Rob Edwards has demanded that his players show some “fight” against Manchester United on Monday by displaying the elements that they can control.
The head coach spoke about fighting harder, winning duels and taking risks when asked in his pre-match press conference how Wolves can control their fortunes better, as they continue to hunt for a first Premier League win of the season.
United are next up at Molineux on Monday evening, and still disappointed from the showing against Nottingham Forest, Edwards says the conversations he’s had with players have been positive, but they must show a response on the pitch.
On Man United up next
“They've got loads of really good players. Like every team, they'll have a clear way of playing, and we'll be able to have a really good look at it, but I need to focus on us, and I need to see us. We’ve got to turn up. We’ve got to expect the best Manchester United to turn up, and we have got to. I don’t want to see what we saw on Wednesday’s first half.”
On the human characteristics he demands
“We're in this bad, bad situation, but how do you want this to go? Do you want to fade away, or do you want to fight? There are things in our control, that we can do. Fighting, running hard, winning duels, those sorts of things are in our control. You can't control a win, but you can control the other side, intensity, how often you run forward. Are you sprinting back? Are you trying to take risks? Are you trying to be brave? We saw that on the weekend, and we didn't see it on Wednesday. We’ve got to control the things we can control at the moment, and hopefully then results will come. That's the biggest message.”
On positive conversations with the players
“Whether I've been at the top of the league or in this situation now, you're always trying to get feedback, and you speak to the players involved, that's the way I work. I'll be showing them things and then trying to involve them in that process. That's the way I go about it. Sometimes I've got to tell them, and sometimes you're trying to get that from them as well, because you can have a bit more accountability if you're getting it from the players. That's just normal.
“Players want honesty and they want to know, and they need to have feedback as well. You can be constructive with it, and sometimes you can be straight with it. That might be a half-time one, because the message needs to land right away. There's lots of different ways, and you've got to try and pick the right moments. The best ones at this job can pick the right moments to do that.”
On Gomes’ missing through suspension
“I spoke to them both, the two lads that were on four bookings before the game [Andre and Gomes], and said, ‘Look, if you're going to pick one up and make sure it's not for kicking the ball away or anything silly’. We knew the risk, that it was going to happen at some stage.
“The frustrating thing was I think he got the ball. He's got the ball and we're defending a free-kick on the edge of our own box. He's suspended now, and it wasn't even a foul, so that was annoying. He’s really frustrated and asked us whether we can get it rescinded, but you can't for yellow cards.”
