No confidence not the problem says Nuno - 7M sport

No confidence not the problem says Nuno



Posted Wednesday, December 05, 2018 by PA

No confidence not the problem says Nuno

Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo insists his side are not suffering from a lack of confidence.

Wanderers are enduring their worst run since the Portuguese took charge 18 months ago, having lost five games during a six-match run without a Premier League win.

Their chances of arresting the streak get no easier on Wednesday night as Chelsea are the visitors to Molineux.

However, Nuno is adamant Wolves will not be changing how they approach the game, believing that sticking to their beliefs will eventually bring a return to winning ways.

“It is not a lack of confidence, no,” said Nuno. “A team is like a player, it has ups and downs. You have to find solutions to help them and give them good advice and work with them.

“It doesn’t have to do with confidence, it has to do with so many aspects of the game – technical, tactical mental – and we have to solve it.

“You have to be cautious of the moment we are in and face it. We have had a block of games with mistakes, from a team which is still growing. When the results don’t come, what is important is how you approach the situation.

“The approach cannot change because you have to believe in the things that you do. You have to keep on building and keep improving because I believe we will come stronger because every chance is a moment to improve.

“It is what you believe. When you want to build something, something that started a year and half ago, with one idea and one project of building a team and sticking to a shape that we believe can deal with any opponent, you have to stick with it. It is not about changing it is about adapting and being versatile.

“There is not one big performance that will get us out of trouble, we must build and improve step by step and game by game.”

Wolves’ task against Chelsea is not helped by Ruben Neves’ suspension. The Portuguese playmaker must serve a one-match ban after he received his fifth yellow card of the season during the defeat at Cardiff.

The only other player unavailable to Nuno is wing-back Jonny Otto, who continues his recovery from the knee injury he sustained while playing for Spain during last month’s international break.

Meanwhile, Maurizio Sarri wants Chelsea to tie down David Luiz and Cesc Fabregas to new contracts in moves which could challenge club policy of 12-month deals for players aged over 30.

Cesar Azpilicueta, 29, signed a four-year contract on Tuesday and Sarri wants defender Luiz and midfielder Fabregas to follow suit.

Both players are 32 in 2019, before the end of the season, and Chelsea’s long established policy of season-long deals for over 30s is a stumbling block, Sarri revealed.

“David and Cesc are leaders. And so I think it’s very important for me, for the staff, also for their team-mates, if they stay with us,” Sarri said.

“I spoke with the club about this one month ago. I know very well that it’s not easy, but I think that we can do a new deal for both.

“The club want a short contract and the players want a long contract. And so it’s difficult for this reason. I think at the end we can find a solution.

“They are very important players for us. It’s very difficult to find a centre-back for this level.

“And it’s very difficult to find a central midfielder technically like Fabregas. So I think they have to stay with us.”

Luiz is in his second spell at Chelsea, having had a two-year stint at Paris St Germain.

Midfielder Mateo Kovacic (ankle) and left-back Marcos Alonso (back) are doubts for the trip to Molineux.

“Maybe during the match the back worsened,” Sarri added.

“This is possible, I don’t know. I want to speak to him. He didn’t play very well. I know very well this, but I think Alonso knows very well this. It can happen.”

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