Gary O’Neil says his group are “fully at it” and ready to go in tomorrow’s important Premier League meeting with Southampton at Molineux.
The Premier League’s bottom two sides meet at Molineux and O’Neil says he’s seen enough in his side’s attitude over recent games to be confident a win is coming. The head coach, who will make fitness decisions on Sam Johnstone and Hee Chan Hwang, knows the importance of the fixture but the faith in his squad means he’s going into it with a calm head.
On team news in the camp
“Sam's [Johnstone] fine. He was expected to be involved last week but suffered an illness on the day of the game, so missed out. He's trained all week and he's fine. A couple of other little minor issues through the week, but I would expect everyone to be OK from last weekend.
“He [Hwang] trained today with a group. He looked sharp. Trained a little bit on Wednesday, so he’s back fit, just trying to pick the right time for him to be back involved, whether that's tomorrow or we wait for the couple of week's training through the international break.”
On a big game ahead
“It feels like an important game, of course, but Crystal Palace did, Brighton did, they all do. I understand there'll be an awful lot made of this game outside because it’s two teams down the bottom at this moment, and it feels like there will be a lot riding on it momentum wise, going into the international break.
“But I treat all of the games as huge games. I won't feel any different tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it, looking forward to standing on the side again with my team giving everything to try and get the win. The boys are looking forward to it, they're in a good spot, had an excellent week's training – real focus, and we're ready to go tomorrow.”
On turning things around
“We are where we are, and there's nothing we can do about the last 10 games. The next one is the one that we can affect right now, and the focus and the prep and everything gone into it has gone very, very well. I know the boys are looking forward to the next challenge.
“We went to Brighton and gave a good account of ourselves, took a good point, had some real good moments against Crystal Palace. We created four one on ones with their goalkeeper in a Premier League game, which is a lot, especially against a back five like Crystal Palace. To cut through Crystal Palace like we did, and get such clear opportunities so many times, shows that we are still a real goal threat.
“They are giving everything. I think anyone who watches our games can see that the team is still fully at it. They give absolutely everything until the last minute. Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to helping the team put a first win on the board.”
On his trust in the players
“I'm sure every group has its challenges and we’ll be the same, but I trust all of them and you see in the way we play, and you see in the way we respond that there's no doubt in their mind that we're still pushing and we're still fully together. But this is the job and if you're going to shy away from it when it gets tough and you're going to spend your whole life worrying about whether you lose your job or not, then you're not going to be able to perform very well. My job and my future is the least of my worries. The next three points for Wolves is all that we're focusing on and trying to make sure we get them tomorrow.”
Saints on Saturday. ⏳ pic.twitter.com/XthAY3geAn
— Wolves (@Wolves) November 6, 2024
On Southampton’s threat
“Southampton picked up their first win last week, had some very good performances, playing in a very distinct fashion. They’ll be a real test for us again tomorrow. It's a Premier League game, and they've shown that they're going to be competitive this year. Their performance away at Manchester City, the amount of the ball they have, it's going to be a real test for us. So, we're going to be right at the top of our game, which I'm really confident that we can be.
“Southampton are extreme in what they do, excellent in build-up phase. They’re not scared to stay there for ages. There'll be some moments tomorrow where we need to be humble enough, and we need to be patient enough to understand that we're not going to have the ball all the time, and we need to be solid and compact and understand that from that solid base, we can be really lethal as well. There's lots of challenges tomorrow, as there always is.”
On the backing from the club
“I don't ask the club for any backing or support. I'm very comfortable sat in this seat and stood on the side of the pitch in whatever situation is thrown at me. I understand that is the nature of the job. I’m very comfortable in my own skin, very comfortable in the work that is done here and since the moment I've been here, I've given absolutely everything. There's been some challenges thrown at us that I've always just faced full on, and there's never been any sort of shying away from anything or blaming anybody else.
“It’s really important that I take full responsibility for everything that’s happened at the club since I've been here, and we embrace every challenge – and that continues tomorrow. It's no different. I'm really looking forward to standing at the front.
“I came into Wolves with everyone tipping Wolves for relegation and us losing a lot players. This season, we lost two key players and were probably tipped to be around relegation again. I’m just really comfortable giving absolutely everything, and the more difficult it gets, the more I'm ready to go.
“This weekend is a challenge for everybody, and I want the players to harness the same feeling. There's an unbelievable opportunity tomorrow to show what you are and what you stand for when the chips are down and when there's a big game coming. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us, and I’m really looking forward to coming out the other end of this tough run with this group of players, because they are giving everything and they deserve something to go their way.”
