WE’RE TOP BOYS NOW
Nuno heroes not daunted by mixing it with giants
NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO is a Portuguese boss who thinks his Wolves players are The Special Ones.
Nuno tries to guide his men through the tricky Europa League quarter-final with five-times winners Sevilla in Germany tonight.
And he says his men should not be fazed to be scrapping it out in the company of giants like Manchester United and Inter Milan.
Nuno took Wolves to the Championship title in his first season and then on to two successive seventh-place finishes in the Premier League.
He straight-bats those trying to heap all the credit on him and says his men, staff and supporters should take most of the credit for Wolves scaling such heights.
Nuno said: “This is a special group of players, no doubt about it. It will be a very tough game but let’s play – and let’s play good.
“It’s been a long, tough journey, especially when at the same time we have been competing in the strongest league in the world.
“To do that and still improve on our points from last season and be in the last eight says a lot.
“The players are amazing. Let’s go for it. We’re really looking forward to the game and hoping to compete well.”
One star who will not be there is wide man Jonny who ruptured knee ligaments in the victory over Olympiakos which saw them through to the mini-tournament. Nuno added:
“We know he’s going to be outside of this but his spirit is here with us. His injury was a tough moment for everybody because he is an amazing player.”
And the absence of fans is going to be just as hard with the Wolves boss saying: “It’s terrible, terrible. It is so sad to come to a stadium and know that neither your fans or the opposition supporters are going to be there.
“It’s the reality of the situation and you have to get through it. I hope they will enjoy the game.
“I can imagine how they are feeling. We felt it against Olympiacos and suffered at times. But we will try to make it worth it for them.”
Nuno says nothing his players do comes as a shock, adding: “It’s not a question of being surprised. We have created an identity and that is one of the most precious things in football.
“That’s based on a style of play and how to deal with the problems that come along the way and trying to create a team.
“We have our own identity and it’s based on strong foundations. We’re committed to the challenge.
“Our foundations are very strong. There’s a great bond among this squad. It’s not about one person.
“You need resilience and strong characters. It’s how they react to good and bad moments.
“I can’t say there’s one day when they are not committed to improving. The respect they have for each other is huge.”