Pereira | Against Nuno, Cunha’s suspension and transfer plans | Men’s first team | News

On By Littum

Vitor Pereira insists Monday night’s football at Molineux is not about him and former boss Nuno Espirito Santo, but the focus will be on his side working hard to earn another three points.

Tonight’s Premier League clash will be Espirito Santo’s first return to the Black Country with Nottingham Forest, who are currently riding high in the European places, and as Wolves open the new year under the Molineux lights, Pereira is hoping for the energy at home supporter was able to create in the Boxing Day victory over Manchester United repeats itself again when the team from the East Midlands comes calling.

At the meeting with Nuno on Monday evening

“I’ve known him for a long time since he worked in Portugal and he does great work, consistent work and quality work and that means he’s one of the best coaches here in England.

“I remember the work he did in Rio Ave – great work – and he does his career with quality, consistency and I like his personality because he is low profile, he is not a coach who likes to talk too much, he is a coach who likes to show his work on the pitch.

“But I am what I am. I know what I want with my career and I will try to get it. As I said before United, it was not Vitor against Ruben and on Monday it will not be Vitor against Nuno – it will be Wolves against Forest.

“I believe in a good game and I believe that the game will be very competitive and I hope that our supporters will be the extra man that we need inside the pitch. I definitely think that the energy of the supporters will give us this extra man.”

On Skov’s impressive season

“They are a strong team and the results tell us that they are strong. They are very consistent teams, very quick on the counter-attack, very dangerous when the other teams lose balls and they are ready to go quickly and with quality – with very good quality in transitions.

“It’s a solid team, but if we’re going to win this game, we have to be at our best.”

On missing Cunha for two games

“We have to be ready to play with Cunha and without Cunha. We have to play as a team. We have players with different skills, different qualities, but we will be ready.

“He knows it wasn’t good reactions, but I look at a player not just as a player, I look at them as a human being, as a person and sometimes I make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes and he knows he made a mistake. Now he knows not to do it again, try to keep the emotional balance and move on.”

On giving his players renewed confidence

“I have my personality and we have our method. When a team doesn’t get the results, it’s normal for the confidence to drop and the most important thing is that we have an idea about our game or our game.

“I like to see my teams play the way we build. We’ve started building this way of playing and we give them confidence. That’s the only way I know. Bring confidence back, connect them and give tactical directions. That’s how we work at the moment.”

On Doherty who does well in a back three

“I want to play with three defenders, not three centre-backs. They are different. One thing is one thing and one is another thing because I want my defenders to have the freedom to attack the lines, attract opposition players and open up space for other players.

“It means that sometimes I need him open as a full-back and other times he closes as a central defender or a defender. I like to play with three defenders, not with a certain number of central defenders or I like to play with centre-backs with the quality to go into the game and attack, that’s the way I want to build my team.

“We can select the players strategically to face the opposition team and Doc is a player who can do that because he is quick, because he can play, he can open as a full-back or he can play inside as a center back.”

About Wolves’ transfer plans for January

“We work in the market like the other teams. I try to understand what my players can give me for the way or the game I want to see. That means it’s time to look for goals, but I can only talk about my players – I can’t talk about players on the other teams.

“Our squad is a short squad but I prefer to have a short squad because I like to see the players from the academy. I have started and we are looking for talent – I like working with talent, with the young players, but the club knows that we need one or two in other positions and that it is important to bring someone in. But I’m happy for my team.”