Wolves lost their final game of pre-season on Saturday afternoon, falling short to LaLiga side Rayo Vallecano at Molineux.
Gary O’Neil will be mostly pleased with Wolves’ performances in pre-season, as the Old Gold recorded four wins from six friendlies.
From impressively seeing off Champions League outfit RB Leipzig to getting the better of Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham, O’Neil’s squad have shown their quality throughout the summer.
Despite the high points over the break in competitive action, the manager has shared one concerning thing he’s noticed in training that will worry fans.
Gary O’Neil says Wolves’ quality in training has dipped ahead of Arsenal clash
The opening day couldn’t be more challenging for Wolves as a trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal draws closer.
Ahead of the trip, O’Neil admitted that he has seen a dip in performance in training from his squad following the highs of the tour of the United States, via Express and Star.
Speaking about his dissatisfaction at Wolves’ defeat to Rayo Vallecano, the manager put the issues in training down to travel.
“I saw it in training as well the other day, since we landed back from America maybe the level has dropped slightly, whether there’s some tiredness because there was a lot of travel, but that’s out of our system now and we need to get back to work on Monday.”
O’Neil was not happy with the level he saw his squad perform at against Rayo Vallecano at Molineux, describing the performance as ‘frustrating’.
“The lads have seen the difference of when we are at our level against West Ham and Leipzig and even Crystal Palace at times, and then today when we dropped well below it.
“It’s been a frustrating day and I didn’t enjoy it, but there’s still stuff that we can learn from it which will be important for us.”
Wolves must tap into pre-season form to stand a chance against Arsenal
It’s disappointing to hear of O’Neil’s concerns in the squad during training, considering the level that the Old Gold performed at in the United States.
Following the win against RB Leipzig in the States, there was great confidence ahead of the opening-day clash with the Gunners.
While all hope is not lost, it’s understood that Wolves must be at their absolute best if they are to cause problems for Mikel Arteta’s side in North London.
With O’Neil at the helm, it’s unlikely that the fatigue in the squad will last as the magnitude of the challenges ahead will require optimum performance from the Midlands club.