Former Wolves midfielder Dave Edwards has sent a message to Gary O’Neil following the Old Gold’s draw against Nottingham Forest.
As it usually is at the City Ground, Wolves were handed an action-packed 90 minutes when the two sides met on Saturday in the Premier League.
For the first time this season, O’Neil’s side picked up a point, ending their five-game losing streak in the top flight.
There were several positives to take from the fixture with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s wonder strike being one although, there remains plenty of room for improvement within the squad.
Gary O’Neil has a problem to solve in Wolves’ defence
After losing their opening two games in the league, Wolves had to make changes in order to address the situation that saw the club concede eight goals against Arsenal and Chelsea.
By dropping the out-of-form Hwang Hee-chan to play Rayan Ait-Nouri further upfield, O’Neil was handed the opportunity to change his back line, bringing Craig Dawson and Nelson Semedo into the fold and pushing Toti Gomes to left-back.
Toti has been one of several Wolves players who have struggled at the start of this season however, his performance level improved against Forest as he was utilised on the left side.
Despite O’Neil discovering respite at the back by securing a point against Forest, the manager has been warned of the problems that could come at left-back in the near future.
Evaluating the draw against Forest in his Express and Star column, Dave Edwards admitted that he sees the left-back dilemma as a ‘problem position’.
“I liked that Rayan Ait-Nouri was pushed further forward and Toti Gomes, who is still trying to find some confidence at left-back, still looked more comfortable there than Ait-Nouri has done,” Edwards explained.
“It may be a problem position as the season goes on, but at the moment Toti can rediscover some form and bring some solidity to the defence and we can see more of Ait-Nouri going forward.”
O’Neil did reap the benefits of his tweak in personnel at the back and in attack although, Edwards’ doubts over the longevity of Wolves’ situation at left-back rings true.
Wolves have limited options at left-back
As far as the summer transfer window went for the Old Gold, O’Neil and Matt Hobbs were able to sanction the majority of the squad’s needs in the market before the deadline.
Wolves signed in all areas this summer, apart from at left-back, which has left the squad with incredibly limited numbers in the position.
Now that Hugo Bueno has joined Feyenoord on loan, Ait-Nouri stands alone as Wolves’ only out-and-out left-back, with only two others recognised to be able to play the role.
Toti is one of them, which could relieve the issue for the time being, as Edwards explained although, only time will tell just how long O’Neil can go without having options at the back.
It’s a difficult situation, but not one that the Old Gold can be surprised about given the lack of attention paid to the role during the summer.