Wolves Manager Gary O’Neil Discusses Club Stability, Team Resilience, and Goalkeeper Strategy

Gary O’Neil, the manager of Wolves, addressed reporters ahead of Saturday’s Premier League match against Fulham, scheduled for a 15:00 GMT kick-off. The following are the main points from his press briefing: O’Neil stated that there are “few [players] to check” after the international break, though he also remarked: “I’m confident we will be able to name a strong team. I don’t want to give too much away but I’m hopeful that we will be fine.” Regarding the possibility of emulating Fulham’s approach after the departure of key players during transfer windows, O’Neil commented: “Wolves is a fantastic club, but we are still trying to stabilise at the moment. After that comes progression – but we are not there yet. We are still trying to stabilise and be in a good spot week to week. Discussions on where we want to progress to will come but focus is on the short term being competitive.” The manager commended Fulham’s player acquisition strategy and referred to Marco Silva as an “excellent coach,” further stating: “He has had a lot of time there but used it well. They have a good style and understand what they do. Players they recruit fit excellently and they have had a good transition since the Championship. It will be another real test.” Addressing midfielder Andre’s situation, who has been a substitute since being replaced at half-time during the match against Manchester City, O’Neil remarked that “it is just one of those moments” for the player and that he “still works hard, still shows quality and is still adapting.” O’Neil also stated: “He is going to have a big impact on the team [in the future].” When questioned about whether the loss to Brentford marked a turning point in their season, O’Neil responded: “Interesting season for us so far in the journey, not results. Performances I was so pleased with at the start. We had tough opposition with Liverpool, Newcastle and Aston Villa, but some really good performances. For some reason, at Brentford, we fell way below the level, but a lot of work has been done to figure out what we needed to to do to get points from games.” He further commented: “There is still room for improvement and it will be a tough test against Fulham. But we are in a decent moment, as strange as that sounds, with where we are in the league.” Regarding the team’s enhanced resilience following a clean sheet against Southampton, O’Neil explained: “We need to find the right blend. We look like scoring goals. Wolves used to struggle for years in that area, now we always look like scoring. It’s trying to find that right balance and making sure we are solid enough. We don’t want to take away from being an attacking team.” Addressing the topic of rotating goalkeepers, O’Neil stated: “I have been pleased with Jose [Sa] and his response to Sam [Johnstone] coming in and being on the bench for a few weeks… There may be extreme circumstances where I think one is better than the other for a certain game but it is not a position I want to keep flipping. It is too extreme to keep flipping goalkeepers.”