Wolves dug deep to put in a strong performance against Arsenal, who walked away from Molineux with three points, giving Gary O’Neil a host of individual displays to be proud of on what was a tough day for the Old Gold.
It was never going to be easy for Wolves to overcome Arsenal at Molineux, with Gary O’Neil’s task made even greater due to his squad’s injury crisis.
With a list of first-teamers out of action ahead of the battle with the Gunners, the boss had to scramble to present an XI capable of taking the game to Mikel Arteta’s side, which is exactly what was achieved, despite the result.
The hosts were defeated 2-0 by the Premier League leaders with both goals coming at the end of each half however, the manager can be proud of his side’s performance, particularly as many players were fielded out of position.
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Starting Joao Gomes and Hugo Bueno on the wings and 20-year-old academy gem Tawanda Chirewa in attack alongside Hwang Hee-chan tells the story of O’Neil shortages, with one star shining for his cameo on the night.
Mario Lemina was impressive for Wolves against Arsenal
In the 51st minute, the boss made the decision to take Hwang out of the contest to be replaced by Mario Lemina, who was given the opportunity to impress as a number nine.
Being Molineux’s prized central midfielder quickly became a thing of the past for the Gabon international, who was forced to show his versatility, a gamble that paid off for both O’Neil and Lemina himself.
During the game, Sky Sports commentator Alan Smith lauded the 30-year-old’s performance against Arsenal as he played way out of position.
“He has been lively, Lemina, hard to pin down.”
Anyone who wasn’t familiar with the midfielder’s dominant position would have failed to notice that Lemina was playing away from his comfort zone, as he completed 100% of his dribbles and fired one shot on target, via Sofascore.
What Gary O’Neil said about Mario Lemina’s display against Arsenal
It shows the adaptability and willingness to help his team for Lemina to put in such a display in a position he rarely finds himself in, something that O’Neil echoed in his post-match press conference.
As relayed by journalist Nathan Judah, the boss said:
“We discovered Mario Lemina can play as a number 9 tonight.
“I said I’m sure he’s played there at some point at school, go and have a run and enjoy yourself.”
Of course, the manager would have preferred to have Lemina in the engine room and all of his first team available however, given the limits of Wolves’ small squad and the current injury crisis, the team have had to step up to push the club over the 2023/24 finish line.
Lemina’s performance was a prime example of the Old Gold thriving in adversity, and who knows, O’Neil may be tempted to test the Gabon international as a striker once more before the end of the campaign.