Vi har intervjuat Thomas Baugh från Wolvesblog. Mycket läsnöje!
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What are your thoughts on the season so far, are you satisfied with the teams performances and the amount of points you have gained?
I knew it was going to be more difficult this time after finishing 7th in the two previous seasons and it has been very tough for Wolves. The injury to Raul Jimenez has really killed us and at one point it looked like we might get dragged into serious relegation trouble, so I’m happy to be around midtable.
Nuno Espirito Santo has been your manager since 2017, how do you think he has developed since he arrived? Do you see him att Wolves for the upcoming seasons as well?
Nuno has been outstanding for Wolves and has shown himself to be an intelligent, tactically-astute coach, able to evolve his style to meet the demands of the Premier League. I hope he’ll be here for a long time yet because I firmly believe with the right players he could get us into top-six contention on a regular basis.
We signed Diogo Jota from Wolves at the start of the season, were you surprised to see him do so well for us?
Not at all. I think every Wolves supporter was gutted to see him leave, recognising his incredible ability and the enormous potential he still had to improve further. In an attack-minded team like Liverpool he was always going to create chances and score goals and when he’s been fit, that’s exactly what he’s done. A top-class Premier League player.
How has Ki-Jana Hoever been playing since he signed for Wolves?
The jury is still out on Hoever. His opportunities have been limited but when he’s got on the pitch, he’s looked capable rather than spectacular. His distribution in attacking areas of the pitch needs to improve but he’s got the physical attributes to be a useful member of the squad. It will be interesting to see if Nuno uses him more next season.
What do you think Wolves needs to do to take another step next season and get closer to the top of the table?
I think we need more pace and power through the spine of the team. A midfielder who can fit into the existing side but offer greater mobility than Moutinho and Neves would be handy. Someone like Wijnaldum for instance, not that he would come to Wolves. We could also do with a fast defender to make a back four a more realistic option. I think in Jimenez, Podence, Neto and Traore we’ve got some excellent attacking options, but they’re still trying to impress in a very defence-minded team.
Who has been your player of the season so far?
Pedro Neto. Having sold Jota and lost Jimenez to injury we really needed someone to lead the attack. 5 goals and 5 assists might not seem a lot to Liverpool, but to a Wolves side that don’t create a lot of chances, it’s been the difference between midtable and relegation.
A lot of people where talking about Adama Traore last season, but he hasnt been the same threat during this season. What are your thoughts on him?
He’s suffered without Raul Jimenez. They were unstoppable together last season. Traore got 9 assists and 4 goals and most of those were as a result of linking up with Raul. He’s done alright this season and made some important contributions, but his attacking output hasn’t been good enough. I don’t know if he’s got the aggression or football intelligence to play at a higher level, but because of his obvious strengths, it still wouldn’t surprise me if someone paid a lot of me to sign him.
What kind of game do you expect against Liverpool?
It’s hard to say because we don’t know what sort of Liverpool side is going to turn up. You normally play well against Wolves and have won all five league games since we were promoted. But your defensive issues could give us an opportunity to finally inflict some pain, so I’m hoping we can at least get a draw.