Wolves crashed to a terrible 4-2 defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday – but the result has surely increased one player’s standing.
A plethora of mistakes cost Wolves at Molineux, with Justin Kluivert scoring a hat-trick of penalties.
Gary O’Neil went with an unchanged side, which was understandable considering how well they did against Fulham.
But the plan backfired immediately, with Toti Gomes bringing down Evanilson in the opening minutes of the game. Mario Lemina, his partner once again, had let the ball sail over his head.
Jose Sa had a complete nightmare, giving away two penalties himself – although on the second one, he wasn’t helped by a poor pass from Craig Dawson.
Sa’s poor showing now surely puts his position in jeopardy, with Sam Johnstone hoping to replace him.
Jose Sa performance vs Bournemouth opens the door for Sam Johnstone
Keeper José Sá of Wolverhampton Wanderers is led away after he confronts a fans in the home end at half-time before two fans were ejected during th...
Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Former goalkeeper Dave Watson recently suggested Sam Johnstone would struggle to start again for Wolves, but the current Molineux number two is surely now in strong contention to start the next game against Everton.
It was an awful performance from Sa against the Cherries, with the Portuguese stopper just too slow on the ball in the face of an aggressive press.
MORE WOLVES STORIES
Sa also got into an altercation with a Wolves fan at half-time, and that probably didn’t help his focus and concentration for the second-half.
Ultimately, Sa’s contributions in the game meant that the hard work of Jorgen Stand Larsen up front didn’t count for anything.
And that has rather been the story of Wolves’ season so far. Poor mistakes at the back have put Wolves under the cosh far too many times.
£10 million signing Johnstone will surely now be strongly considered to start the game against Everton on Wednesday.
We’ve all heard O’Neil talk about the goalkeeper situation and the narrative is that whoever’s in better form plays. With Sa putting in such a disastrous display against Bournemouth, Johnstone should expect to start against the Toffees.
How do Jose Sa and Sam Johnstone compare this season?
Many fans are now calling for Sa to be dropped after his calamitous performance against Bournemouth.
It would be interesting to see Johnstone come back into the side, having not featured since the Brentford game on October 5.
There actually an argument to suggest Johnstone has performed better than Sa this season. He has a higher save percentage than Sa (65.6% vs 63.6%)
Jose Sa Sam Johnstone
Appearances – 9 Appearances – 5
Minutes played – 810 Minutes played – 450
Clean sheets – 1 Clean sheets – 0
Goals conceded – 19 Goals conceded – 13
Save % – 63.6 Save % -65.6
Pass completion % – 59.8 Pass completion % – 66
Stats across all competitions this season, via fbref
He’s also better on the ball than Sa, having completed 66% of his passes, compared to 59.8% for Sa.
Neither ‘keeper has excelled this season which is really frustrating. But given the way O’Neil has talked publicly about the situation, Johnstone surely has to start the next game against Everton.
To actually stick with Sa could really get Johnstone’s back up.
Related Posts