VITOR PEREIRA’S PRESS CONFERENCE: IPSWICH V WOLVES

Let’s go, let’s go.

Just looking at team news ahead of Ipswich, do you have any injury concerns?

No.

That is very good news, isn’t it? Ahead of such an important point in the season, how good is it to have everyone available?

This is a key moment, and it’s great for me to have everyone’s contribution.

I know most weeks we talk to you about tactics and where you’re trying to improve, but I spoke to Emmanuel Agbadou yesterday. He also mentioned the positive energy around the team and from you. I just wonder how important that has been since you’ve arrived here to inject that into the team. How helpful has that been in terms of results?

You know, since the beginning, with the experience I have in my career, I really believe you must convince people to follow you. You can convince people if you have this energy and a tactical idea. If you have a tactical idea and strong energy, we can achieve great things together.

Talking about togetherness, there’s some positive news this week with Yerson Mosquera and Joao Gomes both signing long-term contracts with the club. How pleased are you to see that news?

They have the profile I like because they are team players. They have the technical skills I appreciate, but most importantly, they are team workers with very good energy.

You can’t pass on this energy, and if you don’t connect with good energy, it will be a problem. That’s why I like players who smile because they do what they love in life. For that reason, we must come here smiling, connecting with each other, and fighting to create a team spirit. We are ready to compete with every team.

It will be great when Yerson Mosquera is back, but I wonder about Joao Gomes. You’ve mentioned knowing him in Brazil. It’s been fantastic for him coming to the Premier League and becoming a Brazil international as well. I just wonder what you think his potential and ceiling can be, especially here at Wolves in the next few years.

He’s young, and he shows humility. He wants to learn and help.

Tactically, he can improve, of course, and technically as well. But he has the spirit to go far. I don’t know where, but for sure, he will have a fantastic career.

I just wanted to ask you about Strand Larsen as well. He scored three goals in his last two games and ten in his first season in the Premier League. Where have you worked with him the most? And have you been pleased to see his goal last week, taking it early on his left foot?

It was a decent goal. You know how it is with a striker. When we look for a striker, we want someone who can score goals.

But he’s the first man on the pitch to start our pressing. If he doesn’t know how to do that or doesn’t have the character to sacrifice himself for the team, he won’t be the striker I’m looking for. I don’t want a striker just to score goals. I score my goal, and now it’s up to you. You understand? I don’t like that kind of striker. My striker must be a fighter.

They must be the first to start defending. And, of course, the responsibility isn’t just to score goals; it’s not just on their shoulders. It’s for everyone. When we defend, it’s the same. Because he has this spirit and character, he fits the profile I like.

Emmanuel Agbadou also said yesterday that looking ahead to Ipswich, it feels a bit like a cup final given where both teams are. Although you are a few points ahead of them, do you feel the same? I know you look at it game by game, but how important is this for survival?

Of course, tomorrow is an important game. But, as I said before, we can’t look at the Premier League and think if we win tomorrow, it’s done. That’s a mistake. I want my team competing for every point in the league. I want my team mentally ready to compete tomorrow and in the next game.

I just wanted to ask you about VAR, if you don’t mind. In the last week or so, there have been a few controversial decisions that managers have felt went against them. I just wonder what your experience has been like with the phrase “clear and obvious,” for example, and also with the news that semi-automated offsides will come in a few weeks. Do you think that will be a big help?

You know, the machines, behind the machines, you have a mind. I agree with everything we bring to football to help, to be fair, and to see fair decisions. But, we need to improve.

We need to improve every day in our lives. VAR is the same; it needs to improve.

Just finally from you, Vitor, if you don’t mind. Some big Premier League news in the last hour or so: Kevin De Bruyne has announced he’s leaving Manchester City. This might be the last time we see him in the Premier League this season. Just wonder what you make of his career and all the trophies he’s won.

He’s a full player.

A fantastic player. Maybe it’s time. The Premier League is tough, with many games and a lot of pressure. Sometimes this kind of player, at the end of their career, wants to enjoy a bit without pressure. That’s a personal decision, but he’s a fantastic player who has given the Premier League some of the best moments of his career. 

