Three reasons why Fosun could actually decide to sack Gary O’Neil if Wolves don’t beat Southampton

Wolves are still winless in the Premier League after drawing against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Wanderers drew 2-2 with the Eagles, dropping points once again from a winning position, having initially shown good character to come from a goal down to lead.

After Trevoh Chalobah opened the scoring, Wolves got their noses in front through Jorgen Strand Larsen and Joao Gomes.

But poor defending saw Marc Guehi equalise.

Wolves then perhaps got slightly fortunate at the end, as Jean-Philippe Mateta saw a goal ruled out for a foul on Jose Sa, who was deemed to have two hands on the ball.

Gary O’Neil was defiant after the game, but the Wolves manager now finds himself under big pressure.

Quite possibly, he may now have just one game to save his job. Here are three reasons Fosun could sack him if Wolves don’t beat Southampton.

Many Wolves fans have now lost faith

It is always really important for owners to listen to the fans, and it is clear at this point that many have now turned on O’Neil.

There were chants of ‘You don’t know what you’re doing’ towards O’Neil on Saturday, and the last thing the owners need is a volatile Molineux.

Wolves fans have also been getting behind the team. But at times, there have been boos and that has been completely understandable.

O’Neil failing to beat Southampton this weekend may just prove to be the final straw. One can only imagine the reaction inside Molineux if Wolves do not take three points against a relegation rival.

It’s currently one win in 20 Premier League games, and none since since April.

Defence all over the place

Wolves have been atrocious defensively this season and there has been little sign of the situation improving, despite a recent formation change.

There can be a bit of sympathy for O’Neil here, because Max Kilman was not replaced. He then lost the promising Yerson Mosquera to a long-term injury.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
15	LeicesterLeicester	10	2	4	4	14	18	-4	10
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 despite these things, O’Neil must take responsibility for 27 goals conceded in just 10 Premier League games.

It’s an abysmal record, and one that will lead to relegation if things do not change. The work of the attackers just cannot count for anything meaningful if the defending continues to be as bad as it has been.

And it isn’t just the actual defenders who are at fault. No one seems to have a clear idea, especially on set-pieces. Lee Naylor criticised Goncalo Guedes for his ‘schoolboy’ defending against Palace on Saturday, and there was also a mix-up between Strand Larsen and Sa on the first goal.

It’s now zero clean sheets in the last 22 Premier League games, which is simply appalling.

International break coming up

After the game with Southampton, there is another international break and these can be good times for clubs to make managerial changes.

They are a small window for a new man to come in, get settled and work with some players who have not been called up by national teams.

If O’Neil doesn’t get a win against Southampton, Fosun may pull the trigger and get someone in for this period, ahead of the Premier League’s return.

There are some options out there at the moment. Some have called for the club to bring in David Moyes, a man with huge Premier League experience and someone who did fantastic work turning things around at West Ham United.

Graham Potter has also had a few shouts from some fans, and Sergio Conceicao might make a good appointment for Wolves.