“Difficult, very difficult” – Lopetegui speaks to Spanish media about Wolves, transfer, and aims

Julen Lopetegui took charge at Wolverhampton Wanderers in December, more than a month after he was appointed as Bruno Lage’s successor at the Molineux.

When he arrived at Wolves, they had 10 points from 15 games and were languishing in the relegation zone. Lopetegui has helped Wolves collect 27 points from 18 league games and it has seen them currently sit in 13th spot.

Spanish newspaper AS interviewed the 56-year-old, where he opened up about the challenge of guiding Wolves to climb up the table.

When asked how he’s doing in the Premier League, he said: “Okay, fighting. It’s a very interesting experience, very powerful. We caught Wolverhampton in a complex situation, with the season started.

“We are trying to fight to achieve a goal that seemed impossible five months ago and that now we at least have the possibility of achieving. It’s difficult, very difficult. Every game is very hard. We will have to fight until the end.”

The former Sevilla manager admitted the World Cup break gave him an opportunity to get to know the players he then had at his disposal. Lopetegui talked about this when explaining how he has motivated his players at Wolves.

“The players adapt to your style and you have to respond to the demand to win. In the two weeks that we worked for the World Cup, I was missing a lot of players. There wasn’t that much room. We try to understand the players, get to know them better, and make them understand what you want,” Lopetegui explained.

Wolves signed several new players in the winter market, including Lopetegui’s compatriot, Pablo Sarabia. The latter arrived from Paris Saint-Germain.

On Sarabia’s transfer, the Wolves manager said: “We know Pablo, he wanted to come and try the Premier League. He has experience and can provide it to us. He’s trying to adjust, of course. He has a good thing, which is that he knows us. He’s trying to blend into the style and rhythm. It’s not easy.”

AS also asked the coach about using Diego Costa and another January signing, Matheus Cunha, together to lead his side’s attack.

“Not exactly two strikers, they have mobility,” Lopetegui stressed.

“Sometimes we have played with three midfielders because Nunes enters from inside and one of the strikers then goes out from outside. We’ve tried to optimise the players we have. We’ve all done a half and half, which says here: one half between us and them.”