Nuno: 'Wolves are built from the back'
Nuno Espirito Santo is ready for the hectic Christmas schedule – and says the strength of his team’s defence goes ‘beyond statistics’.
Wolves embark on four matches in 11 days with a healthy four-point lead in the Championship.
They welcome Mick McCarthy’s Ipswich Town to Molineux on Saturday before travelling to Millwall on Boxing Day and Bristol City on December 30 and then hosting Brentford on January 2.
Nuno – who gave his players an extended weekend off after Friday’s 1-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday – said it will require a big effort from his squad.
“It’s going to be tough,” he said. “Now it’s the moment to rest, that’s what I told the boys, stay home, get back the power and the strength of what family gives you.
“It’s going to require a lot – but we are ready.”
Wolves kept their sixth clean sheet from eight matches at Hillsborough.
The same defensive trio of Willy Boly, Conor Coady and Ryan Bennett have started all of those games in what’s become a settled side, with Wolves making fewer changes to their XI this season (25 in total) than any other Championship side.
They have managed 16 clean sheets in all competitions already and Nuno said his team’s defensive strength was what underpinned their table-topping form.
“It’s always like that for me, it’s from behind – what supports the talent of this team is the quality of the character of our shape and our defence,” he said.
“(The clean sheets) say a lot about the boys, the way they defend, not only staying in the box, the way they press, the way they cover their backs and react to the ball, with possession. It goes beyond statistics.”
Meanwhile, tickets have now all sold out for Saturday. Additional tickets went on sale in the Stan Cullis lower quadrant this week with the Tractor Boys only selling 600 seats in the upper quadrant.
Those have now gone, meaning Wolves have filled Molineux for the third time this season after sell-outs against Middlesbrough and Villa.
