Wolves got their first win on the board in the Premier League on Saturday against Southampton, and it was the first time Gary O’Neil has had a choice to make between Jose Sa and Sam Johnstone.
Wolves beat Southampton 2-0 thanks to a top performance from Matheus Cunha, who scored and assisted.
Sa started for the fourth game in a row for Wolves, having come back into the team after Johnstone picked up a knock over the last international break.
Johnstone was not in the matchday squad for the games against Manchester City, Brighton and Crystal Palace, making Gary O’Neil’s life easier in terms of selection.
With Johnstone available to face Southampton, O’Neil had to decide between the pair for the first time – with Sa getting the nod.
Former goalkeeper Dave Watson has been speaking about Wolves’ goalkeeper situation and issued a worrying verdict for Johnstone.
Sam Johnstone up against it to reclaim Wolves starting berth
Wolves made the decision to sign Johnstone in the summer from Crystal Palace for £10 million.
The move raised eyebrows, with many not really seeing him as a major upgrade on Sa, if an upgrade at all.
Johnstone immediately displaced Sa between the sticks. But unfortunately, the England international’s form has not been good.
Former goalkeeper Dave Watson was speaking about the Wolves duo in a new video on the Ben Foster – The Cycling GK YouTube channel, and believes it will now be really hard for Johnstone to get back into the team.
He said: “The reality is I think the team has looked more stable and solid since Sa’s come back in. He’s a fantastic goalie, lots of experience. Really establish Premier League goalie to be fair.
“They thought they would try and get an enhancement in that department. Sam Johnstone, for not cheap, £10 million, and the team started really poorly, that’s the reality. That’s not all about Johnstone, for sure.
“You want, in any position, to hit the ground running. When you’re a goalie you want to make saves and keep clean sheets, and you want the team to establish itself. The team didn’t do that for him.
“When you’re in that position in the goals, naturally now, it will be very, very difficult for Sam Johnstone to reclaim his place. Because there’s only two things that (need to) happen; Jose Sa has to have a big drop-off in performance, if there’s an injury.”
Johnstone must show the fight Sa did
Johnstone can’t really have any complaints about dropping to second in the pecking order.
Unfortunately, he just didn’t hit the ground running after completing his move to Molineux from Palace, and Sa has done fairly well since coming back into the side after Johnstone’s injury.
Sa did make that error against Brighton where he made a poor clearance. But that aside, Wolves have looked a bit better at the back in general.
| Jose Sa for Wolves this season | Sam Johnstone for Wolves this season |
| Appearances – 7 | Appearances – 5 |
| Clean sheets – 1 | Clean sheets – 0 |
| Goals conceded – 17 | Goals conceded – 13 |
| Save percentage – 59.5% | Save percentage – 65.6% |
It will be frustrating for Johnstone given he made the move to be a number one. But he must now show the same fight that Sa did when he dropped to number two.
Johnstone has suggested it’s not ideal for clubs to have two number one standard goalkeepers, and it will be interesting to see how long both are competing for the same minutes.
January will be interesting. Because Sa has previously been a target for the Saudi Pro League, and it remains to be seen if any clubs come calling. That would certainly be one way for Johnstone to get back into the team.