Wolves face Southampton on Saturday in a crucial clash for both Gary O’Neil and the Old Gold.
So far in this campaign, Wolves have been abysmal. The club are yet to win a Premier League game and sits bottom of the table with just three points.
O’Neil’s job could well be on the line if Wolves lose to Southampton as the Old Gold currently sits four points from safety.
One of the biggest issues facing the Molineux side this season is their defence. Wolves have conceded the most goals in the division by a distance after seeing the ball enter their net 27 times.
While Yerson Mosquera’s ACL injury against Aston Villa hasn’t helped matters, it is still an awful record for an established Premier League side.
Now, ahead of the Southampton game, O’Neil has made a strange claim about Wolves’ defence.
Gary O’Neil insists that Wolves are improving defensively
At the end of the last international break, Wolves were on the back of a 5-3 defeat to Brentford.
This defeat meant Wolves were on track to concede the most goals in Premier League history.
While Wolves have not conceded five goals again in a single game, they have now let in two goals in each of their past three matches.
Yet, despite this, O’Neil believes he has witnessed improvements in Wolves’ backline since the Brentford defeat.
The manager stated: “It’s difficult to win games if you concede 2 every week. We have looked more solid since Brentford and we work hard on it. I’m aware of the areas we’re not coping too well with.”
Wolves’ defensive woes have shown no signs of improvement
In their past three games, Wolves could have easily conceded more than they did.
Against Crystal Palace in particular, the visitors had plenty of chances to win the game but fluffed their lines.
On top of this, many of the goals Wolves are conceding are from amateur defending. Whether it’s Jose Sa’s awful kick vs Brighton or the numerous set-piece goals which could have easily been avoided.
The reality is that Wolves have not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League since February, and there are no signs that will change anytime soon.