Gary O’Neil will be feeling the pressure again in the Wolverhampton Wanderers hot seat after his side fell to a crushing 4-2 defeat to AFC Bournemouth last time out.
Consequently, the Old Gold find themselves in 18th position in the early Premier League standings, with speculation over the Englishman’s future set to rumble on, following prior reports earlier in the campaign that his role was under imminent threat.
The 41-year-old will be hopeful of a change in fortunes up next, however, when his side travel to Everton in a crucial match near the foot of the top-flight table.
In order to pick up a positive result – after such a sobering loss to the Cherries – O’Neil could be prepared to drop one first-team star against the Toffees, after the Wolves man put in a horror show performance at Molineux.
The Wolves star who must be dropped vs Everton
The goalkeeper position has been a source of concern at Wolves all season long, with the relegation-threatened outfit now up to 32 goals leaked from 13 games in the Premier League.
Four of those were shipped by Jose Sa against Andoni Iraola’s visitors in somewhat of a comical fashion, as the Cherries couldn’t believe their luck on the day as a hat-trick of penalties were awarded in their favour.
Justin Kluivert would tuck away all three for his South Coast employers, with the first spot-kick going Bournemouth’s way after Toti Gomes clattered into the goalscorer after just three minutes.
But, the other two incidents saw Sa have an afternoon to forget, as the unlucky ‘keeper connected with Evanilson’s leg for the second spot-kick, whilst the third and final penalty of the day saw the 31-year-old bundle into the Brazilian striker again after a poor back-pass caught him napping
In truth, the ex-FC Porto man wasn’t helped whatsoever by his defenders in the shocking 4-2 loss, but O’Neil will know he needs a ‘keeper he can rely on moving forward away from the error-prone number one.
Express and Star journalist Lewis Keen would dish out a low 3/10 rating to Sa after the dust had settled on the poor defeat, stating that he made ‘countless’ errors across the duration of the topsy-turvy 90 minutes.
Consequently, it could be likely that Sa is dropped from the Old Gold first team for the trip to Goodison Park, as Sam Johnstone waits eagerly in the wings for a chance in between the sticks.
The Wolves star who O’Neil must now unleash
It’s not as if Johnstone has found it any easier to keep the goals out when called into action by O’Neil this campaign so far, with 13 strikes conceded from five Premier League outings.
But, the four-time senior England international is surely worthy of another chance in the first-team spotlight, especially after Sa’s woes versus Bournemouth.
Moreover, the “sensational” shot-stopper – as he was once labelled by Gary Lineker – has proven himself to be a top performer in the Premier League prior to his move to Wolves in the summer, with 75 clean sheets amassed when playing for near neighbours West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa.
However, he will have to prove himself in the here and now for O’Neil’s men if he is thrown into the starting XI shortly, considering Wolves have just one clean sheet next to their name this season in league action.
But, the former Baggies man has shone in the top-flight even when his team have succumbed to more action-packed defeats, with Johnstone leaving the 5-3 defeat to Brentford at the start of October with his head held high by registering seven saves.
He’ll just pray he can keep a clean sheet if selected for the clash with the Toffees, who haven’t been the most eye-catching team to watch under Sean Dyche recently, with only ten goals scored in the Premier League
O’Neil cannot afford another calamitous showing from his chosen goalkeeper on the road, with his job perhaps on the line if the goal-shy hosts embarrass the Wolves defence once more.
