Rob Edwards says Wolves are refreshed and raring to go after a 25-day wait for Premier League football, and insists his group are ready to match West Ham United’s intensity from the off.
The Old Gold last played in mid-March – a comeback draw at Brentford – and return to the pitch on Friday night when they travel to the London Stadium, for a massive clash between two sides in the bottom three.
Speaking on Thursday afternoon, Edwards discussing maintaining the positive feel around the club, the international exploits of Ladislav Krejci recently and how beating the Hammers in January helped instil belief in his players.
On the period without a game.
“It's been good. It has been strange. It has been new for me and different, so it will be interesting to see how we react. We had a little bit of time off at the beginning, after Brentford, and then we've had a few good weeks of training.
“We've been able to review some of our stuff and definitely had some time off, so it has been nice to refresh. It was a busy period until that Brentford game, so it was nice to have a little bit of time, but it felt like a long time. We had a bit of time off, some good training, and a bit of reviewing and looking forward to what's coming next.”
On the importance of West Ham
“For both teams it's a really big game. We want to try and take things as far as we can. We want to keep improving, keep the momentum going, and we want to go into every game feeling like we can win, and we've shown that recently – that's our mindset. Of course, West Ham will be feeling the same, and anyone that plays against Wolves at the moment will be thinking it’s a game they have to win. With the situation they're in, and the next three games, they'll all be feeling the same.
“If our performance is good and we're in the game, then of course there'll be an edginess around the place, because it's so important for them. They'll be looking to start fast, energise the stadium. It's a night game, so they'll want to get everyone going and into it. So, I bet the atmosphere at the beginning will be really intense, but if we can match that, and we can play well and perform like we did in our last away game, then then we'll see what happens. I'm expecting them to be to be right at it from the beginning.”
On beating West Ham in January
“We sensed it before then. There'd been a couple of good performances, but that win started things a little bit, and then there's been a number of them, whether that's in the league or a cup, since. Wins make everybody feel better, and that that certainly did help, but we'd had a lot of good performances before and weren't quite able to get over the line.
“Of course it helped, no doubt about, it was a really good performance. I thought we were quite exciting in that first half and then solid, but retained a threat in the second half as well. We're in a results business, that's what it's all about. When you get that victory in the Premier League, you know how hard you've had to work to get it. You've had to earn it. We'd worked really hard for quite a long time to have that feeling. So, we enjoyed it, and it certainly lifted people's morale and probably helped with a little bit more belief as well.”
On a positive end to the season
“I want to try to keep this feeling that I've got around right now, a feeling from every member of staff and all the players, and I think that's rubbing off, and I think the supporters in the main feel like that as well. If we feel good about the football club, and we feel about good about the work that we've done and the job we've done, then I think that's some success. We've got to be able to take that into next season.
“The fixtures are still very difficult, we all know that, because the majority of the teams are still fighting for something, whether that's European spots, or whether that's to avoid the drop. They're all going to be very difficult, and we all know that and understand it anyway. There's no easy game in the Premier League, but there is a difference between playing Arsenal, Manchester City, for instance, but it doesn’t make them any easier, it just means the games might look a bit different, we might have a bit more of the ball, but it’s what we do with it that counts.”
On Krejci’s impact at Czech
“He’s certainly someone that's going in the right direction. He's a really good professional, it’s amazing for him to be leading his country and stepping up in the way that he did – big moments in big games. It’s really impressive what he went and did. He's progressing really well, his performances have been very good for us. I can understand why they've made that decision, even in a group where there might be one or two more experienced players, I can see why they've made that decision.
“I think for a long, long time he could lead his country, which is really exciting for him, and any of that that can rub off on us will be valuable. He's a vocal player. You can see the way that he plays and demands of his teammates, whether that's in training on a daily basis or out on the pitch. There are leadership qualities there.”
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