Wolverhampton Wanderers look to continue their winning ways this weekend against mid-table Newcastle United at the Molineux.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are on a good run of form after back to back wins against Fulham and Leeds United, which has seen Wolves rise up to seventh in the table, which is their best-ever start to a season in the top flight.
Newcastle United, on the other hand, sit in 14th in the table having been dispatched by Manchester United 4-1 last time out. Having only won two of their last five games, Steve Bruce’s side will be hoping to take three points from the Molineux this weekend.
Nuno discussed Sunday’s game with wolves.co.uk, along with building momentum throughout the season and also Max Kilman’s new contract, which sees him stay at the club for five more years.
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The importance of successive wins in the Premier League
Wolves were rewarded for hard work and defensive stability against Leeds United last time out, which saw them clinch back-to-back victories in the league for the first time this season.
“It’s very important. It’s very important when you are able to perform and the next game to sustain your level of performance is always what we aim for.”
Consistency in results is something that has helped Wolves so much since gaining promotion to the Premier League, and these two results are something that Nuno is hoping to build on as the season progresses.
“I think it’s too early to predict what is going to happen, and for us, it’s a matter of going game by game with our approach, but it’s too early to predict what is going to happen.
“In terms of the competition, the Premier League is very hard, every game is very tough and you cannot really predict anything.”
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Looking forward to the Newcastle challenge
“I'm expecting a very tough and demanding match. Newcastle has a good manager in Steve Bruce, I know him well, and he has quality players, talented players, and it’s going to be a very tough.
“They are a very tough opponent, and all the matches we’ve had against Newcastle were very competitive, very intense, and we expect the same for Sunday.”
Last season when Wolves faced off against Newcastle, the games were close both times and ended in two 1-1 draws. These previous results show that this game could go either way and depends on which side turns up on the day.
“I'm absolutely sure that it is very early in the competition to establish any kind of difference between teams. I think every team is improving, every team is taking time and needs time, so as the competition goes by, it will be much harder, because the standards will grow.
“That's what I see in us, in Newcastle, and they are a very good team with very good players.”
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On Max Kilman’s new contract
Earlier this week, Wolves fans were greeted with great news about one of their won, Max Kilman, as the club announced that he had signed a new contract that will keep him at the club for five more years.
“Max started with us a long time ago. He came from the under-23s, established himself in the first-team, and he had the chance to play many games last season, and he's doing well.
“He's doing well, he’s performed well, he’s working very hard and very committed, so I’m very pleased.
“If you know him personally, you can see that there's a fantastic boy there. A boy that really is committed, he's happy, and he sees embracing his own challenge of becoming better. He’s mature and is a good guy.”
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The development of Max Kilman
Kilman received the ‘Man of the Match’ award in Wolves’ win against Leeds United last time out, which shows just how far he has come on as a player. This time last season, Kilman wasn’t even in the first team picture but having worked hard behind the scenes, he could potentially find himself being a prominent starter in the Wolves XI as the season progresses.
“All the players are different, and all the players have their own characteristics, but the background and during the growing of Max as a player, made him different than others.
“But that has good things and has bad things, and I think during this time – more than two years he’s been here – we’ve been able to improve the routines that he had before, based on his background of Futsal, and all these things, to make him better in terms of what we want for him to perform in a pitch.
“We try to give as much info, solutions, work and details that can make players better, and this is the case of Max. This is a long process, and even before last season, he performed very, very well. Now the challenge is to sustain and grow from where his is.”
Nelson Semedo adapting to English football
Having been brought in to replace Matt Doherty in the summer, Nelson Semedo has shown signs of being a star for Wolves, but has also shown signs of being a potential weak link in the formidable starting XI that Wolves have.
“He’s done well, but it’s hard. I think it’s very difficult for all the players that come from other countries to accommodate fast to the Premier League, to the demands of the Premier League, the quality of the players they face, but Nelson is doing well.
“Of course, like everybody, he has things to improve.”
Semedo will be hoping that he can find his feet as soon as possible and have as much of an impact on the Wolves squad as Matt Doherty had before he moved away to Tottenham Hotspur.