Gary O’Neil has a lot to unpack from Wolves’ 6-2 defeat to Chelsea, with one concern now brought to light by Micah Richards.
Molineux watched on as Wolves conceded six goals at home for the first time since 2007, losing 6-2 to Enzo Maresca’s side.
Last season, the Old Gold beat Chelsea home and away, telling of the Blues’ growth and the troubles that O’Neil’s squad face.
Despite going in level at the interval, things quickly took a turn for the worse for Wolves, who have given the manager plenty to think about both tactically and on the transfer front.
Micah Richards warns Gary O’Neil of Wolves’ midfield problem after Chelsea defeat
The defence and the performance of Jose Sa were two of the clearest talking points from the fixture, as Wolves crumbled quickly in the second half.
While the attention was on the lapses in concentration at the back, pundit Micah Richards pinpointed another area that didn’t help the hosts’ chances of usurping the Blues.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Richards credited the difficulties that Wolves are facing defensively as a result of Max Kilman’s exit, but also called out O’Neil’s midfield.
“Losing a key member like that is always going to be massive but they do try and play football, play through the lines, they do over commit at times and they leave themselves open.
“If you look at the goals they conceded, where’s the midfield?”
Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina were far from at their best against Chelsea, with the duo’s positioning simply not good enough as the visitors cracked Wolves open numerous times.
While Richards did explain that he thinks things will soon improve for O’Neil’s side, the former Manchester City defender called on the midfield to take some responsibility for the pressure they put on the back line.
“I think it’ll get better because I believe in what the manager does, but in terms of the goals they conceded today from a defender’s point of view, it can knock your confidence a little bit.”
Wolves were terrible all over the pitch against Chelsea
Joao Felix’s goal in particular caused alarm bells to ring in midfield, as Lemina left the Portugal international completely unmarked on the edge of the box.
Numerous times as Chelsea flooded forward, O’Neil’s favoured pivot was seen far from the action, with structure being jeopardised by the desire to flood forward.
As much as it was an afternoon to forget for Wolves, it was a result that requires a deep inquest to be carried out by the manager, who will be furious with the level that his side performed at.