Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs has now revealed what midfielder Mario Lemina is expecting to achieve at Molineux.
Gary O’Neil has Wolves flying high when many predicted the club would be involved in a relegation scrap this season.
Julen Lopetegui left just days before the campaign got underway, and a raft of big-name players had been sold.
O’Neil, who was fresh from keeping Bournemouth in the Premier League, has blown expectations out of the water by allowing supporters to dream of European football while guiding the Wanderers to an FA Cup quarter-final.
This would have been unthinkable a few months ago, but one of the reasons why they’ve overachieved is down to how much the Wolves boss has improved the current crop of players and one of those is midfielder Mario Lemina.
Underscored by one incredible statistic, the 40-year-old has transformed Lemina into a midfield machine alongside Joao Gomes and the Gabon international has seen improvements not just on the pitch, but mentally.
Matt Hobbs reveals what Mario Lemina expects to achieve at Wolves
O’Neil is a superb tactician but also brilliant at man management and has been credited for the relationship he’s built off the pitch with his players.
He’s commanded respect from his first-team stars by taking an interest in their life outside of football.
After all, footballers deserve to be treated as normal human beings and not robots earning vast sums of money per week.
These incredible man-management skills from O’Neil have instilled belief into his players, raising expectations in the squad.
As the Express & Star reported, Matt Hobbs discussed one conversation he had with Lemina and the 30-year-old expects his side to finish in Europe this term after an amazing start.
He said: “I was chatting to Mario just after Christmas and he said he is expecting us to be there or thereabouts for Europe. These players have an expectation on themselves that if they perform to the level they can, they believe they have the ability to get into the top eight”
Mario Lemina’s importance to Wolves
In a high-octane style deployed by O’Neil, he requires his midfielders to be excellent at covering lots of ground and winning possession back for his team.
Lemina, who ranks in the top 20% for tackles in the Premier League and the top 10% for interceptions, has certainly starred alongside Gomes in the engine room.
The midfield pairing were lauded as “incredible” last year following their performance against Chelsea last year and they’ve continued to play pivotal roles in Wolves’ charge towards Europe.
Lemina is even enjoying more freedom further up the pitch. O’Neil has released him from the shackles of his defensive role and he’s scored more goals this season (5) than he’s managed in his previous three (4), underscoring his improvement.
And with several injuries to key players, the Wanderers boss will be calling on the £45k-a-week star to help pull the squad through this tough period, starting at home to Fulham tomorrow afternoon.