Although the forward admits it’s been difficult for the players to put their finger on why they have not been able to earn the results as their performances have warranted this season, Cunha insists the players will be fighting until the end to try and get back to winning ways – starting against Ipswich Town this Saturday at Molineux.
On bouncing back against Ipswich
“This moment is not the moment we want it to be. We want to play and then have a lot of dreams to arrive at some points that everyone thinks we have the capacity to be – but football is like this. We need to continue to build something good and try to change the situation.
“In our situation, it’s almost like every single game is like this. We need to fight, and then you need to show everyone that we have potential to change the situation, and we have the capacity to change the situation. This will never change and this game will not be different.
“Of course, Ipswich have the same points than us, so it’s also a hard situation for them, but this is kind of game will not be a football game, it will be a war. I need to be like a great warrior and it's easier to be great warrior when you have the fans around you and the club that you love, so I hope Saturday we can show again everyone that they should have big faith in us to change everything.”
On how Wolves can turn their season around
“It's hard to say because we don't have the honest or the correct things to say. If it was that easy, we would just do it! Football is much more complex than just going out onto the pitch. When you come here and work every single day, it's these kinds of things which are important.
“The fans only look at what happens at the weekends, but what happens during the week is much bigger than this. If we are able to manage these whole things a little bit easier, then we'll feel better when we go into the weekend, and we’ll be able to go to the pitch and show everyone that we are happy, and then do the best thing that we can do, which is play football.”
On improving under O’Neil
“He’s [O’Neil] a very positive person. He’s always telling us to keep believing and giving is energy to continue to fight. This is a hard situation, but it's still the beginning. We’ve had a lot of games already, but we still have time to change everything. He's a good person and he keeps pushing us to change the situation.
“Always when I say something about Gary it’s easier, because I feel the reciprocal admiration. I'm grateful because he helped me to continue this level and then showed me the things to improve. It’s something that I will always remember for my career. We have a coach who is working on so many different things.
“Sometimes it’s about how to change your mind, how they give you confidence, how they teach you to do the things well, and he is someone for me who I will always be grateful for. He's an unbelievable person and manager, and I have only good things to say. The things I feel for him are only good things, so I hope we can change the situation together.”
On showing his potential
“Right now, I think I’ve showed everyone the kind of player that I am. I’m a player who can play in a lot of positions, I can impact the game and I can help my teammates a lot. But it's not just about one player.
“When I came in initially, everyone was thinking about me as a number nine, and that I needed to be there and then fight, and then do all those kinds of things. But I feel like I'm much more than this. I can help my team in the transition, I can do some things like a number 10, I can do some things like a number nine, like a winger.
“But this is the player that I am and I’m so grateful to Gary because he understands this and he showed this to me. In some points, I stopped believing. When the hard moments come, it's hard to see and understand what kind of player and person you are, but I have some people around me, my family, everyone, and they help me to keep going because I know inside of me, I still believe the kind of person I am.”
Our SUDU Player of the Month for November 🏆
Congratulations, Matheus! 👏 pic.twitter.com/9phvAAUqpG
— Wolves (@Wolves) December 6, 2024
On making Molineux his home
“I feel like it's my home. I feel the admiration of the fans, and this is something that I never believed I would get when I first came here, to a small city in England, which is completely different from my hometown – but now I feel like I'm at home.
“The fans are unbelievable with me, with my family, and I have only great things to say about my teammates. But to go to the stadium and to perform for them is like I feel at home.
“I feel like I want to do everything I can to change the situation, because when you play with a little bit more passion, not as if it was just my work, then I think you put in a little bit more things that can change it.”
On what he hopes to achieve this season
“It's hard to say right now because at the beginning of the season, my dream was completely different. I wanted to put the club in Europe again. When I came in, I always heard about when they played in the Europa League and it was huge for the club, and the fans felt so grateful.
“I also want to give back all the love that they feel to me. But it’s been difficult moments, and those difficult moments are still coming, but we will never stop fighting. We will still go in there and I hope we have a lot of Samurais ready to fix everything that is wrong and then go again.”