Wolves produced a poor performance and were beaten 1-0 by Bournemouth on Wednesday – but one player arguably showed that he is deserving of a run in the team now.
Antoine Semenyo’s goal was the difference at Molineux, with the Cherries worth the three points.
Wanderers, who welcomed key players back for the clash, were far from their best level on the night, and have now been leapfrogged by Bournemouth in the table.
Gary O’Neil felt it was one of the worst performances of the season, and big improvements are needed inthe next game against Luton Town.
Wolves looked lethargic at times against Bournemouth, and the small squad size is really not helping the manager.
There are players who have played a lot of minutes, with the two central midfielders Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina having been run into the ground.
So then, O’Neil may feel it appropriate to turn to a player who actually put in a decent performance on Wednesday after coming off the bench…
Boubacar Traore deserves a run in the team, as Wolves limp to the Premier League finish line
The season is threatening to end with a whimper, with Wolves now winless in their last six Premier League games.
The losses of Matheus Cunha, Hwang Hee-chan, Pedro Neto and Craig Dawson have proven harmful, and it’s meant the likes of Lemina and Gomes have sometimes had to play out of position.
Lemina and Gomes have been tremendous this season but they are both now feeling the pinch. Especially, Lemina, who recently had trouble standing up when being interviewed he was so tired.
It may well be in O’Neil’s best interests to get Boubacar Traore into the starting XI and keeping him there, as his legs are much fresher than the those of his fellow midfielders.
Traore has made 23 appearances so far this season, for a total of just 745 minutes.
He has started just three Premier League games this term, and he was very good in his latest against Arsenal. And when he came on against Bournemouth, he again looked good.
Traore made a difference for Wolves, and drove forwards where he could. He provided a bit of urgency and energy in the middle of park which had been lacking.
We know that O’Neil loves Lemina and Gomes. They are undoubtedly quality players and their mobility and athleticism make them so hard to play against.
But Traore – who signed for Wolves permanently for just under £10 million after an initial loan spell – deserves a chance to come in now after his last few outings.
The Mali international is a player club officials are very excited about. O’Neil said of him last month: “I’m really excited by what he could be, I’ve said it a few times and especially to my staff, in a few of his performances I was really impressed with him.”
But we haven’t really seen a great deal of him so far, and this could now be a great chance for him to impress.