After Wolves’ 4-2 defeat to Bournemouth Gary O’Neil has explained why Craig Dawson and Santiago Bueno did not start.
Wolves were not able to continue their good form at Molineux as they collapsed against the Cherries in a shocking defeat.
Defensively, the club were all over the shop as they conceded three penalties from three terrible individual errors.
As a result, many Wolves fans were calling for O’Neil to be sacked after the club slipped back into the Premier League relegation zone.
However, one of the most puzzling aspects of the match was O’Neil’s decision to not recall one of his centre-backs to the starting XI who were out last weekend.
Gary O’Neil states Santiago Bueno ‘wasn’t ready to start’ vs Bournemouth
Gary O'Neil, head coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on ahead of the Premier League match between Fulham FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at C...
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Against the Cherries, the Wolves manager decided to stick with both Toti Gomes and Mario Lemina as the centre-back pairing thanks to their success last weekend.
Both Dawson’s and Bueno’s absences forced this change against Fulham but despite their return to the squad against Bournemouth, O’Neil made no changes to his line-up.
This came back to haunt O’Neil with Toti in particular looking vulnerable as he conceded the first penalty of the match just two minutes in.
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After the game, the manager explained why he made this decision with Bueno not fit to start the match.
He said: “Dawson was probably the only 1 out the 3 to go from the start.
“Sarabia & Bueno joined up late in training this week.
“But Bournemouth are quick on the ball so we went with Mario.
“We made bad decisions, too many errors and where we are in the league heightens emotion.”
He also added: “Hard to change that side after Fulham, in hindsight we might have done things differently, but so many errors today that gave us absolutely no chance.
“We need to make sure we’re more competitive Wednesday.”
Gary O’Neil is running out of time to fix Wolves’ defence
Evanilson of AFC Bournemouth is fouled by Toti Gomes of Wolverhampton Wanderers, which results in a penalty for AFC Bournemouth, during the Premier...
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
Wolves’ defence this season has been shambolic. It is hard to imagine what the manager works on in training defensively as little to no improvements have been noticeable thus far.
Against Bournemouth, the hosts could have conceded six or seven times and this has been a common occurrence throughout the season.
With some massive games on the horizon, Wolves could be in deep trouble if they constantly have to score three or four goals to stand a chance at getting a result.
Whether it is Dawson, Toti or Lemina at the back, there is always a mistake, and at this level, they will always be punished.
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