Interviews

Potter: Leaders like Dunk are crucial

The head coach knows how important his captain is to the team.

By Charlie Hanson • 02 January 2021

By Paul Hazlewood
Graham Potter consoles Lewis Dunk after West Ham's late equaliser at the London Stadium.

Lewis Dunk is determined to lead a turnaround in Albion's fortunes in 2021, according to Graham Potter.

The head coach loves his captain's mentality, and can see that he is developing all the time as the leader of the group.

“Leaders like Lewis Dunk are crucial. I love him - he's a great lad. I can see that he is suffering because he wants to win – there is nobody that wants to win more than Dunky.

“I think he's leading by example in terms of his performances, he is at a really good level, and I think he's not at his max. He can carry on improving because he's got the mentality, that desire and he wants the best for the club and the team.

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Potter's Wolves press conference

“He is getting better and better at being the leader, because it is a new role for him. It is only his second season but he takes it on, shows great humility and he does his best.”

Reflecting on a bumpy 2020 for his team, Potter accepts he has not always got things right.

“Have I made many mistakes? The answer is quite a lot, but that's the coaching process. You get to this point and you have to realise that you have to be brave enough to make mistakes. That's the biggest challenge.

“There's a feeling of vulnerability and you need a bit of courage. But the only way for us to take the next step is to be brave enough to make decisions, try things and make mistakes because that's how you improve in life. 

“Assessing 2020, on a personal level I lost my father at the start of the season. We then went into lockdown and had to deal with that. 

“We managed to get the most points we've had in the Premier League - 41. Lots of young players played in the team. Performances I think have improved.

“The problem we've got is that the results haven't quite matched the performances that we feel that we've put in and that's where you analyse where the problems are. 

“I have to keep that mentality that I've had throughout my career which is that I haven't got all the answers. I'm not Mr. Perfect. You've got to try your very best, fight for your team, fight for the players and then learn from whatever happens.”