How Gary O'Neil revived the floundering Wolves frontline
Prior to the season, Wolves were in disarray. Julen Lopetegui departed shortly before their opening weekend trip to Manchester United, following some high profile exits out of the Molineux door. Ruben Neves left for Al Hilal, Nathan Collins swapped Wolverhampton for west London, as did Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore. Factor in the late departure of Matheus Nunes, who moved to Manchester City, and Wolves were tipped for relegation.
After nine games, though, Wolves sit 11th. They are unbeaten in their last four, beating City and Bournemouth and drawing with high-flying Aston Villa in that run. Just as he did with the Cherries, Gary O'Neil is working wonders. What's been key is that he's managed to unlock this Wolves attack. A previous criticism has been in the inability to put the ball in the back of the net.
Last season, Wolves netted fewer goals (31) than any other Premier League team. Top scorers Neves and Daniel Podence each ended the campaign with six goals apiece. Both departed over the summer. In fact, of their five top scorers in the Premier League last season, only two remain at the club; Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha, and they scored just five league goals between them.
Under O'Neil, though, Wolves have scored 11 goals, and there's been an immediate improvement in the final third with the goals per game figure rising from 0.8 to 1.2. The key change has been the return to fitness and subsuquently form of Pedro Neto. An ankle injury last October ruled Neto out for a substantial chunk of the season. Indeed, he registered just 972 minutes of game time.
Now, Neto is once again a key man. His WhoScored rating of 7.22 is the best of all Wolves players, while no player has registered more assists than the 23-year-old (6) in England's top tier this term. Of those six, three have been for Hwang to score, marking the joint-best assist-to-goalscorer combination in the Premier League this season. Of the other three, two have been for Cunha to score.
Following an indifferent second season in England, Hwang is as crucial as ever in this Wolves setup. After just nine games, the 27-year-old has matched his 2021/22 Premier League return of five goals with O'Neil finding the perfect way to maximise the South Korean's talent in the final third.
Neto's return has of course been key but now Hwang is operating primarily from the left flank whereas in previous years he was used across the frontline. He's a versatile operator, which explains the reasoning behind using the former RB Leipzig man in a number of positions across the final third yet O'Neil has forged the ideal attack with both Neto and Hwang flanking Cunha.
What is key here, though, is that Cunha isn't the natural number nine that'll frequently score goals. The Brazilian has never bagged more than seven league goals in a single campaign and that came back in 2020/21 with Hertha Berlin. Rather, Cunha's best work comes when he drops deeper to receive possession. It's no surprise he ranks high for dribbles per 90 (2.6) with a willingness to find space between the opposition banks before turning and running while on the ball.
Crucially is this drags markers out of position and opens up space for Hwang to cut in from the left to wreak havoc in the opposition box. All but one of 15 shots have come inside the penalty area, while all five goals have been scored inside the 18-yard box. He's making those darting runs into the area and being picked out brilliantly by Neto, who prefers to hog the touchline before whipping crosses in from the right.
It's no coincidence that only Lucas Digne (55) has made more crosses excluding corners than Neto (48) in the Premier League this season, and Hwang on the opposite flank is feasting on these balls into the box. With these diagonal runs into the area, it's no coincidence that Hwang's touches in the opposition box per 90 have risen from 3.3 to 5 this season as he becomes more of a prominent threat in the area.
With both Neto and Hwang flanking Cunha, too, Wolves have two rapid attacking outlets down either wing should they wish to break forward at speed. A possession average of 47.6% is the eighth lowest in the division and a drop on last season, yet only Aston Villa (12) have attempted more counter attacks than Wolves (11) in the Premier League this season. This has yielded just one goal so far, but when you consider Wolves attempted just 20 counter attacks in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, there has been an obvious shift in approach play that is having a positive impact.
Some supporters may have been fretting at what the season would bring following a disappointing summer, yet O'Neil has not only come in and steadied the ship, he's actually fixed the Wolves attack. With Hwang firing on all cylinders, Neto in full flow and Cunha playing a more sacrifical role, O'Neil deserves immense credit for the fine work he has carried out in such a short space of time.
