Everton are in the midst of a deep struggle, more reminiscent of their time under bosses Rafa Benitez and Frank Lampard than with Sean Dyche. Now, to be fair, there have been points of poor play under the current boss, and streaks including only draws and defeats have haunted the side - as frequently as last year, where a December three points was not matched for several months thereafter - but things are looking putrid at Goodison Park as of now.
A victory over a struggling Wolves side would mean the world to the boss and company - especially after the win by Leicester on Tuesday, but the match will be as tough as the two bosses coaching the game.
Gary O’Neil - after being thrown out of Bournemouth unceremoniously - was brought in by Wolverhampton and promptly made his old team look foolish by how much better Wolves looked. The tables, however, have since turned, with the Cherries currently in 13th place with 18 points whilst the Wanderers wander in 18th position with just nine.
A victory for them would push Everton into 18th place from their current perch of 17th, while a win at Goodison would push the Blues up to 15th and farther from the danger than presently they sit.
Prior to this midweek affair, we spoke to Thomas Baugh of Wolves Blog:
RBM: Straight off, tell us about the hard year the Wolves have had thus far; what are the feelings like around the club?
TB: Terrible end to last season, mitigated by a bad injury record. It was a terrible start to this season, partly mitigated by tough fixtures. But we’ve become soft defensively, and if we can’t fix that, it’s only going to end one way.
RBM: Why are things different this year under Gary O’Neil than last year? What needs to be changed or improved upon?
TB: Losing Pedro Neto was obviously a blow. But Max Kilman had formed a good partnership with Craig Dawson and that has destabilised the defence. We didn’t replace him and that has been costly.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton FC - Premier League Max Kilman tackles Jarrad Branthwaite
Photo by Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
RBM: Talk to us about the team’s injuries and names that should be better known by those outside of the fan base?
TB: Yerson Mosquera is the only real long-term injury. He could have helped us at the back so that was a blow. João Gomes is really starting to mature and I think he will go on to be a big star.
RBM: Tell us about who departed, who joined, and what it’s done to the side in general?
TB: Already talked about those who left. Larsen up front has been a good acquisition because he can finish and bring others into play. Andre in midfield also has some class. We generally have deeper midfield and attacking options. The problem is none of the players we’ve signed have made us more solid, and our Goals Against column proves this point.
RBM: What are the expectations for this side moving forward this season and in the short term beyond that?
TB: Stay up at all costs, and I hope it’s better next season. Probably the same as Everton, I would imagine. I’m not sure the ownership has the ambition they demonstrated in the early years, so our decline is feeling inevitable. But if you can stay in the Premier League, then you at least have a chance of keeping a decent side together with the right decision-makers in place.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton FC - Premier League Today's two managers at a December 2023 game
Photo by Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
RBM: Where will Gary O’Neil and company turn to this January to beef the team up further for the rest of the year?
TB: The defence. I’d like to see us get a center half and a defensively minded full-back. I’ll be astonished if January comes and goes and we haven’t picked up at least two defenders.
RBM: How do you expect Wolves to set up this Wednesday, and who do you think could cause Everton the most problems in the match?
TB: It's hard to say after the Bournemouth mauling. Dawson will come back into the defence, and if it was me, I’d consider a back three to combat Everton’s physicality. Not sure he’ll do that, though. Cunha will be the man you have to worry about. If he has a good game, we invariably score a few and that could be enough to get us a result. My best guess for the lineup would be:
Sa
Semedo, Dawson, Toti, Ait-Nouri
Lemina, Gomes, Andre
Sarabia, Larson, Cunha
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League Matheus Cunha is in top form
Photo by Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
RBM: Finally, what’s your prediction for Wednesday’s match?
TB: I think we’ve won the last three times we’ve visited Goodison Park, but I don’t think we’ll make it four. We’re too brittle at the back, and I think we’ll end up giving up some goals. But we’re usually good for a couple a game ourselves, so I’ll go for the 2-2.
We thank Tom for his time as always!