Gary O’Neil must unleash ‘quality’ Wolves star who can make all the difference vs Aston Villa
Wolves are preparing for their West Midlands derby clash against Aston Villa and one player can make all the difference on Saturday afternoon.
The odds are stacked against Wolves from claiming a positive result against Aston Villa, with Unai Emery’s troops winning four of their first five matches in all competitions.
That is in stark contrast to Gary O’Neil’s men, who have collected just a point in the Premier League and were knocked out of the Carabao Cup against Brighton.
As such, Paul Merson thinks Villa will beat Wolves but accepts that the Wanderers have been ‘unlucky’ while Chris Sutton also doesn’t give the visitors much of a chance this weekend.
O’Neil admitted that Wolves have been ‘second best’ in all of their games and that remains the case against Aston Villa however, unleashing one player can hand them a fresh attacking impetus.
Goncalo Guedes starred in Wolves vs Brighton
Wolves were beaten 3-2 by Brighton in the Carabao Cup but one positive from the loss was the performance of Goncalo Guedes.
O’Neil dubbed Guedes as ‘quality’, with the Portuguese international leading the line superbly well and scoring a well-taken goal.
The former Valencia loanee also completed two key passes as a striker and contested five ground duels while creating one big chance for his teammates.
Why Goncalo Guedes should now start vs Aston Villa
Jorgen Strand Larsen has impressed as a towering presence up front for Wolves with Matheus Cunha floating in behind.
It’s a duo that have provided the Wanderers with rare positive moments in the 2024/25 campaign so far, and while they are likely to line up against Villa, the performance of Guedes against has O’Neil given food for thought.
Guedes was the most impressive of the four attackers that lined up on Wednesday night, with the Portuguese livewire outperforming Hwang Hee-chan, Pablo Sarabia and Rodrigo Gomes.
For that reason, if O’Neil was to make any change to his starting XI from the defeat to Brighton, unleashing Guedes in the Premier League should be at the top of his list.
The versatile forward could slot superbly in behind Strand Larsen in a move that could see Cunha move into a wide role on the left.
With his excellent finishing skills inside the box, combined with the strength of Strand Larsen and the skill of Cunha, O’Neil could create a perfect recipe for Saturday’s trip to Villa Park
