Fabian Huerzeler press conference - everything he said

Among subjects covered were his working relationship with skipper Lewis Dunk, progress made by Igor and Ferdi Kadioglu and the challenge posed by Wolves.

Here is a full transcript of what the Albion head coach told us in the non-embargoed part of his press conference.

Danny Welbeck?

It's too early to say if he can play or not, but he will train today and then we then we will see afterwards how this training session goes and then we will make a decision.

What did he do exactly?

He got hit on a nerve and then when you get a hit on the nerve, then you don't feel the leg for an amount of time and that’s exactly what happened. It's very painful and it's still painful. But again, we have to make a check today in the training session and then he has to have a lot of treatment.

Our medical staff and our physios, they're working every hour with him together to make him fit for the game. This will be the challenge for us, but hopefully everything will be good.

Joao, Minteh?

With Joao we have to be a little bit more patient, but I think there will be a comeback soon. I can't say the exact date of the comeback. With Minteh, we have to go day by day. He has a small issue with his muscle after his international games with Gambia.

But one thing is clear, we won't take any risk with the players because it's still early in the season and the hard period of the Premier League is still in front of us.

Adam Webster?

We still have to be patient. I think it takes two, three more weeks until he's back on the pitch, but he's very positive and I think the injury is not that bad. We have small issues but not big issues and we have to deal with it.

I have a great medical department. I have great physios. They are working day by day for the players. They try to bring the players back as quickly as possible. Every club has to deal with these small issues and we also have to do it, so we try to think positive.

A real chance for more points this weekend?

Every game is a chance, but every game is harder in the Premier League. One thing won't happen, we won't underestimate Wolverhampton because when you see their games, first of all, they had a really tough schedule, so they had tough games since the beginning of the season.

And second of all, the truth is that they play well, in every game they had the chance to win the games as well, or to make to make a draw, and that's why we won't underestimate them. It will be a hard challenge, they have quality, they have individual quality, they changed their formation to a back five and they defended very compact.

Against City they had players who made good transitions – Semedo, Cunha, Lamina is a good ball carrier. Larssen is a good target player. So one thing won't happen – especially not in the Premier League, and what I learned especially the first games – you can't underestimate any opponent.

Every opponent has quality and you have to pay attention. For 90 minutes you have to defend well against them. You have to be good in counter pressing and you have to make the next step as a team, and that's the challenge for us.

Thoughts on Man City’s controversial winner?

I'm not into this conversation. I think we have enough work with our team. We have enough work to focus on our development. And in the end I think that the referee try to give their best on the pitch, they try to be the best version of themselves because in the end it's also good for their job.

I hope that every team is treated equal and is treated the same. That's what they promised me and the club, and that's why I trust them.

Were you pleased to win in a different way against Newcastle?

It's not always pleasing because there’s a lot of suffering on the sideline, but what is special is the character from the team. If you comeback after being 2-0 down in a game against a top team, you suffer together. In Newcastle where not a lot of teams are able to win you suffer together – when you don't concede a goal, then it shows. For me that character and the personality from the team and the individual players, they're the right ones. That's the most important thing. And then it's always to understand, especially for the mindset that defence is the most important.

If we don't concede a goal, if you're able to defend together, if the strikers and offence, they understand that they are the first defender, then we always have the energy and quality to score a goal out of nowhere. I think this happens in the first half against Newcastle. We have to be honest with ourselves.

We could play better than the first 30 minutes, we were not good in possession, we were a little bit too passive out of possession, but the positive thing is that we defended together, that we blocked a lot of shots, that we blocked a lot of crosses, that we suffered together and then, like I said, we got our chance and then in the second half we showed a different face and we played much better.

Classic away performance a real boost for you as a manager to win that way?

Not only for me but hopefully for the team. Also the understanding that defence in the end wins you championships, defence wins your games.

That's the most important thing. To defend together is the most important, to have the right mindset to win personal duels defensively is also very important. These are all things where we try to put the focus on, not only after we concede, but again, it takes time.

It's a process you can't learn overnight. The mindset from the players and that's why we are still in this process, we are still trying to improve some things now. There's a different challenge with Wolverhampton and we expect to have more ball possession. We have to be better in counter pressing, we have to be good in the transition defensively, it's a new challenge when we compare with the games against Tottenham and Newcastle.

That's why there are always new challenges, always things to improve. And that's what we try to do.

You obviously knew about Lewis Dunk before.  How would you say he compares working day to day with what you expected him to be like?

I didn't expect him to be this competitive. I think he's so experienced, it shows in the number of games he already played in the Premier League and he knows when he has to be there and he knows when it's like game time, when it's match time, when he has to be prepared. He listens good to his body, but it doesn't mean that he only is there when it's match day, also during the week.

