Rob Edwards has defended the commitment of his Wolverhampton Wanderers squad following a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux on Saturday. The loss marked a third consecutive defeat for Wolves, prompting some fans to voice their frustration with boos at the final whistle.
Despite the result, Edwards remains confident that his players have not downed tools and are determined to fight in the remaining four games of the Premier League season. Speaking after the match, the Wolves head coach emphasised the importance of maintaining effort levels.
Edwards: 'They gave their all'
“There's obviously a lot more to it than just turning up and winning the games. We know that at the level we're at as well,” Edwards said. “But the situation is there's four more games left and we've got to make sure that we turn up and we fight.”
Edwards revealed that he personally assessed each player after the match and found no evidence of a lack of effort. “I looked around the room at the very end and went round every single one of them. There's not one there I could say gave up or didn't try. Not one of them. They gave their all,” he added.
The head coach acknowledged that the team was lacking in certain areas but stressed that the game was finely balanced. “It wasn't (lack of) effort or anyone giving up or downing tools. We've got to make sure that we continue that for the next four games,” he said.
Youngsters given rare starts
Edwards handed rare starts to Pedro Lima and Rodrigo Gomes, with Wolves reportedly keen to retain both players as the club prepares for life in the Championship. The decision to include them was partly with an eye on the future, but Edwards insisted the primary motivation was to win the match.
“It was with an eye on winning the game. They deserved it and I thought they actually performed really well,” Edwards explained. “We knew we needed a lot of legs. Tottenham run hard, their motivation level is incredibly high. Roberto De Zerbi’s come in, who has loads of energy and everything as well, and we had to be able to match that.”
The Wolves boss also highlighted his tactical approach in the second half, introducing Tolu late on to add attacking impetus. “We tried to push. That was why we put Tolu on without having many minutes to go. We wanted to go with another striker and we tried to push. We felt like we were in the ascendancy in that second half, which we were,” he said.
With only four games remaining, Edwards is focused on finishing the season on a positive note and ensuring his squad continues to demonstrate the fighting spirit he saw against Tottenham.
