Gary O’Neil set to ease Cunha blow by unleashing “unique” Wolves gem in different role today
O’Neil has three possibilities for filling the vacuum left by Matheus Cunha.
Wolverhampton Wanderers face their toughest test in recent weeks when they play Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday evening, hoping to halt their winless skid.
Gary O’Neil’s side has not won since a 2-1 triumph against Fulham last month. Could that be the end for the Gunners?
The Old Gold have lost the previous five encounters between the teams, scoring only twice in that span. Their last win came in February 2021, when the club won 2-1 at Molineux, and as you can see from the chart below, the starting lineup has altered significantly since then.
| Wolves starting XI during their last win over Arsenal (February 2021) | |
|---|---|
| Player | Position |
| Rui Patricio | GK |
| Nelson Semedo | RB |
| Conor Coady | CB |
| Wily Boly | CB |
| Max Kilman | LB |
| Ruben Neves | CM |
| Joao Moutinho | CM |
| Adama Traore | RW |
| Daniel Podence | AM |
| Pedro Neto | LW |
| Willian Jose | ST |
The former Bournemouth boss may face a selection issue ahead of the match after several of his players were ruled out.
O’Neil spoke to the media on Friday, ahead to the match against a side chasing Premier League gold, and discussed the state of his team, saying: “Neto is doing well on the pitch. If all goes well, he should be able to play before the season ends.
“Rayan may be available for the bench. Semedo, Cunha, and Hwang are all out, with only 45 tops. Bellegarde is no longer available. Dawson has had an operation.
“Cunha received a kick to the calf versus Forest, which caused muscle damage. Semedo overload in his calf, but nothing catastrophic.”
The Englishman will be particularly anxious about who can fill the vacuum up front with Matheus Cunha out again, especially after impressing against Nottingham Forest last week, scoring twice.
With this in mind, consider the ‘options’ available to O’Neil in the absence of the clinical Brazilian…
The obvious option
Hwang Hee-Chan
Despite O’Neil’s statement that Hwang would only be able to play “45 tops,” it makes sense for him to be unleashed in the starting lineup to offer the club the best chance of victory against the Gunners.
Hwang has scored once in his three prior meetings with the North Londoners, demonstrating that he is one of the club’s best players this season.
In just 25 games, the South Korean attacker has 11 goals and three assists, indicating that he is settling in nicely under the new management system.
Hwang Hee-Chan becomes just the third Wolves player ever to score 10+ Premier League goals in one season 🐺 pic.twitter.com/VZAAU5YNZo
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 27, 2023
Among his teammates, the former RB Leipzig gem currently ranks second in the top flight for goals and assists (13) behind only Cunha, as well as fourth for big chances created (four), sixth for key passes per game (0.7), and fifth for successful dribbles per game (1.4), demonstrating his importance to the club and their ambitions to finish in the top half of the league.
O’Neil may prefer to keep Hwang as an option if the game is close in the final 30 minutes or so, but bringing him off the bench when he is fresh with the goal of causing some damage to the Arsenal defence.
If so, a tactical tweak could see another player take up a more advanced role in the starting XI…
The tactical tweak
Pablo Sarabia
The experienced Spaniard has had a solid season under the Englishman. Not only has he scored three goals in 31 games, but the £90,000-a-week dynamo has also assisted ten times.
He is generally used in an attacking midfield role, alongside Neto or Hwang to assist Cunha, who is the primary centre-forward.
Of course, against the Gunners, this will not be possible, and Sarabia may be fielded as the main striker this weekend.
The offensive midfielder has scored once in three games as a centre-forward this season, and in his whole career as a striker, the former Paris Saint-Germain player has six goals and one assist in just 16 appearances.
O’Neil described the 31-year-old as “unique” earlier this season, and if he can perform against Arsenal, he may just endear himself to the Molineux supporters even more.
He presently ranks in the top 9% of his positional contemporaries in Europe’s top five leagues in terms of assists per 90 minutes (0.36), demonstrating the creative threat he can provide at the top of the pitch.
The wildcard pick
Nathan Fraser
This season, the 19-year-old has already began to make an impact on the senior squad, appearing in ten games, scoring twice and assisting once.
There is no doubt about his potential, and O’Neil has been forced to use him on multiple occasions recently owing to injury issues.
Fraser was named to the starting lineup for the club’s most recent league victory over Fulham and performed admirably. He missed a great scoring opportunity while making one critical pass, lost possession only four times, and won four of his seven contested duels during his time on the field.
This is his final start in the Premier League, having played only eight minutes in the previous four games, but may the match against Arsenal provide him with another opportunity to exhibit his abilities? Or will O’Neil choose the more senior possibilities listed above?
NATHAN FRASER 5-0 DEBUT GOAL#wwfc #wolves pic.twitter.com/egi5JKZYtj
— dylan (@dylanwwfc) August 29, 2023
While the Wolves manager may wish he could have every player available to him, especially given his team’s terrible form, his injury situation allows him to unleash numerous young players in the squad.
If Wolves can halt their five-game winless streak against Mikel Arteta’s side this weekend, it might be the catalyst that propels the team forward and into the top half.
Another league setback, however, couldn’t have come at a worse time, with games against Manchester City and Liverpool to come before the end of the season.
If both sides play to their full capacity, it will undoubtedly be an interesting contest.
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