Julen Lopetegui responds to big Wolves ‘doubt’ amid important decision for key players

Julen Lopetegui has revealed the reason behind his decision not to make a complete overhaul of his starting lineup against Aston Villa, despite suffering a 6-0 thrashing at Brighton & Hove Albion the week before. Wolves’ head coach was adamant to back his players despite doubts over his team selection.

Plenty of supporters called for lots of changes after the embarrassing result against Brighton at the Amex Stadium, with the likes of Matheus Nunes and Jose Sa pointed out for big mistakes in that particular fixture. Lopetegui was eager to emphasise his belief in his players, though, and made just two swaps at home to Villa.

The Spaniard was correct to do so as Wanderers ran out surprise 1-0 victors on Saturday afternoon, earning a vital win to reach the 40-point mark in the Premier League. Survival from relegation now looks somewhat of a certainty and results elsewhere could soon seal Wolves’ top-flight status for next season.

Speaking in the post-match press conference, Lopetegui made a very clear point about his players. “Sometimes after a defeat - like against Brighton - people can have big doubts about the players, but my analysis was if I have to [make] changes for this match [against Villa], then maybe I have to change myself too,” the head coach said.

“That’s why I tried to put the confidence in the team to highlight that they just had a bad day, a very bad day. [These are three] very important points for us. To arrive to 40 points, not there mathematically [for survival] but very close to our aim. I am very happy for the club, for the fans and for the players,” Lopetegui continued.

Saturday’s win in the West Midlands derby was the fourth consecutive victory at Molineux and clean sheets have been kept in all of those. The away form might well be poor, but the extraordinary run of results on home soil has come at just the right time. Wolves can now enjoy the rest of the campaign with far less pressure on their shoulders.