VITOR PEREIRA: CHELSEA V WOLVES PRESS CONFERENCE

Thank you, sir. If we could start quickly away from Wolves, something we’re discussing with all the managers today, a big talking point in the Premier League, this new deal for Erling Haaland until 2034.
What do you make of such a deal?

This is looking towards the future. This is a top player, and I think it’s a decision from the player, my next nine years, no?

Nine and a half, I think.

Nine and a half, OK. You will know that we live in the same city with some people in the same club. And of course, he’s happy. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t do it. And the club knows that they will have a top striker for the next nine years.

You might not be handing out 10-year deals here, but are you any closer to making new signings this month?

Yes, I hope so. We are working. We are doing our work. And I hope that before the market closes, we can bring in at least one or two players.

What kind of players do you need in terms of the fight you have on your hands?

I think we need more solutions, more solutions to help. I’m very happy with the team and the players I have. But I think we need more solutions in midfield and maybe another defender. We are trying to understand the market and the opportunities available. It depends on what we find. If we find the right players to bring in, great. If not, it’s better not to bring anyone.

Mario Lemina wasn’t involved this week. You explained afterwards why he told you he wanted to leave. Has there been any change in that situation, any further conversations?

That’s what I learned in my life. If we speak truthfully every time, we don’t have problems. What happened was, as I said, I came to the press conference thinking he would be in for the game. He asked me to take him out because mentally he wasn’t in good condition.

Today, he came to me in the morning and asked to apologise. He asked the team to forgive him. He said he’s ready to do his best for the team until we have a solution. This is how he must behave because this is professionalism. We are professionals. The club pays the salaries, which means we should come here with the energy to help until the last day. Until the last day. I saw him on the training pitch this morning. There didn’t seem to be any problems.

Do you think the players are OK with him? Have you forgiven him? And do you want the fans to forgive him?

You know, we can make mistakes in our lives. I have made mistakes in my life. We must give him the opportunity to show through actions, not words. Saying “I will help” is one thing, but if we don’t see anything, that’s another. I believe he spoke from the heart. He will try, and I’m here to see if he can or cannot. If he can help, great. If he can’t, I prefer to go with someone else who is committed.

I hope so. Because Mario has quality. You know Mario. He has quality. He can bring us physicality in midfield and technical quality. It depends on his mindset. I hope that by the end of the season or the end of the month, he will be able to help us.
So we may see him on the pitch on Sunday? It depends. Tomorrow I will see him on the pitch.

Have you had any firm inquiries or bids for him from other clubs this month?

I don’t know. This is a question for the club, not for me.

You may have the same answer to this next question, but I’ll try anyway. There have been reports that a Saudi club is looking at him and wants to sign him on a free. Would the club be prepared to let him leave for free?

I don’t know.

In terms of your team news, Matheus Cunha, would he be ready to start on Monday?

Today he was out of training, as you saw. He has a bit of flu and is sick. I hope he will be on the pitch tomorrow. If he is, there’s a chance he can play in the next game.

Because you need him out there, don’t you?

Of course.

Any other team news?

Semedo is training, and Toti is recovering. I think he is recovering well. I believe in one week, maybe. I’m not a doctor.

When someone asks me about injured players, I prefer to keep quiet. If I say one week or two weeks and things change, it’s my responsibility. Toti is recovering well. Bouba is working with us now after his knee injury. Sasa is working with the medical department. And on injuries. That’s all.

Hi, Vitor. Looking at the few weeks you’ve been here and in charge, you’ve been on what they call a steep learning curve. What did you learn from the most recent defeat? What do you feel you’ve learned so far about the squad you have?

I think we learn every day of our lives, until the end. We can improve all the time. We need to look at the last game, understand how we conceded goals and missed opportunities, and that gives us a clear picture. This is the basis to start our work tomorrow and prepare for the next game. This is the moment we need to improve. We need to improve offensively and defensively. This is the basis to plan today’s training and begin work tomorrow.

I know we can improve a lot. We have the potential to improve a lot. But it needs to be step by step; it needs results. I don’t want a team that, after we lose a game, just looks at what we did well and what we must correct. We go for the corrections, and this is the way to grow and understand what we can and cannot do. We must be in good positions to avoid counter-attacks and defend inside the box. This is something we need to work on.

Defending inside the box is not just about seeing the ball; we must control the ball and the players inside the box. We need to raise our level defensively, especially on the sides, to stop the crosses we allowed. When we have possession, we cannot lose the ball in transition. If we lose the ball, they can counter very quickly, and that’s when we are not balanced. We need to maintain balance when we have the ball.

In this league, one mistake can lead to a goal because the quality is high. We cannot allow one-on-one chances for them to shoot at our goal, and these are the things we need to work on.

That’s quite a long list of things you need to fix.

Defensively and offensively, it comes down to decisions. It’s about the last run, the last pass, the last shot, and the angles to shoot. We need to know where to be to score. This is something we must improve together.

So you could do with a fit and firing Cunha back in the team as soon as possible?

Cunha gives us creativity. He’s unpredictable. He can create something special on the pitch. But he must be committed all the time. If we lose the ball, he must lead by example, running to regain possession and helping the team’s defensive shape. This is the behaviour and personality we need from top-level players, and this is what I expect from him.

I think he scored a hat-trick in this fixture last year when Wolves won at Chelsea. What sort of Chelsea do you expect to face on Monday?

A team that, just five games ago, looked like a team to win the league. Now, because they aren’t getting results, they have the same players and the same manager. They have top players and a top manager for sure. They play with identity and have a game model. We must go there with our identity, the things we try to work on every day, improving every day.

I’m not a coach who changes my mind after losing a game. I’m a coach who creates an identity and raises the team’s level to play in a certain style. We will face Chelsea, trying to play our game, but we must also be aware we are up against a quality team. We cannot concede space or time to play the way they want.

Look, playing with three midfielders is different from playing with two. The profile changes because with two, we must cover more ground. With three, if we have someone as a ten, we can play with that formation. But with two, if one is a ten, the other has to cover every area of the pitch. That creates a problem. We have midfielders, but we need a profile that covers a lot of space. I’m not talking about a tall guy, but someone who can go where needed.

You mentioned that you only want to do a deal if it’s the right deal, which I understand. If the window ends in two weeks with the squad you’ve got, is that OK?

It will be the reality, and I must face my life with reality, not dreams. I will face it with the same energy and look to the future positively. But we know that to be more comfortable in this difficult fight, we need at least two more players, in my opinion.
But what I mean is, you don’t just want to get anybody; you want the right person. Of course. If we don’t get the right person, it’s better to stay with the squad we have. Thank you.