O’Neil’s squad has demonstrated their quality over the summer, from convincingly defeating Champions League opponents RB Leipzig to defeating Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham.
Despite the positive points of the break in competitive activity, the manager has highlighted one troubling observation he made in training that will alarm fans. Gary O’Neil feels Wolves’ quality of training has decreased ahead of the Arsenal meeting.
The first day couldn’t be more difficult for Wolves, as their journey to the Emirates to play Arsenal approaches.
O’Neil said ahead of the trip that his squad’s performance in training had dipped since the highs of the US tour, via Express & Star.
Speaking about his unhappiness with Wolves’ defeat.
The manager of Rayo Vallecano attributed the troubles in training to travel. “I saw it in training as well the other day, since we landed back from America maybe the level has dropped slightly, whether there’s some tiredness because there was a lot of travel, but that’s out of our system now and we need to get back to work on Monday.” O’Neil was disappointed with his squad’s performance against Rayo Vallecano at Molineux, calling it ‘frustrating’.
“The lads have witnessed the difference between when we were at our best against West Ham, Leipzig, and even Crystal Palace at moments, and tonight when we fell far below it.
“It has been a frustrating day.
I didn’t enjoy it, but there are still things we can learn from it that will be useful to us.” Wolves must dig into their pre-season form to stand a chance against Arsenal.
It’s upsetting to read about O’Neil’s reservations in the squad during training, especially given how well the Old Gold performed in the United States.
Following the victory over RB Leipzig in the United States, there was a lot of confidence heading into the opening-day match versus the Gunners.
While hope is not lost, it is clear that Wolves must perform at their peak if they are to cause issues for Mikel Arteta’s team in North London.
With O’Neil at the helm, it’s unlikely that the fatigue in the squad would continue as long. The Midlands club will need to perform at its best to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
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