Wolves goalkeeper opens up on 'difficult' season

As the head coach bids to keep Wolves in the Premier League, attacking players Goncalo Guedes and Rodrigo Gomes, as well as defender Matt Doherty, have all made marked improvements under Pereira's guidance, among others.

One that has gone under the radar in recent weeks has been Jose Sa - and while the goalkeeper has not been a stand-out like his aforementioned team-mates, he has made a consistent start, with a penalty save against Spurs the highlight.

Heading into arguably Pereira's hardest fixture since taking charge of Wolves, away at Newcastle tomorrow night, 'under the radar' is a positive description for a player of Sa's temperament.

He is a fantastic shot-stopper but is prone to a mistake, particularly with the ball at his feet, and the goalkeeper has had a difficult season after twice being dropped by former boss Gary O'Neil for £10million summer signing Sam Johnstone.

Sa also had a high-profile run-in with a Wolves fan at Molineux at the end of November, when he charged into the crowd to confront a supporter.

“This season has been difficult, with what happened with me," Sa admitted.

"I continued working and believing, and after I came back to the team, and I'm trying to do my best to help them.

“It was a difficult situation to handle. We have to be strong, and we have to work, and show our potential. Just work and after it’s not in our hands, it’s not us who decides who plays. We have to do our best.

“It was a difficult first half of the season. We didn't start like we wanted, but I think now things have changed, and we are fighting for what we deserve and what we want, which is winning games. 

"We go out to fight and do our best and try to bring the best result that we can with us.”

Sa has been restored to the team under Pereira and may have to be at his best to get a result against the Magpies, who have now won eight consecutive games in all competitions.

But the Portuguese international says Wolves are ready to compete as they aim to get back to winning ways in the Premier League and move away from the relegation zone.

“It’s very good because he’s (Pereira) brought new ideas, new mentality, new passion," Sa said.

"I think the players are very happy with him, and the way that he plays. All of us are trying to do our best to show our value.

“It will be a difficult game, because Newcastle are an amazing team and very solid team, but we are working to take the three points, and we will go there to try to do this.

“It's difficult to play there always, but now we are improving, and in my opinion, we are playing better too. We are confident, and we will do our best. It's amazing, the stadium, the environment, it's very good, I think everyone likes to play them.”