Three Wolves players who could suffer from a formation change, including £15m player

Gary O’Neil could be set to change Wolves’ formation after a concerning start to the new season.

Wolves have shipped 21 goals in their seven Premier League games so far, and fans have been very concerned by the state of the backline.

 

Yerson Mosquera looked promising though, but the Colombia international has picked up a season-ending knee injury.

So Wolves are in a sticky situation right now, with the decision not to sign a replacement for Max Kilman looking very suspect now.

After the latest game with Brentford, which saw Wolves concede another five goals, Gary O’Neil hinted that he could now change the system.

We saw him do that last term when Manchester City came to Molineux, and they just so happen to be the next opponents for Wolves in the Premier League.

But if O’Neil did change the formation, then it could be that it might not suit some players.

Joao Gomes

In theory, O’Neil going with a back three could mean he now drops a midfielder.

 

In the last few games, we have seen Andre, Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes playing as a three.

New signing Andre has been the standout player and it’s difficult to see him losing his place in the side in the event of a system change.

Mario Lemina had his worst Wolves game against Brentford by his own admission, and has not been in good form. However, he is the captain and it would be so bold of O’Neil to set up without him.

So a formation change could potentially put Joao Gomes’ position in jeopardy.

The £15 million star has been a firm favourite of the manager since his arrival last year, with Gomes making 38 appearances last season and eight in 2024/25.

Of course, O’Neil could continue to play all three midfielders together. But the Wolves manager may want an extra forward up top.

Pablo Sarabia

Pablo Sarabia has barely been seen as it is so far this season – but Wolves changing formation arguably would not help him one bit.

The Spaniard is known for being a technical player, and one of the main criticisms of him has been that he doesn’t do things at pace. He is methodical, and not explosive.

If Wolves are going to set up with a back three and wing-backs, there would be plenty of times when the team is sitting back and soaking up pressure.

Sarabia is certainly not known for his defensive ability and would also then be fairly ineffective for any counter-attack opportunities.

Sarabia is not quick and is much better for when Wolves want to build up to try and get past a low block.

Last season, O’Neil had a lot of success playing 5-2-3, and the three forwards – Matheus Cunha, Hwang Hee-chan and Pedro Neto – all had pace in abundance and really hurt teams.

Tommy Doyle

There are a lot of Wolves fans out there right now who feel Doyle should be getting more minutes.

Doyle himself believes he should be starting every week for Wolves, according to O’Neil.

It’s difficult for him having three brilliant players to compete with, and the manager changing to a back three with wing-backs probably wouldn’t help Doyle. In a way, Doyle is probably the most unfortunate Wolves player in the squad.

A bit like with Gomes, there would be potential for O’Neil to only go with two midfielders in order to get three attackers in.

If O’Neil was only going to call on two midfield players then Doyle getting more minutes becomes even more difficult than it already is.

 

 

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