First games do not come much tougher than Arsenal away, but that is the hand Wolves have been dealt to kick off the 2024/25 Premier League season.
Wanderers’ preparations for the new campaign have been good.
But there will be a stern test this weekend when they go to the Emirates Stadium, to take on an Arsenal side who took Manchester City to the final day last season in the Premier League title race.
Mikel Arteta’s side did the double over Wolves last term and will be looking to get their campaign off to a winning start.
Wolves will need to be at their very best to get anything, and it is going to be fascinating to see how Gary O’Neil sets up.
But surely, his starting XI needs to include Craig Dawson.
O’Neil may be foolish to use Toti Gomes and Yerson Mosquera as a pairing vs Arsenal
In pre-season, Toti Gomes and Yerson Mosquera were used as a pairing several times.
They played a full game together against Rayo Vallecano, and also featured against RB Leipzig and West Ham United.
Some Wolves fans have felt that was an indication that O’Neil would be using the pair in the first game against Arsenal.
Simply put, this would be a major risk from O’Neil to throw them in at the deep end.
Ultimately, Toti still doesn’t have that much experience playing as a centre-back in a back four. And Mosquera – as promising as he has looked in pre-season – has yet to make his Premier League debut.
This does not particularly feel like a game to be deploying a brand new pairing that lacks experience in the best league in the world.
Mosquera does not need to be starting his Premier League career with a horror show, and he doesn’t need his confidence potentially shaking right from the off.
That is why O’Neil needs to start Craig Dawson against the Gunners, who scored the second-highest number of goals in the league last season with 91 in 38 games.
Dawson’s experience needed vs Arsenal
Dawson has not played a competitive game for Wolves since March, having picked up a groin injury after the 3-0 defeat to Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.
Wolves greatly missed the veteran during the run-in.
His authority at the back has been a massive positive for Wolves since he signed from West Ham United for just over £3 million, and he is just a proper, no-frills defender.
Arsenal will likely spend most of this weekend’s game throwing the kitchen sink at Wolves in front of a home crowd and Dawson is the man you want when it comes to backs-to-the-wall defending.
O’Neil has suggested he could actually go to a back three for the opening game, despite mainly playing with a back four in pre-season.
It would be wise to make such a tactical shift for this opening game. So it should be Dawson, Mosquera and Toti at the back, or just Dawson and Toti with Mosquera on the bench.