Always Wolves
Always Wolves
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Wolves head to Anfield for a match that always feels bigger than the usual weekend fixture list. Ahead of Liverpool v Wolves, Rob Edwards spoke to the media and covered plenty: injuries, confidence, leadership in the squad, young players pushing for starts, and what might happen when January rolls around. The overall message was clear, performances in training are improving, margins are fine, but Wolves need results to follow.
Injury news: Toti Gomes out, Hugo Bueno back on the grass
The first big topic was team news, and there was a mix of bad and good.
Toti Gomes: Edwards confirmed it’s a hamstring injury, and “Toti’s a no”. He’s expected to be out for weeks, described as a “significant period of time”. That’s a real blow, especially with the workload Wolves have faced and the tests still to come.
Hugo Bueno: A more positive update. Edwards said Hugo trained today and is “back on the grass” with the group. It’s not a guarantee he’s ready to go, but the hope is he can progress over the next few days.
Edwards also added some context that matters. He said the squad has been stretched physically, with “a couple of muscle injuries over the last few weeks”. Wolves have been “pushing hard”, and he admitted they may have “risked one or two bits”. That’s an honest look at the balance every manager tries to strike, pushing standards up without pushing players over the edge.
Matt Doherty’s comments, and why Edwards liked the honesty
Post-match quotes can sometimes cause a stir, but Edwards didn’t shy away from the questions around what was said after the last game.
“Do we want to be known as cowards?”
Matt Doherty’s line, “do we want to be known as cowards”, cut through because it sounded like frustration boiling over. There were also comments about players potentially looking to get away in January, which always sets alarm bells ringing for supporters.
Edwards’ response was supportive. He pointed out that Doherty also spoke well in the dressing room, and he framed it as leadership.
He made the point that those words needed saying. Not as a throwaway headline, but as a challenge to the group, and a sign that some players are willing to stand up and demand more.
“Players aren’t robots”: the home pressure point
Edwards also made a comment that will ring true for anyone who’s watched Wolves at Molineux this season. He said the players aren’t robots, and the feel of home games can hit harder than away matches.
He described a pattern that’s been hard to ignore:
Wolves have been in a lot of tight games.
When a decision or moment goes against them, the edginess from the crowd can be felt.
The team then drops off, and the game starts to get away from them.
It wasn’t said as a criticism of supporters, more as a reflection of how tension spreads in a stadium. A home ground can lift a side, but when nerves arrive, it can also feel heavy. Edwards has touched on this in recent weeks, and it keeps coming up because the same story has played out more than once.
The key takeaway is simple: Wolves are close in games, but they’re not handling the swing moments well enough yet.
“Levels improving in training”, but results still haven’t turned
Edwards was asked about how the job has been, and he didn’t dress it up.
He said he knew it would be “really difficult, really challenging”, and he admitted the results not turning is “tough” and “frustrating”. At the same time, he stressed that the work hasn’t dropped. In his words, they’re “working extremely hard”, and he’s seeing:
levels improving in training
more of the things he wants, “on a more regular basis”
a need for more consistency
That fits the bigger point he made about tight matches and fine margins. Wolves have been involved in games, but “moments have affected us”, and they’ve come out on the wrong side too often.
Mateus Mane: the bright spark, but Edwards won’t rush him
One of the more hopeful parts of the press conference was the talk around Mateus Mane.
Edwards described him as someone who is getting close. He said the youngster is “certainly getting to the point” where you look at him and think he’s ready. The phrasing mattered too, because it wasn’t vague praise. Edwards said Mane looks like he can affect the game, and that’s why he’s getting more minutes.
The plan sounds steady:
Mane is getting more and more time as the weeks go on.
If he keeps training the way he is, Edwards believes he’ll earn his start.
At the same time, there was a note of care in the way Edwards spoke about him. The message was to avoid loading too much pressure onto one young player, even if he’s been one of the brighter sights in recent weeks.
Jørgen Strand Larsen: protected by the manager, but confidence looks low
Questions also came up about Jørgen Strand Larsen, and Edwards did what many managers do when a striker is having a rough spell. He put an arm around him publicly.
Edwards said he doesn’t speak to Strand Larsen every day one-to-one, but staff have spoken to him. He also stressed that the forward has quality, even if things aren’t going for him right now.
From a Wolves point of view, it’s the classic striker situation. When confidence drops, everything feels harder. Touches get heavy, chances look smaller, and the simple things start to go wrong.
That’s a tough call either way. Anfield can be the place where confidence gets rebuilt with one good moment, but it can also punish any hesitation. Edwards hasn’t confirmed what he’ll do, but his words show he’s thinking about the person as well as the player.
Liverpool at Anfield: “a special game”, and an opportunity
Edwards spoke about the trip to Liverpool in the way you’d expect. Every match matters, but Anfield still carries its own weight.
He called it a “special game”, and also said going there is “always enjoyable”. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s a proper test. He described it as one of the most difficult away days, with an “incredible atmosphere”, and framed it as another opportunity for Wolves.
He also said the staff are working round the clock to turn the situation around. That line matters, because it hints at how intense things are behind the scenes right now, especially with the team trying to turn decent spells into points.
January transfer window: talks with Nathan Shi and “individual basis” decisions
January was another major topic, and Edwards gave a clear update on process and priorities.
He said there are conversations ongoing with Nathan Shi and the senior team on the strategy going forward. A catch-up is due soon, and Edwards hopes to speak and find out more as the next few days pass. He described that as “only going to be a good thing”.
He also said that “every situation in January” will be handled on an individual basis. That line is important. It suggests Wolves won’t treat the window as one single plan, but as a set of separate decisions based on offers, needs, and where the squad is at.
Edwards also acknowledged the likelihood of interest in his players, even with the club “in the situation that we’re in”. That’s football. Good players still attract attention, and tough league positions don’t scare everyone off.
What does concern him, though? He said the transfer talk doesn’t concern him. His focus is on the here and now, “trying to just get the best out of people” and finding a way to lift one or two.
That last part felt revealing. Managers don’t always talk openly about needing to lift individuals, but it lines up with what supporters can see, confidence is fragile in a few areas, and the mood swings quickly when a setback lands.
Pukka