Wolves are preparing to come up against their former captain as the Old Gold face West Ham United.
It’s a must-win clash for both sides as Julen Lopetegui feels the pressure at West Ham amid the Hammers’ poor start to the campaign.
In the same boat is Gary O’Neil, whose Wolves future is in jeopardy as the Midlands side sit four points from safety in the relegation zone.
Wolves must put their emotions to the side against West Ham with the prospect of defeat spelling bad news for the Old Gold’s survival hopes.
Max Kilman shares Wolves verdict
The game will be one filled with passion as both managers fight for their futures however, there’s another reason that the fixture displays emotion.
For the first time, former Wolves captain Max Kilman will come up against the Old Gold competitively in what is a must-win duel for his side.
Kilman sent a message to Wolves prior to the game to display his commitment to West Ham and the centre-back also shared his verdict on his former club’s struggles.
“Wolves are a good side,” Kilman said to Sky Sports.
“They’ve not started the season well but they have got a lot of quality so we need to be ready for that. We all know what we have to do and it’s a big task ahead.
“They’ve got a really good squad, lots of young players that want to do well and they’ve been doing well for a number of years so it’s going to be a big challenge.”
The defender’s sale represented one of the costly errors Matt Hobbs committed in the summer transfer window, offloading two of Wolves’ star players with no replacements.
Kilman acknowledged the Old Gold’s poor start but failed to rule out the threat that his former teammates could pose to West Ham.
Gary O’Neil’s defensive struggles continue
When Wolves offloaded Kilman to West Ham for £40m, there was an understanding that the club would recruit a worthy replacement for the player.
Criminally, that didn’t happen and now O’Neil is paying for the club’s errors in the summer due to Wolves’ lack of depth at the back.
| Stat | Total | Rank in Premier League |
| Goals conceded | 36 | 1st |
| Clean sheets | 1 | =20th |
| Penalties conceded | 5 | 1st |
| Defeats | 9 | 2nd |
While the manager is not the only figure to blame for Wolves’ shortcomings in defence, O’Neil is in control of putting his wrongs to right against West Ham.
O’Neil has been criticised for using Mario Lemina in defence for three consecutive games, a tactic that has not worked in the previous two defeats.
The decision started due to the squad’s lack of cover in central defence, making the decision to sell Kilman all the more puzzling.
There’s no room for error against West Ham which both sides know, putting pressure on the manager to get it right away from home.