Marshall Munetsi believes the passion and knowledge new head coach Rob Edwards has for Wolves will be beneficial to the team’s chances of turning their season around.
With just two points from their first 11 games of the campaign, Wolves currently sit bottom of the Premier League table, but despite the disappointing start to the season, Munetsi is confident the change of coach will instil new belief and fight into the players.
The Zimbabwe captain requested to remain at Compton Park this week rather than joining up with his national team so he could have more time to work under the new boss, and the midfielder believes this week will be crucial as the players look to get off to the best possible start under Edwards when facing Crystal Palace at Molineux this weekend.
On a first week of training under Edwards
“It’s been amazing. The way he has had instant impact, because he’s a person who knows the club, so for him coming in, he really knows what he’s doing and his training sessions are really good.
“He has also addressed some of the key areas that we need to improve, and those are some of the things that he really specified that we need to improve on and work on.
“That’s something that we also need to implement as players to make sure that we improve the whole team in general.
“He has really spoken about us being more solid, trying to keep more clean sheets, because we’ve been conceding a lot of goals. Those are some of the key areas that come Saturday we really need to show what we have been training with him this this week.”
On having a head coach who knows the club
“For him to accept the job, we knew already what the club means to him. Even for the supporters, the way they received him was really special and it also helps you know the cause.
“For us as players, we are coming from the outside, and for him, he has been somebody who has been on the inside of this club for a long time.
“He will help us as players to understand the club better, to understand the city better, and that will help us to connect as a team and this is something that could be very special.”
On turning the season around
“I definitely believe we can. As professionals, this is something that we do. This is our job. This is our life. This is something that we always look to every day when we wake up – we want to change the whole situation.
“We really can’t say what has been going wrong, because the players and the previous manager really tried to get good results, but unfortunately, sometimes football gives you situations like this.
“But we have to really look deeper into ourselves and try to find a way to come out of this situation by working as a team and by fighting as a team.
“Everyone is really focused on that achievement and obviously some guys went to international break and qualified for the World Cup, so that will also be a big confidence boost for them, and this is something that also will help us and help to push us in the right direction.
On remaining at Compton this week
“I thought it’ll be good for me to remain at Wolves and that it will be good for my body to be in the right state, especially considering the season that I’ve had so far.
“All of us are trying to look at different situations to improve our game, to improve the situation of the club. We will see when we play the next game, at home, to try to get a good result so everybody feels that we are moving in the right direction.”
On facing Crystal Palace this weekend
“As soon as the first whistle goes we just have to be very confident, and make sure that we put the past that has happened behind us.
“We need to try to start on a clean slate because we have a new manager now, with new ideas and new ways of working so it will definitely have to show when we play the first game at home against Crystal Palace.
“We know it’s not going to be easy, but we have to make sure that we fight as a team.”
On giving everything for the badge
“The first thing we need to do is show fight – show the fans that we’re fighting on the pitch to try and score and keep a clean sheet.
“This is something that the supporters demand, and we are all conscious about that, because we haven’t had the best of results, so you would understand the frustration, because they love the team, they love the players, and they want to see us in a better position.
“We need to make sure that we get a very good result at home because that will boost everything. From the situation when I came last season, I came in when the team was having that transition, and the supporters were backing us and this is a similar situation that we’re in.
“Now it’s just a matter of us as players showing it on the pitch, and if we do that then I know for sure that they will rally behind us.”
