Wolves were denied their first win of the season in the Premier League by Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Gary O’Neil now finds himself under major pressure, despite coming across as defiant after the 2-2 draw at Molineux.
O’Neil recently received the backing of Fosun at Wolves. But the Wolves owners need to see evidence that things are going to turn around in a big way.
A defeat against Southampton at home might just mean the end for O’Neil.
The draw with Palace at the weekend was frustrating, because Wolves again got themselves into a winning position, but were unable to see the game out.
There was more poor defending, and pundit Tony Cascarino firmly believes that this is the single biggest issue for Wolves right now.
Cascarino says Wolves must improve defensively, but says attack is ‘shining light’
Wolves have now shipped a whopping 27 goals so far this season after 10 games.
That is a truly alarming record, with Ipswich Town having conceded the next most with 21.
Wolves cannot possibly hope to win many games if they keep defending like there are, and Cascarino reckons this is the main problem right now.
But the former Chelsea striker has been enthused by Wolves’ attacking quality, and feels this might just be the club’s saving grace this season.
He said on talkSPORT yesterday morning: “You’re going to lose a lot of football matches at that rate (nearly three a game).
“14 at home they’ve conceded. I know they’ve had a devastating defeat against Chelsea. Unless they solve that problem… because I do think the one shining light for Wolves, is out of the bottom six, I think they’re the likeliest to get goals.
“They just have to be a little bit tighter to beat.”
- READ MORE: Wolves player ratings vs Crystal Palace, Matheus Cunha magnificent as one player gets 4/10
Wolves could sack O’Neil if he doesn’t beat Southampton
Undoubtedly, the biggest issue O’Neil needs to fix is the defending in general.
We have seen Wolves fare OK in the final third, with 14 goals scored so far – only eight other Premier League teams have scored more so far.
But 27 goals conceded in just 10 games is unacceptable, meaning the contributions of the attackers are going to waste.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 16 |  EvertonEverton | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 17 | -7 | 9 |
| 17 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 13 | -5 | 7 |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 21 | -11 | 5 |
| 19 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 19 | -12 | 4 |
| 20 |  WolvesWolves | 10 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 27 | -13 | 3 |
But time is running out for O’Neil. If he does not beat Southampton this weekend at home, then Fosun might just decide that it is time for a change.
For many, O’Neil has already overstayed his welcome at Molineux. Failure to beat Southampton could turn most of his remaining supporters against him.