Julen Lopetegui: "We want to beat them, that is our aim"

The Wolves boss spoke to the media ahead of his side's trip to Craven Cottage on Friday night.

Julen Lopetegui: "We want to beat them, that is our aim"
Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui speaking to the media. (Photo Credits: Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images)
billy-dobson
By Billy Dobson

Julen Lopetegui spoke to the media at The Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground on Thursday afternoon, looking ahead to Wolves' clash with Fulham.

Wolves head into the game off the back of a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to fellow strugglers Bournemouth, after the visitors scored with their only shot on target of the match.

Lopetegui's men will travel to Craven Cottage looking for a better result than their 0-0 home draw with The Whites back in August.

  • Squad Changes

After last week's defeat, it will come as no surprise to see the Wolves side rotated, although injuries do still hamper Lopetegui's decision making.

"Boubacar Traore has worked with us this week and he is getting better step by step, but he will not travel to Fulham. He is not ready yet.

"Hwang [Hee-Chan] is not ready yet. I think he is in the last part of his recovery but we will see. I hope that it will only be one or two week's more. 

"I do not think the team was unbalanced without Mario [Lemina]. I think we did have balance, but today Mario is ready and will be available to choose."

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  • Familiar Faces

While in charge of FC Porto, Lopetegui came up against now Fulham boss Marco Silva, who took charge of Sporting Lisbon at the time. The Spanish coach was full of praise for his Portuguese counterpart and his players. 

"I think he is doing a fantastic job with a good team. I knew him when he worked in Portugal, I think he has had a very good career. At present, they are a very good team in all facets of play. They are competitive in the offensive and defensive phase.

"Each match in the Premier League is difficult and it is a challenge, but in the same way it is a chance for us to play against one of the teams that, for me, are in the best shape on the field. They are playing well, they want to score goals.

"​​​​​​Fulham played at Brighton without [Aleksandar] Mitrovic and they won. They have good players with good ideas. We prepare for the match in the same way, thinking about how we will play and what kind of opportunities we will have. Thinking about ourselves is the most important thing.

"We are sure it will be a difficult game. It is a good challenge for us. We have to think about ourselves, we respect teams. I have given my thoughts on the Fulham team, but we go there with the intention to play a good match and we want to beat them, that is our aim, of course."

  • Attacking Woes

It is no secret that Wolves' frontline has not been firing this season, having scored just 17 goals in 23 Premier League games, but Coach Lopetegui is not too concerned about his misfiring forwards. 

"We are trying to improve the team, sometimes we will score and sometimes we will not. We scored three goals against Liverpool and two goals against Southampton, but we did not score against Bournemouth.

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"We can do better, sure, and we are going to work hard to improve in all facets. We need to be balanced, and conceding no goals is just as important as scoring goals.

"The goal is always the most difficult thing for every team. Of course, it is a good thing for us and for a striker to score, it boosts confidence. But, I think that by working hard, we will score goals.

"We have tried different combinations. They [Raul Jimenez, Diego Costa and Matheus Cunha] have played together in other games, or with Pablo [Sarabia] playing inside. It depends on the match as we want to choose the best line-up that will do the best for our team."

  • Pressure on Cunha

When Cunha's permanent transfer from Atletico Madrid is confirmed, Wolves will pay a fee that could exceed £40 million. Lopetegui has had his say on the pressure that comes with such a big fee. 

"This is football. Elite football has these things. Other people have had these problems, you have to be strong in your mind. The prices are for the economists and the graphs, but not us.

"We need him now. We do not think about the future, we need him now.

"We demand different things. He is trying to get used to our way of playing, he is working hard in the same way as Raul and Diego. I am sure that he will do well here.

"Of course, we want that as soon as possible because that is better for him and for us. He is going to be a good player for us."

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