00:00Hello I'm Nathan Judah, I am your host and dad, this is the son, it is Mr. Liam
00:14Keen, Wolverhampton Wanderers reporter. Liam, it's day four, welcome, welcome
00:19Wolverhampton Wanderers and look, quicker training session today, afternoon
00:26training session, a little bit cooler, more of a slower pace and more tactical.
00:31I just realised we wore the same t-shirt. I was gonna say we do look a little bit
00:34farther into the match. That was not deliberate, I can promise you, oh no don't do that, yeah yeah
00:41definitely look we were here as they went through their sort of warm-up and
00:44drills just to get the feet moving and just get a little bit of a sweat on, not
00:48that difficult in these temperatures, yeah another hot one today despite what
00:52started about 5ish this afternoon. That's it, it's back now. Yeah exactly, of course, and then they, you know, Gary pulls everyone in, quick little
01:00huddle meeting on the pitch, the one line that sort of stuck out was
01:03today's session is basically gonna be a team meeting but on the pitch, it's very
01:08much, you know, tempo not right at the top, breaking things down a little more,
01:14breaking it down a bit more, using your brain a little bit more, obviously you've
01:17got to have, you know, get a little bit of sweat on, get your feet moving and you
01:20have to say you will do this in these temperatures, but considering yesterday
01:23they went through, you know, rigorous running, it was a gruelling session, yeah a bit
01:27more lighter today which I think was needed really, you have to have that balance.
01:31You've got to have the balance and like you say, you know, in previous days it's been very
01:35physical and it was definitely mental today, but there were still some very
01:38interesting set-piece manoeuvres and we talk about maybe Wolves haven't taken
01:42advantage of that with their height, with some of the players they've got in
01:45previous seasons, but you bring in someone like Larson as your number nine
01:49and all of a sudden a focal point of getting the ball into the mixer, with
01:54that, with your three centre-backs, with Kunjit, there's height there and it was
01:57very interesting to see how they used the ball today. Yeah, we've always said
02:03haven't we, last couple seasons, that Totti, Dawson and Kilman probably should have
02:06scored more from set-pieces. At the other end of the pitch, as you mentioned, we've
02:10now got Jorgen Strand-Larsen at six foot four, we've spoken about him a little bit
02:14on the podcast and other videos, big lad, but good with his feet, but what he does
02:19add, because of his size and his stature and his presence that he brings in the
02:23box, he brings a little bit of a different dynamic towards his forward
02:27line. Now, you know, they might go into the Arsenal game and they might start a
02:30front three of Neto, Hwang and Kunju and Larson might be on the
02:33bench, but you've got options there, whether it's from the bench from the
02:36start, it's just a different kind of thing really for the
02:40opposition defenders to think about. Look at Raul Jimenez when he was in his
02:43pomp really at Wolves, how many headed goals did he get? Wolves have missed that
02:48added aerial threat I think for quite some time and Larson is really, we
02:54hope, we will see, but we hope the answer to Wolves' struggles at number nine
02:59really since Jimenez's injury and that's not just aerial threat, that'll be
03:03across the board. Wolves need a focal point and hopefully he'll be
03:08the man. As you say, we saw a lot of these set-piece drills, you know,
03:12Tony Doyle whipping the ball in, Padenza whipping the ball in, a couple
03:15lovely deliveries from Padenza actually, and looking for angles. It might start
03:20out from a corner, be a direct corner in, in-swinger, sometimes if it's going to be
03:24an out-swinging corner it'll come out wide, then Padenza will whip it in
03:28from a sort of more, slightly less tight angle. Occasionally it'll then go back to
03:33the corner taker again, he'll whip it in again, so just finding different angles
03:37and different ways for the defenders to attack the ball and there was one
03:39moment Matt Docherty scored an absolute peach ball coming over, almost
03:45over his shoulder and he turns onto it, volley, bottom corner, lovely. You talk about the
03:48delivery and Tony Doyle was there on the right-hand side of Padenza and it was
03:52Rodrigo Gomez and Hugo Bueno, they're both similar in stature so they do look
03:56quite alike from a distance. You're struggling to remember who's who aren't you? It's interesting, but
03:59again, anything to read in there in Rodrigo Gomez? We've obviously seen him
04:03play on the left quite a lot so far on this trip. Yeah, we had and I won't give
04:08away too much from our exclusive interview with Rodrigo which will be
04:11coming very soon, but he did speak about the fact that yes he played a lot on both
04:17sides, probably a bit more on the right last season, which we spoke about in our previous
04:20videos as well, and that he has been playing on the left a lot so far in training, again
04:26not a game scenario, but training and he seems to prefer that. He's right-footed,
04:30cuts in on that right foot, we know that Gary likes inverted wide players so it's
04:35starting to seem like we're going to see Rodrigo Gomez on the left rather than the
04:39right and that'll be intriguing to see how he's going to set up once the Premier League
04:43does start to get underway. Yeah, it depends on what formation they play as well, I might have something to say about that.
04:50So with Pedro Neto, I think it's a fluid situation and of course when these guys come back from Portugal they could have joined
04:57some point in the USA, it would be interesting to see if Rodrigo Gomez goes across the other side, but I think it's very
05:03important, especially now when there is, to plug a few gaps to see what he can do on that left-hand side.
05:08So yeah, definitely one to watch. Another one to watch is a player who I think a lot of fans have been interested in, because they haven't seen too much of him, but their memories, albeit a while ago now, were very sweet and that's Chiquinho.
05:21Yeah, I mean we're talking 2022 really, aren't we? With his breakthrough, would you call it that I suppose?
05:29I think the potential was definitely there, the exciting potential we saw when we were really struggling, the Chelsea game, I think it was almost a right-wing back at times.