He wants to win the small sided games in training, he wants to push his teammates. Another thing that is very impressive for me is that he sees everyone here like a family. He wants to chill with the kit staff, he wants to chill with the chef, with the team manager. So he wants to spend time with the people.

He's not that player and person who says, okay, I have to do a job here and I'm gone as quick as possible. No, he wants to spend time here with the people. He really identifies himself with the values from the club and that's something that I didn't expect in that way, to be honest.

He's my captain and he's one of my most important players and also as a person very important because he knows the club. He knows the values of the club. He knows the history from the club. He knows what is needed to be successful in the Premier League.

He has all the knowledge. I'm new here and I can also learn a lot from him. That's why it has to be like a good exchange. It has to be a trustful exchange. We also can be honest to each other to say the opinion when something went wrong. You have to build this trust for the relationship.

It won't come overnight. It's like in a relationship with a girl, it doesn't come with the first date, it doesn't come with the second date. It comes with time, when you gain the trust, when you experience things together, when you make memories together, then you gain the trust and you can’t increase it with artificial things.

I'm very happy that he's my captain.

Evan Ferguson?

Evan is in great shape to be honest, mentally and also physically. The game against Newcastle wasn't that easy for him, but I like how he defended defensively, how he worked for the team was impressive. That's a very positive point and that's also what I give him as feedback. Of course in possession, I think the players, they know it on their own, that they can be better.

But for me, I judge them by the things they can influence and that is like how he reacts when we lose the ball and how he supports his teammates defensively. There he showed a really good performance and now it's also up to us to give him the right advice, to give him the right training sessions and to give him the right ball touches on the pitch to improve him. We have to get the confidence back after his long injury and then I'm sure that he will be back to his best shape and even better soon.

Difficult run after Wolves?

We play the next game against Wolverhampton, that's the only focus I have honestly. For me there are no easy games and all the games are different, all the games are challenges and that's why I'm really not focusing on Liverpool or on City, I'm really focusing on Wolverhampton. It will be a big challenge and that we have to prepare with all our focus, with all our thoughts.

Thoughts on Igor?

Very, very difficult situation for Igor coming in a game against Tottenham where the team suffered at the first minute and then he came in and we conceded two goals. But then to show reaction and then to be there and show personality, not hiding. That's something special and he exactly showed this.

So he was not hiding to get the ball. He was not hiding to go in duels. And then he played a great second half against Tottenham. He played now a good game against Newcastle.

And I wasn't surprised by this because I see him every training session and he's an amazing professional player. He always wants to give the best. He always wants to be the best version of himself and that's very impressive. He gets what he deserved these two games and now it's a decision we have to make.

We also have to see that we have three games in a short period of time. So I'm sure we need every player and every player will get his game time. And that's what I also will say to the team. So everyone has to prepare, that he has to be ready on Saturday, that he has to be ready for the next games and that we need every player and we have not that big squad at the moment.

So we really, really have to stay together. We really have to create this bond to each other, and therefore we need Igor in his best version, and that's what he presented the last games and weeks here.

Is Ferdi Kadioglu starting to feel more comfortable as time goes on?

It's important to always get the feeling from the players, and the thoughts from the players, how they feel, how they adapt to the Premier League.

It's also important to understand from outside that the Premier League has a different intensity and they didn't experience it in their leagues before of course. Maybe there are different challenges in the other leagues.

But the biggest challenge in the Premier League for these new players is the intensity. There are not a lot of breaks so it can go in this and in that direction, a lot of transition moments, of counter-pressing moments and you always have to be ready. You can't switch off for a second.

This is mentally hard but also physically hard. therefore we need to prepare the players. Ferdi said he is suffering in some moments of the game, but he made now two games for the Turkish team. He played now one whole game for us against Newcastle, so 90 minutes.

And now it's all step by step and he adapted better and better by time, by time. That's why I'm very happy in which shape he's at the moment. And I think he gets his best shape the next weeks.

The structure of the side was slightly different against Newcastle. Could you talk us a little bit through the thought process of why you changed it and whether that's something you'll continue to consider?

Of course, when Minteh and Mitoma are on the pitch, it's a different formation, because in the end you have to bring the players in their best areas and the best spaces, where they can show their whole potential. So that's I think the job from us as the coaches But, on the other side, of course, you always have like ideas and preparation for the opponents. You always see maybe some gaps, maybe some weaknesses, from the opponent where we want to use it and then you also position your players in these gaps and try to first use their potential, but second also try to use the weakness from the opponent to increase the percentage of scoring.

And there always be like some ideas. I have great analysts who work really hard to prepare the game very well, and I think that's very important. It's always like a work of togetherness and then an exchange. Which players are the fittest player at the moment which players are in a good shape physically, mentally, and maybe worse, and also like the weakness from the opponent.