Julen Lopetegui
Julen Lopetegui has confirmed Daniel Podence was withdrawn at half-time of Wolves’ draw with Aston Villa due to an injury. Podence produced an excellent first half performance at Villa Park and handed Wolves a deserved lead with his fourth Premier League goal of the season. He didn’t reappear for the second half though and Villa were able to rescue a point thanks to Danny Ings’ late strike. Podence – who was replaced by Adama Traore in the Wolves forward line – is now a doubt for the FA Cup tie at Liverpool on Saturday.
Julien Lopetegui said: “I don’t know if it’s a little (injury), I hope it’s little. But we have to wait until the doctor tests it.”
Lopetegui also revealed in his post-match press conference that midfielder Boubacar Traore will be sidelined for an extended period after picking up an injury. The head coach hinted that Traore’s injury strengthens Wolves’ need to sign a new midfielder in the transfer window.
Julien Lopetegui added: “We have an injury with Bouba Traore for, I think, one or two months. It’s very bad news for us. We only have four midfielders now in the squad. We have to have more.”
Wolves ended the night in the same place they started it – in the relegation zone – but the first half performance against an in-form Villa side offered some encouragement to the rowdy away following. Giving his assessment of the match,
Julien Lopetegui explained: “I think we came here to win and beat a fantastic team in Aston Villa. It is one of the best teams of the Premier League, it has shown that against Manchester United, Tottenham and Brighton. In the end I think we dominated and had control for 60 minutes. We lost a key player in this kind of match, Daniel Podence, and we lost the ball. Without the ball, we felt more tired and lost control. He has been very important for us. After, they scored in a very unlucky play for us. At the end they pushed a lot, they are a good team. In the end we got one point. OK, we are a little disappointed but in the same way I told the players that their disappointment is a good thing for us. We are improving and believing more in ourselves. We have to be ready for a long and hard race.”
