Rui Patricio: Wolves can think big

The Portugal shot-stopper called on players, staff and fans to 'think bigger'.

The 30-year-old, due to face Scotland at Hampden tonight, said: “What we’ve done up until now, for me, without a doubt, it’s the best football in the world and it’s an amazing experience for any player. “If you enjoy playing, working hard and evolving, it’s a great experience.

“We want to establish ourselves in the Premier League but knowing the quality that we have and what we could do, we can have the ambition to do more. Not just stay in the Premier League but aim higher. This isn’t just the players, staff and club, but I think the fans can also think bigger.

“Talking about the fans, the atmosphere has been fantastic. Without a doubt when they say it’s the best football in the world, the fans have something to do with that. They go to football to watch a match but also to watch a show.

“They have so much respect in the stadiums, to the players, the coaches. It brings a spark to everyone and trust. The respect they have we feel it. The entrance, the fireworks, the lights; it’s a show at the football.”

Patricio is in the Portugal squad with Wolves team-mates Helder Costa and Ruben Neves, who – alongside Porugues head coach Nuno Espírito Santo and other Portuguese arrivals at the club – have made it easier for him to make the transition to life at Molineux.

“We’re in a team with a few Portuguese players which makes settling in easier," he said. "Our coach is Portuguese, so what’s happening now are the fruits of his labour. The structure that he’s created around us is very important.

“Nuno works at all levels. Physical, tactics, technical and psychological. He’s the leader of a very well-formed team that helps the athlete reach the highest level.

“He used to be a player, so he knows when he needs to speak to a player. He knows how to manage, and our team feels good. As players, we feel good. He knows when he needs to support us or tell us off.

“Nuno, for every game, manages to maintain every single player’s focus on the game at hand. Even if next week there’s a big game who are fighting to be champions, he can make us stay focused on the present and not look ahead to a couple of weeks.

“But the most important goal is to continue to feel good, to be happy and have the urge to train and carry on, for me this is the most important goal.

“If we always feel this, if we are good, we train good, we play good and things are good. If we are good with ourselves, we will be good with friends and without a doubt that’s a goal to continue.”