Wolves v Manchester United: Julen Lopetegui focused on wins and not standings
Julen Lopetegui is adamant that Wolves must pay no attention to the Premier League table as they battle for survival.
The incredible last-gasp win at Everton on Boxing Day provided Wolves with their first away victory of the season and just their third success this term.
It also lifted Wolves off the bottom of the division, but Lopetegui is paying no attention to the table as the club prepare to host Manchester United tomorrow.
He said: “We must not think about the table now. I repeat it a lot, but the next three points are key for us.
“We have to arrive at these matches like finals and put this feeling in each match.
“Of course the fans, the club and the players know what our situation is and we have to accept it, but at the same time we want to change it. This is the more important thing for me.
“We are confident that we are able to do better. We have to improve a lot to change the situation, we have to believe and be a close team.
“We have to show everyone that we can do better to get better results.”
This role is Lopetegui’s first taste of English football, as he faces a huge task to rescue Wolves’ season.
After picking up a win in his first Premier League game, the new boss reflects on how different the league is and how quickly everyone needs to adapt.
“All the leagues are different but in the end it’s football,” he added.
“One of the clear strengths of English football is the physical strength of all the players. You have quality but in the same way, you have physical strengths with strong players.
“It’s going to be important to develop players in that aspect.
“I have played against English teams and I can say that absolutely.
“All the players and coaches need time, but we don’t have time, so we have to adapt quickly.
“We have to try and put our knowledge into the minds of the players and into the dressing room, so we don’t have time. The players too!”
In what will certainly be a much more difficult task against United, Wolves hope to have Boubacar Traore and Jonny Castro Otto available. Both players are aiming to recover from groin injuries in time to have some impact on the game, having both missed the start of the Lopetegui era due to injury.
Matheus Nunes, Adama Traore and Rayan Ait-Nouri will all be keen to start the game after coming off the bench against Everton and combining for the winning goal.
Raul Jimenez, who did not come on against Everton as Wolves instead opted to change to a back five, will be fighting to start ahead of Diego Costa who has yet to impress in a Wolves shirt.
Jimenez is still building up his fitness and match sharpness, and his condition will heavily impact whether he is able to start against United, or whether Costa will be chosen ahead of him again tomorrow afternoon.
