPS to understand the moments to press and the moments to control the space, the moments to slide and to cover the sides.
“How to control the crosses to the box, how to control the counter attacks, how to have balance when we have the ball, because when have the ball, this is a very important moment, because we need to be in conditions to react when we lose it. This is the work that we are doing with the team.”
