Gary O’Neil blasted by Tony Cascarino over ‘brewing’ issue that Wolves must rapidly overcome
Time is running out for Wolves to turn their terrible form around in the Premier League.
Gary O’Neil has led his side to one win in 20 in the Premier League, form that sees the Old Gold occupying 20th place.
No side wants to be bottom of the pile, with time running out for Wolves to edge away from the prospect of a relegation battle.
Currently four points from safety and without a win in 2024/25, O’Neil has to find a quick solution to improve things on the pitch.
Tony Cascarino not impressed by Gary O’Neil
Wolves fans are rightfully unhappy with O’Neil, who seems to be making the same mistakes despite being alerted to several errors last season.
A back four didn’t work last term, so the manager switched to a back five, however, Wolves reverted to a back four again for 2024/25, which unsurprisingly, did not work.
Taking to a column in The Times, Tony Cascarino expressed his confusion over O’Neil’s struggle to understand his best set-up.
“The pressure is really on Gary O’Neil now and it’s been brewing. They’ve got some pivotal games coming up and first and foremost they have to sort out how many goals they are conceding.
“They’ve scored as many goals as high-flying Nottingham Forest but at the back, they’re shipping goals at an alarming rate. Back three, back four, back five, you name it, it’s not working.”
Whether it be formational or personnel qualms, O’Neil has not discovered his best XI yet this season, which is a real concern considering we are 10 games into the campaign, as Cascarino stressed.
Cascarino shares praise for Wolves captain Mario Lemina
It’s now or never for O’Neil to get things ticking in his team, with the manager’s job at imminent risk if the Old Gold’s relegation form continues.
While the boss is coming under fire, Cascarino reserved praise for one figure who could get the side out of their rut, shining the spotlight on Mario Lemina.
The former Chelsea forward dubbed Lemina Wolves’ ‘key man’ to getting his teammates away from a relegation scrap.
“Key man Mario Lemina — at his best he’s a central midfielder who can do it all. But he’s not offering his back four anything like the protection they need and didn’t even start on Saturday. But he came off the bench and had a real impact. O’Neil will hope that Lemina’s best form is returning.”
The bottom line is that every player must continue to give their all, with the hope that the manager can get things right to quickly change the narrative of Wolves’ season.
