Wolves boss Gary O’Neil has explained his decision to axe Tommy Doyle from the starting eleven in midfield.
Things are positive around Molineux at present thanks to the work of Gary O’Neil at Wolves.
Despite recording big results and showcasing impressive performances, the manager has recently had to explain one decision that he admitted was “incredibly tough”.
With Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina in midfield, the boss seems to have cracked the code to unlocking the perfect balance in the engine room, meaning that Manchester City loanee Tommy Doyle has had to drop to the bench.
Gary O’Neil explains his decision to bench Tommy Doyle
Courtesy of Express and Star, O’Neil explained the reasons behind cutting Doyle’s minutes and revealed the tough conversations he had with the 22-year-old.
“It was an incredibly tough chat with Tommy. To leave somebody out who has performed that well is never an easy conversation to have.”
“The way Tommy is, he’s a great guy and has been unbelievable around the place for the culture and what we’re trying to set here. The way he is every day is really refreshing.”
“It took him a long time to force his way in and there was never any disappointment shown, he was always ready to work with a smile.”
When the Manchester City academy jewel has been in the squad, he has shown glimpses of just why the Old Gold were keen to secure his signature, although O’Neil explained why he had to axe his place in the starting lineup.
“Previously, it was regularly Joao and Mario and Tommy was considered behind them.”
“The way he has performed has closed that gap massively and I now have a really tough decision to make around which two it is or whether we try to get all three in.”
“That’s credit to Tommy, because Mario and Joao have performed at such a high level. For Tommy to have put as much pressure on them as he has, is a real credit to him.”
“It’s never nice to leave someone out, especially one that has done so well, is such a good guy and works so hard, but he took it extremely well.”
It would be difficult for Gary O’Neil to disturb Wolves’ midfield pivot
Having tried and tested a host of formations, roles and personnel in the midfield this term, it seems that the boss has struck gold with the pairing of Gomes and Lemina.
While Doyle can refresh the midfield with an eye for progressive play, the stability that Gomes can bring next to Lemina allows Wolves to play so well through the channels.
As highlighted by WhoScored, no players in O’Neil’s squad average more tackles per game than the Brazilian and the Gabonese pivot, with the 23-year-old averaging 3.4 and Lemina 2.8.
If things in the Wolves lineup aren’t broken, it would be unnecessary for the boss to fix them, leaving a harsh reality for Doyle who despite impressing in spells, is not in a position to dethrone either of the manager’s favoured duo.