Rob Edwards: We still have goals to strive for, so this game is still very important.

Ahead of their final Premier League match of the season, away against Burnley, Wolves manager Rob Edwards stated that the team still hopes to finish the difficult season in 19th place. Wolves spent most of the 2025/26 season at the bottom of the table, but a victory against already relegated Burnley in their final game would see them overtake them in the standings.  

Rob Edwards stated that the past few weeks have been extremely difficult for Wolves since their relegation was confirmed. However, he believes the fighting spirit shown by the team in their last home draw against Fulham demonstrates that the players are still giving their all and hoping to leave some positive traces in this disappointing season.  

When discussing the goals for the final round of the season, Rob Edwards said, "Nobody wants to finish last in the league, and I believe that's true for any team. So, this is still a goal that we as a team can strive for and achieve."  

"It's important for the team to still have a goal to strive for, even though this is clearly not the situation we originally hoped for. This is not the season ending the team wanted, nor is it the result the fans expected. But at least for now, we still have something worth fighting for, so this game still has meaning."  

"The players may each have different goals and motivations, but from the perspective of the team as a whole, this is the only thing we need to focus on right now. At the same time, this will also be the last game we play together with the current lineup, because a lot of changes will definitely happen in the future."  

Speaking about Burnley, Rob Edwards said: "Burnley will definitely give it their all. Everyone saw how they performed against Arsenal before. Even against title contenders, they still make the game very difficult because they are also fighting for their goals. That's the Premier League; no game is easy."  

“I know we are the last two teams in the standings this season, but both sides still have excellent players who are very professional. Everyone wants to prove themselves, just like many of our players. They are fighting for their future and thinking about whether they can stay with the team next season, so they will definitely want to play well.”  

When asked whether the players still agree with his coaching philosophy, Rob Edwards said, "I think that's reflected in our coaching. It's very difficult to achieve results immediately when you first take over a team because we have a lot of work to do. The players' confidence was very low at the time, and we had to make adjustments and changes in many areas."  

"After that, we went through a pretty good period and got some points. Even though we had some losses, the team rebuilt some hope and belief. Then we went through a long period of slump, with three consecutive losses that ultimately led to relegation. Perhaps this brought more negative emotions back to the team."  

"But we've still managed some results in our recent home games, and our performance against Fulham shows that the team is still standing with us, still fighting and working hard. Against a team vying for European qualification, we created enough chances and should have won the game. So the players are definitely fighting hard, there's no doubt about that. And those players who will stay with the team and participate in preseason training will truly identify with our philosophy because they are the ones who have chosen to stay here."  

When asked if he and his coaching staff still maintained their fighting spirit, he said, "My coaching staff and I never need to deliberately motivate ourselves. We are preparing for the Premier League, and only 20 teams in the world can stand on this stage, so that in itself is enough to get us involved."  

"The real challenge is the weeks following the relegation confirmation. Before that, we still had at least a glimmer of hope. But once relegation becomes a fait accompli, the players' mentality may change by 1% or 2%, which is understandable, after all, they are just ordinary people. But for me, it's also a completely new experience. Even when I was managing Luton, we always kept our hopes of staying in the league until the last round, so there was always a goal to chase, but this time the situation is different."  

“My coaching staff and I have to maintain the team’s form and standards every day, and it is indeed difficult for the players. However, as long as our demands and standards do not drop, the players will respond. Just like last week, we still played well against a team that is vying for European qualification. We were still fighting until the penultimate game, and we must continue to maintain this form on Sunday.”  

Image source: Internet/Wolves official website