Wolves’ Premier League status is under major threat as pressure increases on Gary O’Neil.
Going into Monday night’s match against West Ham, the Old Gold are 19th in the Premier League, three points from safety.
O’Neil is now expected to remain in charge for the Hammers match despite a humiliating 4-0 defeat against Everton on Wednesday.
While many fans have now turned against the Wolves manager, candidates such as David Moyes and Graham Potter are not interested in the Old Gold position.
Therefore, O’Neil may have one last chance to save his job against an equally under pressure Julen Lopetegui.
However, if Wolves are to get a result, they must finally fix an issue which has now become the worst in Europe.
Wolves have the worst set-piece record in Europe’s top five leagues
One of the most frustrating things about watching Wolves this season has been their inability to defend.
The club have shipped goals for fun all season with the last two matches proving how incapable the defence are at doing their job.
Set-pieces have proved to be the most tricky area for the backline. Wolves have constantly shipped goals from corners or free kicks at an alarming rate.
After a 5-3 defeat to Brentford, set-piece coach Jack Wilson was sacked by Wolves in hopes the situation would change – it has not.
Each of Everton’s goals on Wednesday came from dead-ball situations which ultimately led the club to an embarrassing defeat.
Now, according to WhoScored, Wolves are the worst club in the top five leagues at defending set-plays.
O’Neil’s side have conceded 11 goals from dead-ball situations, three higher than the next club Southampton and four more than Villarreal.
On top of this, on average a Premier League side has conceded 3.9 goals from set-plays. Wolves are 7.1 goals above this.
The collapse of Wolves’ defensive capabilities is shocking
It’s hard to believe that only a couple of seasons ago, the Wolves set-up was built around a strong backline.
Now, it’s a miracle if the club only concedes once a game, with the attack constantly carrying the side to points.
Many of the former reliable faces such as Craig Dawson have completely collapsed in ability with not a single player looking capable of playing even in the Championship.
If O’Neil is sacked, the new manager will have his work cut out if he is to bring the backline to the level needed to survive.