Good afternoon, Vitor. You talk about guarding against complacency in this Premier League run-in. Does Ipswich’s win over Bournemouth emphasise that for you, showing that this race for survival is not over?

Until the end.

But I’m not saying that today. I mentioned it before. This league can surprise you every time. Ipswich has the quality, both individually and collectively, to fight for many games and points. For me, it’s game after game. Tomorrow, I feel my team is confident. I feel my team is consistent, mentally mature enough to compete. And we will definitely compete tomorrow.

How important will that mental attitude be, and perhaps more so the game management?

For them, being the ones chasing you, it does feel like make or break time for them, especially as these games go by. So, the game management and the need to take the sting out of the atmosphere will no doubt see a few key moments. 

They need to prepare for a tough game, both on and off the pitch. But they have the maturity. I feel the team has the tactical and mental maturity to be consistent, with me or without me. I think we’re starting to see that consistency.

I know you’ve already mentioned Strand Larsen and Gomes being brilliant again in midweek. What are your methods, then? You don’t want to take away the enjoyment and desire to play at the weekend.

But how do you maintain momentum for those players?

Enjoy, feel happy, have good energy, be confident, and play while respecting yourself. This is the message. I look at my team, and you know when you feel we can do it. This is the feeling.

And just finally for me, after your time at Wolves, you’re averaging 1.42 points per game, which over 38 games gives you almost 54 points throughout a campaign, potentially aiming for a top 10 finish. How important is the work you’re doing now for survival and the foundations you’re building for next season and beyond in the Premier League?

You know, you bring ideas and start working on them. You convince your players that this is the way. Now it’s time to create different dynamics for the next season. I hope to keep the same players or almost all of them, so we have the opportunity to increase our level and dynamics in the idea. Because the idea isn’t something that is finished. Understand? It’s something open that you add to and create new movements. If you look at our game, we are doing things differently now than when we started. Just analyse.

OK, thank you.

Hello, Vitor. You were talking about Jorgen Larsen a few minutes ago and the work he does during games. At the start of the season, he scored a few goals, but he seemed to tire during games. Is this the work you’re asking for? Does the Premier League need this from a striker? Is that the biggest difference for a striker coming to England?

I believe it takes time to adapt to the pace of this league because it is technically strong, but physically you need to be strong. If you look at Andre, another case that’s OK. In Brazil, when I watched or played against Fluminense, he was a player who started the game passing, moving, and creating plays. Here, he has found the balance between confidence to play his game and the physicality the game demands. The same goes for Larsen.

We need time to adapt. Even Larsen, at this moment, needs to hold the ball and play; they push every time. Sometimes I see strikers here, and it’s difficult because they push and push without fouls. In another league, they would get a foul. But here, you can’t think like that. I tell him, they don’t care. You must go for the body. You must go for the body. After that, you can hold the ball. But if you don’t go for the body, it’s not possible.

If you just hold the ball, it’s not possible to play in this league. So that requires physical strength, built up over time, and stamina. But it also needs a sort of mental challenge, doesn’t it?

Of course. Even the strikers here play in the blind side of defenders and make blocks to win space. Here, we can do things that aren’t possible in other leagues. But players must adapt. This is like needing to come to terms with it and start competing.

You’ve got to experience it. Of course. If not, you go back to other leagues.

Hi, Vitor. You talk about Strand Larsen and his breakthrough season in the Premier League. Ipswich have one of their own in Delap up front. I just want to get your thoughts on him and what you think of him as a striker.

Strong player, strong player. Tomorrow he’ll compete. Agba and the others will need to stay focused to control Delap because he is physically strong and technically skilled. He moves all the time and is a very good player.

Has there been an emphasis on him in training this week?

You don’t know. We just recover. Nothing more. But, as I said, since the beginning, I focus on our match and what we can improve from the last match. We’ll rest between these two games and prepare mentally for a tough game.

And what do you think of the Ipswich boss, McKenna? What have you made of the job he’s done at Ipswich this season in their first season in the Premier League?

It’s a team with tactical ideas and very good players. It’s a fantastic job. We’ll see tomorrow. I never prepare my team to draw. I prepare my team to win, even if we face Liverpool. This is my mentality. Tomorrow, we go there with our minds set on three points, and we will compete for those three points.