Dave Edwards: Julen Lopetegui lays solid foundation for his Wolves to build on

That has proven precisely the case.

Obviously, there were hiccups along the way, with Brighton being the most obvious example.

But being able to win matches when not playing at your best is so important. That’s what I felt Wolves did against Villa on Saturday, just as they had done previously against Brentford.

You couldn’t describe either performance as stellar but winning games when keeping clean sheets is the sign of a team progressing.

Most of the good work has been done at Molineux. The reason Wolves will be a Premier League team again next season is because of their home form since Lopetegui arrived at the club. It is now seven wins in the last nine matches in front of their own supporters, all of them delivered with a clean sheet. That is a solid foundation for the head coach to now build on.

The immediate emotion, now safety is secured, is relief for everyone at the club, from the board right down to the supporters.

But Lopetegui will already be focusing on next season. He now has a window of opportunity to prepare, work out once and for all which players he wants or doesn’t want. There is a chance to really build on the philosophy he has already begun in his time here.

If we can retain the solidity at the back and then start to build on going the other way, it will be an exciting time to be a Wolves fan. It will be next season when we really get an idea of the team Lopetegui wants to build.

Until now it has been about trying to stay in the league by any means necessary. There have been games which have been nervy.

I expect Lopetegui to keep that foundation to the way they play, to be solid first and foremost. The next step is to develop the attacking play a bit more. Wolves have technical players who can handle the ball well. Maybe they will look to add a few in those forward positions, which may mean moving on a few. I expect it to be an interesting summer.

Lopetegui will want to develop a style which will see us win games by two, three or four.

Winning 1-0 is great and it is such a difficult league but there is definitely the quality in the dressing room to go and kill a game off, which they haven’t done too many times this season. That is the next level to try and take this Wolves team to.

A final word must go to the supporters. I don’t think you can underestimate the part they have played in the home form since the turn of the year. The atmosphere from kick-off on Saturday was loud.

I have heard players such as Joao Moutinho talk about it and I have experienced it myself. It makes such a big difference and the fans should be proud of what they have brought to those games. It really does help the players.

It has been a real club effort to pull this team away from trouble. If you had told the fans before Christmas we would be in this position now, they’d have thought it quite remarkable. There have been ups and downs along the way but mostly things have been going in the right direction.

Hopefully that will continue as Wolves get ready for another season in the top flight.