The pressure is on for Gary O’Neil and Julen Lopetegui as Wolves battle West Ham on Monday night.
On match day 15 of the Premier League season, arguably the most important game of Wolves’ campaign faces the Old Gold.
O’Neil’s abysmal record at Wolves is under the microscope as the Midlands side head to the London Stadium to face West Ham.
Both the Wolves manager and Lopetegui are under pressure to win amid doubts over their respective futures, categorising the fixture as a must-win for those involved.
Gary O'Neil, head coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers speaks with the media during a press conference at The Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground on Decem...
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Wolves face game management issue against West Ham
Paul Merson predicts West Ham to beat Wolves in the Monday night showdown in the capital.
In the build up to the game, Lopetegui shared his assessment of O’Neil, praising the boss despite his struggles at Molineux.
After Wolves were humiliated by Everton, fans rightly lost even more trust in the manager, with his future hanging in the balance.
One thing for sure is that something must change after the thrashing at Goodison Park however, one ‘massive problem’ the squad face is near-impossible to fix.
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Speaking after the Everton defeat, journalist Liam Keen focused on the Old Gold’s emotional instability, detailing how detrimental the trait has been this season.
“Erratic, emotional and just can’t get a grip back on the game,” Keen said on the E&S Wolves Podcast.
“If this Wolves team can get through 35-40 minutes without conceding, I feel like they’re in a better position to emotionally get through the game.
“Once they give up these early goals and early mistakes, the game plan goes out of the window and they seem to completely lose their way. That is a massive, massive problem at the moment.”
The Wolves expert called for better game management from the players on the pitch, which will be easier said than done against West Ham.
Wolves must control emotions vs West Ham
It’s a near-impossible issue to solve considering the importance of the game that will unfold on Monday night.
Both managers face dismissal if results don’t turn around, with the player’s absorbing such pressure in the build up to the showdown at the London Stadium.
Leads Wins Draws Losses Points dropped
6 2 1 3 11
Wolves’ points dropped from winning positions 24/25 Premier League
Considering how emotional the Wolves squad currently are, it’s difficult to imagine that a different mentality can be seen with O’Neil’s job on the line.
On many occasions this season, the Old Gold have crumbled as a result of wearing their hearts on their sleeves, something that might just cost the boss his job if a stronger mentality is not adopted on Monday.
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