Wolves star could end up costing Gary O'Neil his job at Molineux

Wolves star could end up costing Gary O’Neil his job at Molineux

Toti - Player profile 24/25 | Transfermarkt

Often, a long and drawn-out international break is the best time for a big managerial decision to be made.

It remains to be seen whether or not the hierarchy at Wolverhampton Wanderers agree, as Gary O’Neil – for the time being – remains fixed to his Molineux job post, despite mounting pressures that he could face the sack very soon.

If he is to remain in his job past the break, the former AFC Bournemouth manager will have to make some significant changes to his starting line-up, especially in defence.

Wolves’ defensive woes this season

Taking a glance at the current Premier League table certainly makes for some grim reading if you’re a fan of the Old Gold, with Wolves only picking one meagre point from seven games to date.

Examining their predicament further, and it’s clear that an extremely porous backline is their undoing at the moment, having shipped a league worst of 21 goals.

That’s a staggering six more than both Everton and Southampton have leaked in the division across the same amount of contests, as O’Neil’s defenders continue to let their underfire manager down.

Wolves’ last dire display in the Premier League really exposed their defensive frailties, as the Old Gold fell to a 5-3 defeat on the road to Thomas Frank’s Brentford, with the visitors surrendering a worrying eight big chances in favour of the hosts.

O’Neil will need his side to be far more stoic in games to come to try and move up the league, which might result in him dropping this underperformer, who could end up costing the 41-year-old his job if he isn’t adaptable with his team selections.

Toti Gomes’ poor performances this season

Toti - Player profile 24/25 | Transfermarkt

Of course, with Wolves rock bottom of the pile currently, every defender will need to take some collective blame for the sorry state of the performances.

However, Toti Gomes will know his performances need to be far better going forward, if he is to keep being selected by his under-pressure boss.

The Portuguese defender has really struggled in the centre-back spots this season, yet remains constantly picked by O’Neil, owing to issues involving Yerson Mosquera’s serious recent injury and the fact he has been unable to find a top partner to play alongside him, amid Max Kilman’s departure.

The best course of action could well be to drop the floundering 25-year-old, however, who has failed to be an imposing presence this season for his side, having previously stood out at the back for Wolves the past couple of Premier League campaigns, with 73 senior appearances at Molineux now under his belt.

Football journalist Nathan Judah has even stated recently that continuing to pick the out-of-form defender will be a “recipe for disaster”, if Wolves are to sort out their faulty showings at the back.