Wolves crashed to a frustrating defeat against Sheffield United – but Gary O’Neil is proving himself to be very good at one aspect of management.
Wanderers’ unbeaten run in the Premier League is over after losing 2-1 at Bramall Lane.
Wolves looked to be heading for a draw, before there was a very controversial ending to the game. Fabio Silva, on as a substitute, was adjudged to have fouled George Baldock in the area by referee Robert Jones.
Replays showed Baldock was already going to ground, in scenes very similar to the incident involving Hwang Hee-chan and Fabian Schar last weekend.
Incredibly, Jones’ decision was upheld by VAR. Match of the Day host Gary Lineker slammed the call, as have many fans.
Wolves probably didn’t deserve too much out of the game, as it was a pretty poor performance.
But there is one minor positive to take from the game, and it relates to the latest Wolves goal scored by Jean-Ricner Bellegarde…
Wolves have the highest percentage of goals scored by substitutes so far this term
Wolves were able to get back on level terms thanks to Bellegarde, who had started the game on the bench.
The Frenchman scored a great goal, striking from the edge of the area and beating a flailing Wes Foderingham. There was a slight deflection, but it was a great hit nonetheless.
That goal from Bellegarde was actually the fifth time a Wolves substitute has scored this season in the Premier League.
Five out of Wolves’ 14 league goals have now been scored by subs, giving a percentage of 37.5% – that is the highest yield for any side in the Premier League up to now (via Talking Wolves).
Hwang Hee-chan has scored two coming off the bench (against Brighton and Crystal Palace). Sasa Kalajdzic has also scored two (vs Everton and Bournemouth), and Bellegarde now has one.
Reason for optimism if Gary O’Neil makes a substitution for Wolves
This is a really interesting statistic that reflects well on manager Gary O’Neil. The evidence is there to suggest that Wolves can find joy by freshening things up.
It is very encouraging, and shows that this is actually a Wolves squad with some decent depth to it.
Clearly, even those who may not be in O’Neil’s starting plans right now are fully on board with what he wants to do, and understand his vision.