We outline three key decisions that Wolves and Gary O’Neil need to make in January for it to be a successful month.
The start of the new in upon Wolves after a successful end to 2023. Fans had multiple reasons to be happy by the end of December. The month finished on a three-game winning streak where O’Neil oversaw multiple convincing wins including a 3-0 victory over Everton at Molineux.
Accompanying this was the return of fan-favourite Pedro Neto. The winger had been out of the side for two months after an injury against Newcastle. However, his substitute appearance against Everton showed no signs of rustiness.
Now that January is underway, Wolves have already had a decent start to the month after they came back to draw 1-1 against Brentford despite being down to 10 players.
However, if the club is to repeat the success of December, here are three key decisions O’Neil needs to get correct to get Wolves off to the best possible start in 2024.
Wolves need to bring in a striker
Bringing in a striker needs to be the priority for Wolves this month. Despite a flurry of goals at the end of December including a 4-1 victory over Brentford O’Neil still needs more cover up top.
The loan departures departures of Fabio Silva and Sasa Kalajdzic to Rangers and Frankfurt have left Wolves short of attacking options.
Hwang Hee-Chan is also away on international duty with South Korea and may not be back until February.
With only Matheus Cunha recognised in that central area, the club could be in trouble if he picks up an injury.
Rumours have linked multiple strikers to Wolves over this past month including Che Adams and Danny Ings. However, whatever happens, O’Neil needs to make sure he brings in reinforcements this month.
Gary O’Neil needs to play Wolves first team in the FA Cup
After Wolves’ success in the first half of the season, relegation looks highly unlikely for O’Neil’s side.
While many may still dream of Europe, this is still unlikely to happen in this campaign.
This leaves Wolves with the FA Cup. The squad did fantastically well to gain a draw vs Brentford to force a replay next week.
Now that the fourth-round draw has been made and Wolves are set to face West Brom, O’Neil needs to do everything in his power to make sure they progress.
The club haven’t beaten West Brom in over a decade and any victory at the Hawthorns will make the campaign memorable for years to come.
Therefore, playing the best players available for both Brentford and West Brom would give Wolves the best chance of doing this.
Wolves need to end their poor form against Brighton
It’s safe to say that Wolves have not had a good time against Brighton in recent years.
O’Neil’s first home game as Wolves manager was against the Seagulls as he was defeated 4-1.
Last season, the West Midlands side suffered their worst-ever Premier League defeat at the Amex Stadium when they were blown away with a 6-0 defeat.
It hasn’t just been in recent years Wolves have struggled against Brighton. In their history, the Molineux side has only beaten the Seagulls five times. The last time they came out on top was a 1-0 win in the 2021/22 season.
With Wolves only playing one Premier League game in January, avoiding a defeat at the Amex would be seen as a good result. This would also help extend the club’s unbeaten run in the league to four games.
Therefore, O’Neil needs to ensure that his tactics and team are correct to try and complete this task.