Jorgen Strand Larsen says he studied the best runs to make whilst on the substitute’s bench on Sunday, which helped him bag a crucial equaliser for Wolves at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Norwegian started with a watching brief in the capital and studiously watched the opening 45 minutes, where Wolves took the lead but went in for the break behind. That prepared Strand Larsen well for the second half, and when Rayan Ait-Nouri was in possession he knew the run to make, putting him in a position to earn an important point three minutes from time, extending Vitor Pereira’s unbeaten start.
On an impressive point at Spurs
“It was big, to be honest. It was a was a tough game. We know that Spurs away is a really tough game, a lot of goals. The most important thing is to stay in the game, and that's what we did and in the end we got a draw. The first 30 minutes were good. Not many chances at both ends. But they missed the penalty, and I think that was a crucial part of the game.”
Jorgen's seventh @premierleague goal of the season.
— Wolves (@Wolves) December 30, 2024
🇳🇴👏 pic.twitter.com/5dcZmQ3z4n
On his crucial equaliser
“We work on this a lot. I know Rayan likes to go inside, so I like to go on the small runs. Normally I would like to pass it back into the goal, but I didn't see anyone, so I just had to go for it. Top corner, that's always nice. It's been a while now without a goal, so it was about time. To score a goal like that is difficult, but it's always a great feeling.
“As a striker, you're always looking for where to score the goals. Me and Channy have a good relationship. We had a talk at half-time about where the spaces were. When you're on the bench, you have to be aware of where the spaces are. I think that that kind of run was really open, and that's where my goal came from as well.
“It's a nice feeling having my family in the stands and scoring a goal, and then hearing my name afterwards. It's nice being in England, I like the atmosphere here.”
On the half-time message from Pereira
“He was really calm, and that was important. He just said a few things, and then he had to make two changes. I got called up at the last minute because Cunha felt something, but we managed well with the injuries. We got in at half-time and the message was just to stay in the game, and that's what we did so far.”
On the head coach’s impact
“To be honest, the spirit has always been there. It's just been a few details changing to be more positive with each other, and to build a team. I think that's the most important. We win and we lose together. We were losing for most of the game together, and then we came back as a team. That spirit is really important, and they bring a lot of energy on the bench, each one of them, and that's helping us to always stay in the games, never give up. I think this has been a brilliant start.
“It's been really short, we haven't had a lot of training sessions together, but the message is clear. It's about being a team, and I think that Gary and the last staff tried that as well. They've been bringing a lot of good energy in, and that's really important for us. It's been a really great start, and hopefully we can continue.
“It’s been mostly on the tactic board, so we can get a few good sessions in, and also an important rest, because this week has been really tough.”
