Rob Edwards: We still haven't found our rhythm, and our defensive organization isn't ideal either.

Rob Edwards stated that he could not accept the team's start to the game against Brighton. At Amex Stadium, Wolves conceded two goals within the first five minutes. Despite some improvement and chances created in the second half, falling behind too early made a comeback almost inevitable.  

Brighton, who started slowly, seized their opportunities and fought hard in the match, striving to secure a European qualification spot. After the game, the manager appeared quite disappointed in the players' tunnel, believing that if the team had performed better in the early stages, they could have controlled the game more effectively and won.  

Rob Edwards said: "For the first five minutes, we were in a rather loose rhythm. You can't start a Premier League match like that. After kickoff, we got a throw-in, but instead of pushing forward, we sent the ball straight into Brighton's high-pressing zone, and before we could adjust, we were down 0-1. When we conceded the second goal, we still hadn't found our rhythm, and our defense lacked organization."  

"It's really disappointing. The players didn't do their jobs. The players in the defensive zone couldn't even control the ball, which shouldn't have happened. I can accept losing to an opponent like this. We know they are currently stronger than us overall, but giving them such an opportunity at the start is unacceptable to me. We might be beaten by their brilliant teamwork, and they certainly have that ability because they have excellent players. But starting the game like this is unacceptable to me."  

"People are indeed hard to predict sometimes. We're not controlling the game with a game controller on the field. Unfortunately, players make mistakes, and today we paid the price for that from the very beginning. Perhaps the first goal conceded affected the team for a few minutes, and the same was true for the second, because we had problems handling corner kicks. The pre-match preparation was thorough, the warm-up was excellent, and the messages we conveyed were correct, as were those of our opponents. But the moment the players step onto the field, they must fulfill their responsibilities."  

"It wasn't that we lacked effort, but rather that we weren't mentally committed enough and lacked focus. Although our opponents did start very aggressively, I can't accept that we lost the game in this way. If we hadn't conceded the first two goals, we knew we had a chance to fight back, and we certainly did. I don't think it's an attitude problem, but rather a problem with our focus."  

“We did create some chances in the first half. When we advanced forward and successfully broke through the opponent's defense, we were threatening. We also tried to force the opponent to make long passes by pressing aggressively, but once we regained possession, we had to control the situation better. However, many times we did not handle the second ball well after clearing it with our headers, and the opponent regained possession and opened up space.”  

“We improved in the second half and hit the crossbar. Tolu Arokdare had a chance, Adam Armstrong had a somewhat chaotic shot, and Charney’s attempt was probably offside. If we could have brought it back to 2-1, the game would still have been very close. At halftime, we also reminded the players that we had come back from 0-2 down against Arsenal and Brentford before, and that the team has that kind of resilience and belief.”  

Image source: Internet/Wolves official website