Ahead of Wolves vs Chelsea, here are three players that Gary O’Neil must start on Christmas Eve if he wants to pull off a Premier League upset.
Wolves were extremely poor in their last game. O’Neil’s side was completely undone by West Ham as they went on to lose 3-0.
After a poor result, the manager may well look at making changes to his starting XI as his side welcome Chelsea to Molineux on Sunday.
In front of the Sky Sports cameras, Wolves will be looking to bounce back with all three points against the capital side and extend their home unbeaten run to eight games.
However, if O’Neil wants to achieve this, there are three players that he must bring back into the starting lineup if he wants to achieve the right result.
Jose Sa
The goalkeeper missed Wolves’ last game against West Ham due to injury. Dan Bentley was forced to cover for the Wolves number one but didn’t cover himself in glory as the away side conceded three goals at the London Stadium.
O’Neil confirmed in the week that Jose Sa would be available against for Christmas Eve and the ‘keeper needs to immediately return to the starting lineup.
Despite some errors this season, Sa is capable of putting in some great performances. This was mainly seen in his first season at the club where he won the Wolves Player of the Season.
In this campaign, Sa has shown glimpses of this previous form. His performance in the 1-0 away win to Everton was phenomenal while the ‘keeper also made an outstanding save away to Arsenal before he was forced off with an injury.
Rayan Ait-Nouri
The full-back has now returned after a spell on the sidelines. Ait-Nouri had been out since the 3-2 defeat to Fulham but made a comeback last weekend off the bench.
The Algerian was one of Wolves’ most in-form players before his injury and was widely praised for his performances. In the 2-1 win against Spurs, Ait-Nouri particularly stood out as he constantly looked to create opportunities for the hosts.
Now he is fit once again, O’Neil has to start the 22-year-old to give Wolves the best chance of pulling off a result. With a return to a back five likely after the disastrous display last game, Ait-Nouri would perfectly slide back into the system.
Tommy Doyle
It is no secret that Wolves have lacked creativity in recent games. Against Burnley, Nottingham Forest and West Ham, Wolves only managed to score twice despite every opposition going into the game on a poor run of form.
Tommy Doyle could well be the solution Gary O’Neil is looking for in this department. The midfielder is known for his creative abilities and has succeeded well in doing this in the middle of the park.
Away to Bournemouth, this was most prominent as he helped change the game after coming on at half-time.
The addition of Doyle into the starting XI on Sunday could re-ignite Wolves’ creative abilities and help pull off a good result.