Press news in....

Daniel Farke addresses the media ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers v Norwich City. Updates to come from 12.30pm.
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DF: It was a great performance against Liverpool, I'd say that of recent weeks. We were unlucky to make a sensation there and be the first team to beat them. We can't pay too much attention to it though, we've spoke about the positives and focused on Wolves the whole week.

DF: It'll take six or seven wins for safety, we know we need to come as close to 40 points as possible. It's not like we pray for other teams to draw or get beat, it's in our hands. We need to win more points, so we need to concentrate on our games.

DF: It's always tricky during the transfer window among the rumours, each club has this topic though. We are in a much, much better financial situation than previous seasons. We were pretty clear within our office that we wouldn't sell any player in the transfer window.

DF: We are planning for different scenarios, but we're not so tempted to speak of the next season, it's not like we've already raised the white flag and prepare for the Championship. Our main topic is to be as successful in the next couple weeks, the other topics aren't so important.

DF: Wolves are playing well in Europe and a solid team in the Premier League, they're fighting for Europe next season again. I don't see any easy fixture for us, it's important for us to focus on our topics to bring out our football. If we do that, we have a chance wherever we go, let alone Wolves.

DF: Shae Hutchinson is proof of how we act as a club. We have always taken care of our players and look after them. He's in the best hands. We don't look at our players like business, but human beings.

DF: Performance wise, we're definitely on the right path. Losing 1-0 to Liverpool isn't the end of the world, it's actually got a lot of positives. The away games in recent weeks have also been good. If we can do this again, we have the chance to stay in this league.

DF: It was good to have Ben Godfrey back. The decision was not too big, he was out for around ten weeks and put straight back in against Bournemouth. I'm always tempted to bring Ben back in. If he's on his top level, it isn't a question.

DF: You learn out of every game. We dominated our last game against Wolves, the game should've been buried at half-time. In football, small details can change your world.

DF: It's always good for a striker when he scores goals, to be fair it was not an easy game for him against Liverpool. It wasn't a situation where he could create ten chances.
It was difficult to score, it's not like we could say he needed to score. Mane was unbelievable against us, but if you look a season back even they missed chances.

DF: Sadly I have bad news in terms of injury. Sam Byram will be out the whole season. He needed surgery and will be out about four months.

DF: Christoph Zimmermann is a major doubt, due to hamstring problems from the Liverpool game.

DF: Onel Hernandez had an incident in training with his knee and is also a major doubt. He's with our physios right now. I hope it isn't the same injury as before, but it is the same knee.

DF: Timm Klose is doing well in his rehab, he's not with the team just yet, but hopefully he isn't too far away from joining team training. It would be a major boost if he could come back. He would need a bit of time after being out for so many months, but he's important for the group's confidence and spirit.

DF: In general, when a key player like Sam is not available it is bad news. We have to replace him for the whole season, not just one game. But, I have to give a huge compliment to Jamal Lewis. He was top-class in training. It felt unbelieveably harsh to leave Jamal out after playing nearly every minute last season.

DF: To defend against Mohamed Salah, who is one of, if not the best, winger in the world is a great achievement for Jamal.

DF: Emi Buendia is always in my thoughts. Last season we found it quite complicated to win games without him. I know the impact of Buendia. It's a different level now though and Emi is unbelieveably young. He's now playing in the best league in the world. I think he was fantastic at the start of the season, then had to wait on the sidelines for a while, but he came back with the perfect reaction. He's finding it quite difficult to come back from his injury, but that happens with every player that young.

DF: If we're honest, against Newcastle Emi wasn't himself. I got the feeling before Liverpool that he wasn't completely 100%. We felt it wasn't the right moment to bring him in against the best defenders in the world.

DF: It's important to be honest, it's not about statistics, it's about the teams success. It's important we can't forget that Buendia isn't playing at this level like Lionel Messi does for Barcelona. At the moment, he has to be 100% to make the difference. No one is more tempted to bring him back in the starting line-up than me, but I also have to protect him and make sure he plays him at his best.

DF: Wolves are sticking to their principles. I think it's a credit to Nuno Espirito Santo's work. It's so difficult to make even a chance against Wolves. I felt in our game we made the most chances against them than any team in the League has. It's a difficult task against a difficult team.

DF: I'm not jealous of Nuno Espirito Santo's position financially. I think we have to accept that a club like Aston Villa is able to spend £200 million in a transfer window, like Wolves. We will fight with our tools. It won't benefit us to complain about their financial situation or contacts in the club.

DF: Stuart Webber is crucial to the club. He is so important for the mid and long-term future. It's more important that he is here than any player or coach.

DF: Life for me isn't about titles or success, it's about relationships with people. I feel honored to work in this responsible role for this amazing club. Some coaches feel it's important to work with titles or money, but for me it's more special to work in a club with unity.

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That's all from the boss this afternoon! Thanks for following today's live blog!

Posted By: DrDublin on February 21st 2020 at 13:20:23

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