Wolves vs Nottingham Forest - Liam Keen and Nathan Judah preview
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00:00Hello, I'm Nathan Judo, I'm here with Wolves reporter, Mr. Liam Keane. Liam, we've just
00:13heard from Vitor Pereira ahead of the big game on Monday Night Football. It's Portuguese
00:18manager versus some other Portuguese guy. Wolves against Forest, he was in good form
00:22as you would be, 7 points from 3 games. Let's go with the injuries first, how are Wolves
00:26looking ahead of Monday Night? Yes, so they have got a handful of issues, obviously Totti
00:31we know is out, 3-4 weeks of hamstring problem. Asked about Lamina and Sarabia who have both
00:36got calf issues, said that they're both not quite ready and he's waiting for the players
00:41to come forward and say we're ready to play and he doesn't want to push them into something
00:46and then being injured further. So without those two still, but otherwise I think Wolves
00:52should be relatively okay of course with Amateus Cunha after his ban. Yes, a few guys
00:58have gone away, Andre, the hopeful he's going to be able to play? Yes, so injury-wise fine,
01:05Kloppsy came off, didn't even partway through the Spurs game in that second half, but he
01:10has gone back to Brazil, he's still there at the moment. The birth of his son, he's
01:13gone back to be with his family, which Pereira was happy to grant him and go over there.
01:19But the agreement or commitment as Pereira described it is that Andre will be back and
01:24available for the game. We were talking just in there after the press conference, makes
01:29you wonder whether maybe he might be on the bench rather than starting, but either way
01:33they're expecting him to be back and available. Which is good news. A bit on Matt Doherty
01:38who has had a frustrating season, especially under Gary O'Neill, didn't really get his
01:42chances, has got a chance even though Nelson Samedo is still playing in this side as the
01:47right-hand side of a centre-back trio. But it was interesting Pereira talking about not
01:52playing with three centre-backs, he plays with three defenders and then being able to
01:56go forward and create spaces for other players, but also defender centre-backs and that's
02:00what he wants, he wants players who are fluid. Yes, it's quite, I suppose, in some ways
02:06bold and an adventurous way of playing because he does want, if they're not going to be
02:11a centre-back that can play with the ball, be aggressive, break the lines and come forward,
02:16he wants someone who is a full-back that can do that in a back three. That's exactly
02:20what Doc's doing at the moment. He did suggest that he could play two full-backs and one
02:23centre-back or two centre-backs and one full-back. I think he's relatively fluid in how he will
02:29play it, but he does want his players to have certain characteristics and at the moment
02:34Doc is doing just that and providing just that. He's been excellent, hasn't he? He really
02:39has. He's suited, I think his physicality has really suited that position, he's helped
02:43Wolves, I think, aerially and defensively. You do lose a little bit of him going forward,
02:47albeit with him being aggressive in that position, he does carry the ball a lot more than he
02:51would do runs without the ball, I suppose, more as a wing-back. And it's worked, it's
02:55worked so far, so long may it continue. Yes, it's worked so far, at the same time, January
03:00window is open, centre-back is obviously the priority, what do you say about getting someone
03:05over the line? Yes, he was pretty clear that he wants a relatively small squad, that he
03:11wants to use academy players, that he was asked about Kevin Danzo in particular and
03:15obviously refused to speculate on individual players. We did say that Wolves were working
03:18hard to bring in one or two signings, but he did make it very clear that it's not going
03:22to be wholesale changes, I think, which was probably the most important part of that broadcast
03:27section, which is probably expected as well, really. He was asked about Lamina and a potential
03:33departure there and said, interesting turn of phrase, whether it was lost in translation
03:38or not. At the moment, it was the phrase he used, but he did say, he is our player
03:42and because of that, he's in my plans. Of course, there's been a lot of speculation
03:45with him, but Wolves, I think, based on what we hear and speaking to Pereira in the press
03:51conference, would like to do enough business to make this team competitive and balanced
03:55without completely ripping up and starting again. And if they continue with the performances
03:59they've had so far and the results they've had so far, then they should be just fine.
04:02Forests are obviously flying high, third in the table in believable season. Bundo Nuno
04:06is hoping to take them, unfashionable side, into Europe as well, obviously do the same
04:09with Wolves. At the same time, Liam, when you have third versus 17th, you expect probably
04:15the third place side to come and win easily. I think this is going to be a tight game and
04:18a close game, even without Mateus Cunha. Yeah, Forests have been brilliant. They really have.
04:23Look, they've had a fantastic season so far under a fantastic manager that Wolves fans
04:27know all too well. But we spoke about on the podcast that you combine the two squads or
04:33compare the two squads. Wolves are arguably better or at least very competitive with a
04:39Forests team that, yes, have plenty of very good players, but maybe slightly punching
04:43above their weight. Doesn't mean by any means that Wolves will turn them over, of course.
04:46It's going to be a difficult game, but I think it will be tighter and closer than, as you
04:50suggested, the table suggests. So Wolves have to use that home advantage to their advantage.
04:55The fans were fantastic in the United game back at Molineux. There has to be that 12th
05:01man again, and Vitor Pereira was calling for that as well in that press conference.
05:04If you have that, you create that kind of atmosphere on Monday night under the lights
05:07at Molineux, we know how special it can be. Give Nuno the welcome that he deserves, but
05:12then after that, once the whistle blows, it's all business. Yeah, and we've had him at Molineux
05:15before, so it's fine. I don't give him too much of a welcome. I'll give him a wave afterwards.
05:21I wonder if he remembers you? Well, you know, never know. Look, in terms of team, in terms
05:27of team on Monday night, Matheus Cunha comes out of the side, but any more changes that
05:33you would expect? The Andre one is a big question mark, with him being back in Brazil. My predictor
05:3911 has already gone out on our website and I had Andre in it, so I'll stick with him
05:42in it. I'm not changing it now. I'll take you to that. But Tommy Dole is definitely
05:46a possibility to come in. Yes, and he's spoken very warmingly about Tommy Dole, hasn't he?
05:50He has, rightly so as well, I think. And actually not a bad game for him to come into, actually.
05:54No, it's not at home in particular. But with that, I think Guedes and Larsen have to come
05:58back in. They were rested with it being the third game in a week and Pereira was particularly
06:04concerned about those two getting injured. So I think they come back in and start with
06:08it being eight days or so between the two games. With Cunha being out, I would expect
06:13Hwang to keep his place and provided Andre is in, that should probably be just about
06:17it with the changes. I don't foresee the goalkeeper, the wing-backs, any of the other midfielders
06:23changing. I think Wolves have proved with this team so far that they're getting the
06:26results. We've both gone for the same prediction in the Wolves' potty this week. Do you want
06:29to let the peeps know what it is? 2-2 at Desmond. Hopefully an entertaining game and Forest
06:36have been brilliant. So I don't expect Wolves to necessarily dominate it, but I think Wolves
06:40have got enough quality to get results, certainly. Scorers? You know, your mind instantly goes
06:45to Mateus Cunha, even though he's not going to be playing. Larsen adds another. And let's
06:51go for Geddes. Geddes, OK. He's got a good goal and assist record from minutes to minutes.
06:58I'm going to go for Hwang Hee Chan and, from nowhere, back post, first of the season for
07:05Craig Dawson. Wow, OK, we'll take it. Craig Dawson. He's very good in the air, so I'll
07:10take that. Myself and Cunha will be at the game, of course. We'll see you on Monday night.