Gary O’Neil is in for a tough afternoon as Manchester City visit Molineux, however the Englishman could cause the Blues some trouble…
Wolverhampton Wanderers are back in action this afternoon in what will be the biggest test of them all, as Gary O’Neil’s side reluctantly welcome treble winners Manchester City to Molineux.
It’s been a poor week for the Old Gold, after crashing out of the Carabao Cup disgracefully on Tuesday night, as Championship side Ipswich Town came back from 2-0 down to progress into the next round in a 3-2 victory.
In the league, things have been far from easy for the Midlands side, having secured just one win from their opening six games, drawing most recently to newly promoted Luton Town, who gained their first point of the campaign against Wolves.
Speaking after the defeat, O’Neil admitted that his side is “£80m short” of players due to the summer departures, signifying just how much of a rut the Old Gold have found themselves in as a result of financial restrictions.
For now, Wolves must focus on avoiding humiliation to Pep Guardiola’s side, which they could do if the right team is selected this afternoon by the manager.
One name that could cause problems against City is Fabio Silva, who has shown glimpses of his quality despite dropping down the pecking order in the early stages of the season.
The 21-year-old has made a total of seven appearances in all competitions so far, scoring one goal in the league cup against Blackpool, prior to his side’s elimination from the tournament.
Out of the seven appearances, the forward has started four times, and has found himself behind the likes of Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-Chan as O’Neil continues to experiment with his formations.
At the start of the season, the manager opted to play two at the top, which allowed Silva to utilise his strengths alongside Cunha, who has showcased his direct approach that can cause frequent problems when he is on the ball.
The missing element to Wolves’ game is the final product, which must be quickly rectified if the Old Gold are to gain anything from the match up against City this afternoon.
As highlighted by his two loan spells last season, Silva is more than capable in front of goal, having netted a total of 16 goals while representing both Anderlecht and PSV in the 2022/23 campaign.
Lauded as “intelligent” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, the 21-year-old talent has been praised by Mango for his “terrific” movement in the final third, an element of his style that could wound City if the chances arise.
If there’s anyone that can create space and chances for Silva to attempt to latch upon, it’s Cunha, who ranks in the top 3% of forwards in Europe’s top-five leagues over the past year in terms of his rate of successful take-ons.
As per FBref, the Brazilian averages 2.50 successful take-ons per 90, highlighting where an attack may develop for the likes of the £80k-per-week Portuguese who could show his worth if paired once more next to the former Atletico Madrid whiz.
It’ll be a difficult occasion for the hosts, as it seems most games are this season after the squad took such a significant blow in the summer, however football is unpredictable, and Silva may just be the man to make the difference this afternoon.