05:37A couple of assists, so there was definitely time then. It hasn't quite happened for him, injury and then a few different clubs and a loan, but he's back here.
05:44I think both of us have been pretty impressed with, not just himself on the ball, but also his physique, it looks like he's put on a couple of pounds, got a bit of muscle, he looks like a bloke now.
05:54Yeah, I agree with that, completely agree with that and alongside it, there's the obvious quality there, isn't there? He is a good footballer who I think, especially the way that we're expecting
06:06Wolves to play, and obviously we'll know more hopefully with the Como friendly on Monday and other friendlies to come, but the way we're expecting Wolves to play, I think he would fit into the system.
06:14As an option, don't get me wrong, I don't think he's going to start in the Premier League for Wolves straight away if he was to stay, but I think he would fit in as a good squad option and I think it just deepens the options available to Gary O'Neill.
06:23Again, it's similar to the Badence situation, does he want to be here, does he want to go elsewhere, is he going to get on with Gary?
06:31I don't think Chiquinho has ever really, as far as I'm aware, expressed a desire not to be here, but it's about fitting in with the dynamic and the group and he went to Stoke very briefly on loan last season in August, played I think only three or four games,
06:45fell out with Alex Neil, who was the manager at the time, very, very quickly and all of a sudden he was pulled out of that and before the window closed, sent over to Portugal.
06:53He did fairly well in Portugal, but he needs to fit in with what Gary wants from the group, he needs to, I suppose, be relatively humble in his approach because these are the kind of characters Gary wants around the team really, players who are going to not cause any issues.
07:07So if he can tick those boxes, I think there's a player there who can be part of the squad, but it's a big if and him as well as Badence are the two major decisions to make for that particular problem.
07:19Look, he's young, he's fit, he's obviously a really bad injury as well, he's lost a lot of time there, so it's very frustrating for him and he comes into this squad and I think a happier squad, I think a more together squad and look, completely different to what he was in 2022.
07:34So Gary O'Neill will be having his first look at him as well and it's probably one of those where you've got to sit down along with the likes of Daniel Payne, as you mentioned, and maybe Yerson Muscair and see where do you see this situation, where do you see this season, do you want to be here?
07:47As you say, absolutely nail on the head is that squad depth is very important and you have a Chiquinho coming off your bench or in and around who's motivated and I think that can only be a plus.
07:59And there's a third party involved here as well, this is what the club want as well, because Gary has a say, of course he does, he's the head coach, but head coach is the title.
08:09He focuses on the football, he gets involved in recruitment and he certainly has a say, but if Wolves get an offer they think is a good offer and they would like to let Chiquinho move on, then more likely than not he will move on.
08:25Because the club will make a decision that they think is best for them financially and I suppose there would be some football opinions of that as well.
08:31So if the club are happy for him to stay, if Chiquinho's happy to stay and is willing to do what Gary wants and if Gary wants him around the team and thinks he can bring something to the side, if those three things come together, he's a Wolves player.
08:43But you probably need all three to be honest, I don't think you can miss out on any of them.
08:47I completely agree and yet an early box for me has been ticked because obviously ability wise he looks pretty good and also he's here, he's on the flight, other players are not.
08:57Guedes, Fabio Silva and you feel that Chiquinho might have been in that group of, look you're going to find a club that's not working, if he didn't want to be here, if he didn't want to give it a go, if he wanted to try and get his fitness up, so at least he's here.
09:08And like I say, we like him, I know a lot of the fans like him, would like to see more of him, but ultimately it will be to the higher powers that be whether he stays with the club as well.
09:17Exactly that, yeah. I think if you get all three, that's a Wolves player. But you just can't be without all three of them.
09:26If you lose one of those, if Gary wants him and the club wants him and the player doesn't want to be here, unfortunately player power is very strong in modern football as we all know.
09:36So yeah, as I say, from a tactical point of view, forgetting him as a person, I think there's a player that fits into what Wolves are trying to do.
09:46And at his age and the experience he's managed to pick up over the last couple of years, regardless of the injury, although in many ways the injury could help him with a little bit of resilience.
09:55And if he has a little bit of luck, then I think there's a player who could do well here. He's scored goals, got a few assists in Portugal.
10:01It's not a Premier League, but it's a good league. And yeah, a really interesting one to keep an eye on.
10:06Schedule-wise, going forward between now and the end of the trip.
10:09Yes.
10:10Obviously the players had a nice little meal last night out.
10:12They did.
10:13They got to venture out. Their 45-minute session today, so a lighter session today, but straight back in with a double tomorrow.
10:19Straight back in with a double. Yeah, I think morning and evening sessions are going to be a tough one.
10:26And that's leading up to the Como game on Monday.
10:29So it makes sense they're going to have two, I imagine, relatively gruelling sessions tomorrow.
10:34Or certainly there'll be a lot of tactics involved as well heading into the game.
10:38And then Monday morning, we expect them to be free before an evening game against Como.
10:44Como, who are signing everyone under the sun at the moment.
10:46So yeah, we're really looking forward to that.
10:48I'm looking forward to that.
10:49I think it's going to be around here tomorrow on a pitch.
10:52I think hopefully a little bit of a change of scenery to give them a matchday feel.
10:57As best as you can, obviously, without it being an over-rep moment.
11:01Yeah, should be a good game.
11:03I'm looking forward to seeing them play for the first time in a long time.
11:06Monday morning, could you be sleeping off a little hangover?
11:09I hope I am, because we all know what's going on Sunday night.
11:14Is it coming home?
11:17I mean, look at our predictions for Saturday.
11:20There you go.
11:21It's coming home.
11:22We'll see you soon.
