Julen Lopetegui insists Wolverhampton Wanderers’ substitutes have the power to be ‘key’ in the relegation run-in. Wolves have earned numerous points over the last two months as a direct result of Lopetegui’s in-game management. The Spaniard always uses all five permitted substitutes in Premier League matches and believes the nine players on the bench behind him are at least equal to the 11 on the pitch.
Julen Lopetegui said: “You can be key in one minute, in a good way or in the worst way. You have one responsibility and one aim to take advantage of the minutes to help the team and yourself. All the players want to play more, this is normal and we accept it, but the answer on the pitch is most important.”
One of those players who wants to play more is Daniel Podence. The Portuguese winger remains Wolves’ joint top scorer after an impressive start to Lopetegui’s tenure, but he hasn’t been selected to start since scoring the winner against West Ham on January 14. Lopetegui has preferred to use midfielder Matheus Nunes on the left wing, with new signing Pablo Sarabia often deployed on the right. Podence has been challenged to make an impact when his chance comes.
On Podence,
Julen Lopetegui said: “Talking about the numbers, he is the winger who has played more minutes than the others. He has had problems for some matches, but when he’s ready the average is the best. This is about all the players. They can’t live like ‘I have done this’, every day you have to be ready and I think he is going to help us a lot. But we have to be alert and ready for the moment of the players too. The last match he played 30 minutes and against Fulham the same. They are very important minutes. In football a lot of people only put focus on the line-up thinking that is the most important thing, and sometimes it isn’t. The players on the bench are key. The attitude and the energy they can offer the team is key. All of them have to be ready to take advantage – one minute, two minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes – these minutes are gold for the team.”
