Cesar Peixoto has made it clear that Wolves must respond after the Everton defeat, with the head coach insisting his side have to stay strong, remain competitive and turn encouraging performances into better results ahead of the derby.
Wolves suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but Peixoto was far from disappointed with the overall performance of his players.
The Portuguese coach believes Wolves showed enough organisation, determination and quality to compete against Premier League opposition, even though they ultimately left without a point.
“I’m happy with the performance, not the result,” Peixoto said after the Everton defeat.
His assessment underlined the difference between the performance and the final scoreline.
Wolves battled throughout the contest and, according to their head coach, the result could easily have gone their way.
However, the Everton defeat also highlighted the biggest issue Wolves must address moving forward: performances need to produce results.
That will now become a major focus for Peixoto ahead of the derby.
The manager’s message after the Everton defeat was clear.
“Now we have to stay strong and fight in the next game,” he said.
Peixoto also used the Everton defeat as an opportunity to assess the depth of his squad.
The Wolves boss made nine changes from the side that featured in their previous Championship fixture, giving several players the opportunity to demonstrate that they can contribute when called upon.
Konan, Bellegarde and Bertrand all made their first appearances of the season, while other players were also given valuable minutes.
Rather than viewing the changes as a weakness, Peixoto believes the performances provided evidence that Wolves have genuine options throughout the squad.
“It’s important,” he said. “Today they showed me that we have a team.”
The manager’s comments are significant because Wolves will need contributions from more than their regular starting players if they are going to remain competitive throughout the season.
Peixoto stressed that he does not want Wolves to depend on just 11 players.
“We don’t only have a starting eleven,” he explained. “We have a team capable of fighting and playing, and a lot of options to manage games whether that’s in the starting eleven or from the bench.”
That is one of the main positives Peixoto has taken from the Everton defeat.
Although the result was disappointing, several players were able to gain important match minutes and show the manager what they can offer.
For Peixoto, that gives Wolves more possibilities when preparing for the derby.
The head coach can now look at the performances of those players when deciding how to approach the next fixture, while also demanding a stronger outcome after the Everton defeat.
There was another major setback for Wolves during the match, with Raul Jimenez forced off during the first half.
Peixoto revealed after the Everton defeat that the Mexican forward suffered a small knee injury and is expected to be unavailable for a few weeks.
The injury came as a major disappointment because Jimenez remains an important player for the Wolves manager.
Peixoto explained that Jimenez had been scheduled to play only 45 minutes as part of the club’s management of his fitness.
The forward had not played a full 90 minutes in the previous game, and the Wolves boss believed he needed some minutes to maintain his fitness.
Unfortunately for Wolves, the plan ended with Jimenez leaving the pitch earlier than expected.
Despite that setback, Peixoto’s attention is already turning towards the response required after the Everton defeat.
The manager believes his players demonstrated that they have the quality and depth to compete, but the next step is ensuring those performances are converted into points.
That makes the derby particularly important for Wolves.
Peixoto has seen how his squad responded against Everton, identified areas that need improvement and gained a clearer picture of the players available to him.
Now he will expect his team to put those lessons into practice.
The message from the Wolves boss after the Everton defeat is therefore not one of panic, but of responsibility.
He wants his players to stay together, remain competitive and fight for the result in their next match.
The Everton defeat may have ended in disappointment, but Peixoto believes there were enough positives to build on.
The challenge now is to fix what needs fixing, maintain the strengths displayed at Everton and produce the response Wolves need when the derby arrives.
For Peixoto, the next game provides the opportunity to show that the lessons from the Everton defeat have been taken on board.
