O'Neil | “We’re just going to go at it full throttle” | Men's First Team | News

Although Gary O'Neil admits he and his players would like to have “miles more than two points” ahead of Saturday's game against Crystal Palace, he says the team firmly believes they have the ability to improve their season turn around.

With no new injury concerns ahead of the Eagles' visit and Sam Johnstone fit to potentially return to the side to face his former club, the head coach insists his side will do everything they can to ease some of the pressure good with the first three points of the season.

On the resistance in Brighton

“A moment like this in the season obviously brings some energy into the team. They didn't lack faith, but you need something to hold on to and it was a great response to a difficult situation.

“That was obviously an important point for us and now we know that we have a big home game this weekend that will definitely be difficult. Everyone has seen Crystal Palace in their last few appearances – or most of their recent appearances – but the last few results have been excellent and they will be a real test. But we bring some energy and real belief to the game.”

Johnstone may face his former club

“He and Jose both benefited from the situation. Sam hadn't played at Crystal Palace for a while and also picked up a serious injury during that time, but he came in and had a little aches and pains, but he trained well.

“Since Sam came in, Jose has shown he won’t give up his spot easily. Every day in training you can see a real iron determination in him and his performances. It's really good for the group that we both have pressure.

“Bents was excellent again today in some of the things he did, so the department is in a really good place. They have to keep pushing each other and then it’s up to me to make the right decision.”

Given the pressure from the fans

“I think the boys know that the job of a coach and that of a player comes with pressure. If you're not under pressure, it means you're not performing at a very high level. The fact that we are under pressure every day, every week is just that.

“Ten games mean nothing to me. After 38 we know where we stand. Why should 10 be different from 8, 12 or 14? There are no lines drawn anywhere. We always have the opportunity to change our position and we all know that the game plan was difficult for us, a very difficult start, but my biggest concern is always the points on the board.

“But secondary was how the group got through the difficult games. The response in Brighton shows where they are now. The performance against Manchester City shows where they are and we have to maintain that and get some points and belief and confidence from it.”

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Keep the faith

“I want to make sure our group knows we have enough in this building to push ourselves and make sure we are competitive. Our group is ready to go tomorrow and we understand that we have had a difficult start to the season.

“We would like to have miles more than two points, but what we are showing is that our faith and belief are intact. Any team that can come back from 2-0 down to fifth or sixth place in the league with five minutes left shows they still have plenty of fight and cohesion.

“This is a really positive sign and we need to use it again and take it into the future.”

About the fact that four players are about to be banned

“As always, I tell the players not to get soft yellow cards, but legitimate ones, which cannot be avoided in the modern game, which we have to accept. “That's where we are, and there's nothing we can do about it.

“But I'll just remind them not to give away cheap ones and keep the guys available as long as possible.”

At the start of Palace's season

“They lost two really good players in Anderson and Olise and that played a big part in their start. We played against that Palace team at the end of last season when they were successful and I thought Anderson played brilliantly against us that day and Olise is obviously a top player, so the loss had an impact.

“They've had some difficult games but I think the only way they lag behind Liverpool is that they limit the opposition to chances from open play, so they're a really difficult form to play against. When you play them at home it can get frustrating because they are difficult to break and you have to be very good with the ball and very precise when you get your moments.

“But we know what to expect from them because they are always the same, a back five, they try to be aggressive, they don't spend too much time building up the game, they play for a lot of time and are one of the more direct Teams in the league, so they're going to test us.

“We have to bring our own style and our own personality and the energy that Molineux can generate, especially in an evening kick-off and I'm sure it will be dark by 5.30pm and it always feels like that There will be a little more energy in the stadium by then, so I'm looking forward to it because it's an opportunity for us.”

About playing under the lights of Molineux

“Myself, the players, the staff, we all want the fans to support us. We're just going to attack it full throttle. It won't be easy and there will be moments that won't always look pretty due to the style of the team we're playing and the difficulty of creating chances against them.

“I'm sure the moments will be frustrating, but from the moment we arrive until the final whistle we will give everything to ensure we emerge victorious. I’m sure if we take care of everything we talked about last week, we have a really good chance.”