Ipswich v Wolves - Liam Keen and Nathan Judah preview
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00:00Hello, I'm Nathan Tudor, I'm here with Wolves Reporter, Mr Liam Keane ahead of the big game
00:14against, and it is a big game, it is a big game against Ipswich Town. Look, they're in
00:18a good position Wolves, they're in a very good position, let's be honest, still very
00:20very strong. Of course we did need Ipswich beating Bournemouth, as we both predicted
00:25correctly on the podcast. So it's made it interesting, let's go with the team news
00:31first of all, how are Wolves looking, because that's the most important thing I guess.
00:34Well of course, Mateus Cunha will be suspended, his final game with his suspension, back for
00:38Spurs at Molineux next weekend. Aside from that, it looks like, provided we take Vito
00:44Pereira at his word, that everyone's good to go. He did say this on Monday ahead of
00:47Tuesday and Rodrigo and Guedes weren't available, but those two players in particular, Rodrigo
00:52Gomez and Gonzalo Guedes, are available for selection again. So you'd imagine that someone
00:57like a Forbes maybe, maybe a Troy, maybe a Lima, one of these players, with those two
01:02coming back in. So Wolves have got options, and Vito Pereira's going to need them because
01:05it's going to be tough, regardless of where Ipswich are, go into that game with that kind
01:09of pressure and atmosphere, Portland Road's going to be bouncing, trying to give their
01:13team every opportunity they can. It's going to be a very very tough test.
01:16Well I like what Vito had to say, you know, he said that he never prepares his team for
01:20a draw, and I think a lot of people, always included, if we were given a draw tomorrow
01:24I think we'd take it. However, he doesn't do that, that's not his mentality, and I think
01:28that was important. He mentioned mentality again and again and again in this press conference
01:32because that's got to be right, and if that's right, and he thinks that will stand Wolves
01:36in the best stead, you know, hopefully getting a positive result tomorrow.
01:40Yeah, and look, I would take a draw, absolutely. I think anything other than a loss is a success
01:47just to stop Ipswich gaining ground on Wolves.
01:50And another game gone by as well.
01:51Exactly, but to give the right messages I think was quite important for the manager
01:54today because he's got to get across to his players that we're not going there to sit
01:58in, sit back, and hope. We're going there to play. Because Wolves should go into this,
02:03as much as Ipswich have just won and they'll have a bit of confidence, Wolves should look
02:05at this and think, right, we're a better side, we've proven that over the last few months
02:10since Vito's come in, we've performed, we're consistent, we've done it without our best
02:14player, and we've got players that are stepping up and performing. So there's no reason Wolves
02:17don't go there and be confident and play their own way and get a good result out of it. So
02:21yeah, it's not easy by any means for the reasons I've just described, but I think Vito's approach
02:26to it publicly there with his messages I think is very clever because he's got to give his
02:29players all the confidence to go out there and do the job.
02:32One player who was full of confidence and it was waxing lyrical about him was Jorgen
02:36Strandlarsson. Three goals in his last two games, said that he loves that type of player,
02:41loves someone who can work with the side, not just about scoring goals, but his all-round
02:45ability. He also said that he doesn't like players who just score goals and then leave
02:49it to the rest of the team. I don't know whether that was indirectly aimed against someone else,
02:53maybe he didn't mean to do that, but I just got a little bit of a hint that maybe it was
02:56someone else and maybe a striker that might not be here next season, but in terms of giving
02:59someone like Jorgen Strandlarsson that confidence, that's exactly what he needs and he's obviously
03:03revelling in it at this moment in time.
03:04Yeah, and Larsson had a little bit of a stick, didn't he, in the Everton game going into
03:10then scoring three and two and I interviewed him after the game on Tuesday night as well
03:15and I think he wanted to show and prove that he can do it and he's scored 10 Premier League
03:19goals now and we've both felt that he's added a lot to this side. I thought he played very
03:23well actually on Tuesday night in a particularly tough second half against West Ham and he
03:28is right. Larsson's a worker, he's a fighter, he's a scrapper, he's someone who's going
03:33to put himself about. Yes, he's got things to improve, of course he does, but he is someone
03:37who is a team player as well as a good finisher and Wolves are going to need that across the
03:44board, particularly going into next season. Hopefully in the Premier League we'll be looking
03:48at a team that's going to have to not rely on individual brilliance but instead rely
03:51on a cohesive unit.
03:53In terms of team, are we thinking the same again in terms of the starting 11?
03:57I think so, I've gone and changed. I think regardless of playing on Tuesday, I think
04:00they go and change for a fourth game in a row. I think Rodrigo and Guedes won't be ready
04:04to start in any way and I don't see anyone else that would force their way in to start
04:07this game. So no, I think it's exactly the same.
04:09I guess a change on the bench as well is that there'll be no Vitor Pereira in the dugout?
04:12No, there won't. Or his assistant Luis Miguel. So he'll be up in the stands.
04:16San?
04:17That was shocking.
04:19San to his mates.
04:20Shocking.
04:21If he's got the nickname San, then that's great.
04:23And Vitor loves a pint as well.
04:24Exactly.
04:25As I said, they're not going to be up in the stands having pints, as a few fans have alluded
04:29to, they will be working with their headsets. But yeah, not on the first 600th game in charge
04:34as well, which is a little bit disappointing for sure. But yeah, a big moment for those
04:39down there to step up. But look, I don't think it should make too much of a difference. Vitor's
04:43still in the building, he'll still be in the dressing room. We'll all should go out there
04:46and do a job.
04:47Score prediction?
04:48I've still got 7-20, I'll go 1-1.
04:49I'm going 2-0 Wolves. For all the build-up on this one, make sure you log on to expressthestandardotcom.
04:54We'll see you at Portmant Road.