Former Manchester City and Aston Villa defender Micah Richards has issued the worry he has for Wolves manager Gary O’Neil.
Wolves are currently having a season that is beyond most supporters’ wildest dreams.
Once Julen Lopetegui walked out of Molineux three days before the Premier League season started, relegation looked like it was on the cards before a ball was even kicked.
This was reinforced further when the club had to sell talent such as Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes without investing in the playing squad.
So once Gary O’Neil walked through the doors at Wolves, many had written off the 40-year-old instantly as he was dealt such a poor hand, although he has played it to perfection.
The former Bournemouth manager has tactically outsmarted the likes of Pep Guardiola and Ange Postecoglu this season while leading the Wanderers into an FA Cup quarter-final and a tussle towards Europe.
It’s been an incredible season so far and that has, of course, led to talks of O’Neil one day taking charge of a big job in the Premier League.
Gary Lineker believes he will go on to become a ‘special’ manager while Micah Richards has questioned whether he would be able to cope when the expectations to achieve success are greater than ever.
Micah Richards issues his worry for Wolves boss Gary O’Neil
O’Neil has thrived at Wolves and that is partly down to the fact that little was expected of him in the first place.
Many had the Wanderers down to fight relegation this season, so the pressure was never on him to perform and that has ultimately worked in his favour.
If he were to take a job at a club like Manchester United or Chelsea, for instance, it could be a completely different story according to Richards.
Speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast with Lineker and Alan Shearer, he said: “It all depends on, no disrespect to Wolves fans, what his next move is. Has he got the control of getting in the players, do they buy into the style of football that he wants to play and then can he do it at a team with more pressure.
“Ultimately, when we walk about the likes of Antony, Martial and Pogba not doing it at Man Utd, a lot of it is to do with the scrutiny of the club. Whether he can deal with the outside noise, along with getting the players to buy into what he’s doing. I think that’s the next challenge for him.”
Richards does have a point
To a certain extent, Richards is right. You won’t know how O’Neil would be able to handle increased pressure and expectation to perform until he’s thrown into that position.
O’Neil, though, does deserve credit for walking into a fractured dressing room at Wolves and unlocking the potential of several superstars.
It just shows that he has the potential to become a special coach, as Lineker said previously, and it would be interesting to see if he’d be able to work magic at a club challenging for the Champions League or titles.
That is a worry supporters will have in the future, but for now, they can enjoy watching their manager in the dugout.