Wolves were thrashed 6-2 by Chelsea on Sunday afternoon at Molineux and one player did himself no favours with a ‘clumsy’ display.
Wolves recorded their second defeat of the Premier League campaign this weekend after being hammered by Chelsea following their 2-0 loss to Arsenal.
It was an exciting spectacle in the first half, as both sides landed blows on each other with some excellent attacking football.
Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen carried the torch for Wolves in the final third and both netted while Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer scored in the first half.
With the game hanging in the balance at half-time, supporters were praying for a winning goal in the second but what they got was an unforgivable capitulation, as Gary O’Neil’s men conceded three goals in the space of 14 minutes before Joao Felix netted a sixth 10 minutes from time.
Rayan Ait-Nouri was criticized by the Wolves fans for his lacklustre defensive display however, he wasn’t the only player to endure a difficult afternoon.
Toti Gomes was ‘clumsy’ in Wolves 6-2 defeat vs Chelsea
O’Neil persisted with a back four against the Blues but he is perhaps cursing that decision now as they were torn to shreds.
Toti Gomes started alongside the inexperienced Yerson Mosquera once more, and the Portuguese international endured a tough time.
Despite recording the assist for Strand Larsen’s fine finish, the 25-year-old was incredibly disappointing defensively.
Across his 90 minutes on the field, he only made one tackle, won one aerial duel, two ground duels and lost possession six times.
It was a display that was branded ‘clumsy’ by 90min in their player ratings, as they awarded him a 3/10 for being ‘positionally inept’ throughout the counter.
Of course, Toti wasn’t helped by those in front of him, as he was constantly exposed by the pace of Noni Madueke in the right channel but the display still highlighted one major weakness for O’Neil to fix.
Wolves must switch back to their 3-4-3 system
Wolves have now conceded eight goals in their opening two games while playing a four-man defence.
It’s an experiment that worked in pre-season and saw their attacking players flourish but against world-class attackers, they’re being exposed, particularly in the wide areas.
Last season, O’Neil was praised for how well-rounded Wolves looked using a three-at-the-back system but like many of his predecessors, struggled when they tried to deviate from what worked previously.
O’Neil must use the last two matches as a sign to use his trusted 3-5-2 system once more, while Wolves must invest in a quality centre-back in the final five days of the window, otherwise, it could be a very long season.
On the evidence of their opening two games, a pairing of Toti and Mosquera is a car crash waiting to happen and they need someone more experienced, perhaps Craig Dawson, to play alongside them for the time being.