Following their first victory of the 25/26 season against West Ham United in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, Vitor Pereira has encouraged his team to build on this result by showing greater consistency.
Wolves are preparing to face an Everton side that has had a mixed start to the season, losing their opening match away at Leeds before defeating Brighton in their inaugural competitive match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Pereira answered questions surrounding the upcoming match as well as the future of Jørgen Strand Larsen, who scored a late brace to win the game for Wolves midweek.
"They have a strong spirit" - Vitor Pereira sizes up Everton ahead of clash.
Wolves have not been defeated at the Molineux Stadium by Everton since January 2021. It's a record that the Midlands side will want to maintain, but to do so will have to hold off a team that Pereira has described as 'Physical' and strong-spirited. The head coach is under no illusion that his team have to be at their best to get the result that they want against the Toffees:
"They’re a physical team, with a very vertical way to play, very good in set-pieces, strong in counter-attack and we need to show the mentality to compete against this team because they have a strong spirit."
"We need to be in our best level as we are facing a strong team and we know very well how they play and the identity of this team, and we need to be in our level, and to face them with the energy that I saw in the last game."
"With ambition, with the energy and the attitude that I saw in the last game if we are to win the game and try to not do mistakes against them."
Consistency was also another aspect of Wolves' game that the head coach made sure to emphasise ahead of their next match, as he felt that they had not achieved this yet:
"This is a game that is very important for us because we are in the moment when you need to have results, because they will accept and they will not have doubts. But it’s not only about results, but about consistencies in the game."
"I want to see my team being more consistent than in the last game, trying to correct situations that we cannot suffer and concede goals like we did."
"He must focus on the team" - Pereira addresses Strand Larsen rumours
One of the big talking points amongst Wolves' fans this week has been the future of Jørgen Strand Larsen. The Norwegian has been rumoured to be on his way out of Wolverhampton recently, with the club rejecting a £55m bid for the striker. Pereira was asked about the future, also confirming that he is dealing with a minor injury:
"First of all, we know that every person has ambitions in life, but in this moment, Jorgen is our player, he’s working hard because he has a good personality, he’s a team player, who in this moment is dealing with a small injury problem and I hope we can play tomorrow with him. But in the end, he’s our player, an important player for us and we cannot lose energy with things that are out of our control."
"He must focus on the team, to do his best, to help the club, and I am trying to focus on my team, to do my best, and at the end of the market we will see. But it’s not my decision, it’s not his decision and we must focus on what we can control. We can control our commitment, to keep our level, and this is the way."