Willy Boly: Wolves rapid rise no surprise to players
Defensive ace Willy Boly claims Wolves’ rapid rise has come as no surprise to players as they look to turn up the heat on the Premier League top four.
Sixth-placed Wolves host Brighton on Saturday aiming to make it three straight wins in the top flight for the first time this season.
The visit of the Seagulls is the first of four consecutive Premier League matches against sides in the bottom six, a run which offers Nuno Espirito Santo’s men the chance to further bolster their Champions League credentials.
Wolves are also through to the last-16 of this season’s Europa League and while their success continues to be regarded as something of a surprise outside Molineux, Boly insists it is not a shock to anyone inside the club.
“We are still growing and I think every year we are bringing players to help the team,” he told Premier League TV.
“I don’t think we are surprised to be here. We are working every day, every week and we want to work more.”
Boly has been a key figure in the club’s rise from the Championship since joining from Porto in the summer of 2017, shortly after head coach Nuno’s arrival at Molineux.
He said: “When I came to Wolves I had a meeting with the gaffer and he told me not to worry, we would go up (from the Championship).
“The team was quite low down then but he told me we are going to get more players and every year improve the team. It was true.
“He didn’t speak about (Europe) but he said we were going to grow and get the team, not to the middle of the table, but the top. We are near the top of the table now, so he did not lie.”
Wolves have continued to ride high in the Premier League despite having played more matches than any other team courtesy of their Europa League excursions.
Boly believes their efficiency on the pitch has helped them cope with the workload.
He explained: “I was speaking to my agent the other day and he told me we run less than many other teams. Maybe that is because our organisation is very good.”
Boly continued: “When we run, we run for something. We set the trap and when the ball comes into our trap we get it. It is because our organisation is very good.
“Every team sets traps, hopefully our traps work best.
“We have a lot of sprints and maybe that is because we play on the counter-attack and have fast players up front.
“Joao Moutinho, he knows where he has to run and he knows he does not have to look back to see if the other player is helping him. It is because of the organisation.”
