Talking Heads: Pre-Match Thoughts From Rodgers, Espírito Santo, Ricardo & Moutinho
- Wolverhampton Wanderers host Leicester City at Molinuex Stadium on Sunday (2pm kick-off)
- The Foxes defeated Wolves 1-0 at King Power Stadium earlier in the season
- Both managers, Brendan Rodgers and Nuno Espírito Santo, have previewed the game
- City full-back Ricardo Pereira and Wolves midfielder João Moutinho also spoke in the media
City go into the fixture on the back of a 2-0 success over Fulham at Craven Cottage, while Wolves also secured a big victory, defeating Arsenal 2-1 at home last time out.
Ahead of Sunday's clash, Brendan Rodgers and Ricardo Pereira were on media duties in Leicester, while Nuno Espírito Santo and João Moutinho have also spoken in the press recently.
Brendan Rodgers on Wolves: “They got promoted, they had a very good squad and they played in a very specific way. In their first couple of seasons in the Premier League, they’ve been up there challenging in the top six. They’ve lost Diogo Jota and Raúl Jiménez and Matt Doherty, who are key players for them. Obviously Jiménez is an injury and the other two boys have left the club. It is very, very difficult to play to the level you have consistently when you lose that quality of player. In particular, Jota and Jiménez, they’re such goal threats for the team. It takes a bit of time and Nuno’s tried to evolve the team.”
Wolves manager Nuno Espírito Santo assesses City in his pre-match press conference: “The way Leicester play, the dynamics they have on the squad, that’s what makes them a very good squad and a very tough team to play against. They have a very talented squad, a very good manager and they are playing very good football consistently through time and Brendan [Rodgers] doing a fantastic job. He’s amazing. I have a true admiration for Brendan and it will be a pleasure to be with him, so Sunday’s going to be very tough for us, but we want to compete. Let’s try and do it.”
Foxes full-back Ricardo Pereira catches up with LCFC TV: “I feel very good. It's always different when you come back after a long time. It's very good to be back and I just want to enjoy and play. It was a nice performance (2-0 win vs. Fulham), especially with the team winning and not conceding. It's three more points. After a bad result, at home, it was important to bounce back with a good win. It's important to get back on track with another little run with good results. We know [Wolves] have a good team with good players. They can play in several shapes and they have several threats in their game.”
Midfielder João Moutinho, speaking to wolves.co.uk, on building a run of positive form: “I hope so, but we know we need to continue to work like we did before and give 100 per cent in training and in the match to try to win. We know sometimes we play well but we don’t win, sometimes we need to be focused to be organised, don’t concede a goal and try to score. Today, I think we do a great job (2-1 win over Arsenal) and it’s a very good three points. For me, the most important thing is to help the team. That, for me, is the most important thing, I don’t need to score, I don’t need to assist. What I want is the winning team.”