Daniel Podence made over 100 appearances for Wolves in his three seasons at Molineux, contributing decent returns in goals and assists, but ultimately not becoming a nailed-on starter.
A mainly rotational piece at Wolves, Podence went out on loan to former club Olympiacos two seasons ago, before being sold to Al Shabab the summer before last.
But he has ended up back in Greece on another loan, and is preparing to face off against Arsenal in this week’s Champions League action.
- UEFA Champions League
-
ArsenalArsenal
Olympiakos PiraeusOlympiakos Piraeus
-
Ahead of the game, Podence was asked about his time in the Premier League, and he pointed out one difference between Wolves and his current club that might rub fans the wrong way.
Daniel Podence makes questionable Wolves claim
Podence was the man to represent the Greek champions in front of the English media, and they made sure to ask him about his own time in the top flight in the pre-match press conference.
Asked about the difference between the leagues, the Portuguese winger gave the standard response, which was: “The Premier League is the most competitive league in the world, mainly because of the pace; there aren’t many other competitions played at that speed. That’s the big difference.”
But he didn’t stop there. Podence made a comparison between Wolves and his current side, and it’s not the most flattering.
He said: “Playing for Olympiacos now is different from when I was at Wolves, because the goal for Olympiacos is to win every single game – that’s why I’m happy to be back here, because I always push for victory.
“At Wolves, every match was tough and fast, but at Olympiacos we always play with the objective of winning.”
Maybe the former Molineux regular didn’t mean it as it sounds, but the suggestion seems to be that Wolves weren’t good enough to play to win. The Old Gold catching strays.
Wolves pushed for victory against Spurs
Podence’s remarks certainly don’t apply to Wolves’ most recent outing, where they took the game to Spurs on the road, and came within a minute of earning all three points.
But that aggressive approach to games has admittedly been missing in many of the season’s early fixtures.
Santiago Bueno claimed mentality has shifted in the Wolves dressing room, with the players realising it’s on them to enter every game with the right attitude.
That’s how Vitor Pereira turns this season around. By fostering a positive mentality and approaching every game with the intention of winning.
Podence’s claim is certainly out of left field, suggesting a football team doesn’t want to win, but Wolves should simply add it to the long list of motivators to increase the level of performance as the season wears on.