Wolverhampton Wanderers

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Wolves boss Gary O'Neil has said he will be flexible between playing with either a back four or back five, after an improved defensive showing against Manchester City on Sunday.

Having conceded 21 goals in their first seven Premier League games, Wolves lost 2-1 to the champions, who needed a stoppage-time winner at Molineux to deny Wanderers a point.

Before Saturday's trip to Brighton, O'Neil said: "Being a back five in the Premier League every week is really difficult. It's difficult against certain systems to be a back five - you can be a back five, but you'll just end up one of your centre-backs out of it for ages, which basically means you're a back four with a centre-back higher up the pitch.

"There are opportunities to be a back five in the league still, and we will use both because of the situation we're in and what we have in the building. Santi [Bueno] did really well in what was a tough test [against City].

"Last year, we were a back four quite a lot, with Toti [Gomes] at left-back and Rayan [Ait-Nouri] in front, which people would have definitely taken as a back five.

"It [the formation] does matter, but in certain games it is really difficult to be an actual back five. We'll see what fits best [on Saturday].

"[Against] Manchester City, a back five I think is really good. It fits really well against what they do. There will be certain teams that I don't think it fits very well against. That doesn't mean we can't do it, it just means it will cause its own problems as well as solve some.

"It's just decisions to be made about what we think is best each week and I'm really clear around what I think helps us best this weekend."

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

Wolves boss Gary O'Neil has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brighton (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Sam Johnstone has trained this week and O'Neil will "make a call" on his potential inclusion. Asked if he has a "firm idea in his mind" about whether Johnstone or Jose Sa will start in goal, O'Neil said: "I'm really clear on who is the best goalkeeper to start for us tomorrow."

• O'Neil has given the FA his observations around his comments following Manchester City's late winner at Molineux on Sunday. He was keen to stress that his comments were made in a wider conversation around VAR in general and "wasn't linked to the John Stones goal", which he had said earlier in his news conference he could understand why it was given.

• O'Neil said he can understand why Wolves supporters have frustrations with VAR decisions involving the club: "I was sent a league table, external in the week and we're -20 for VAR interventions, which doesn't mean they're wrong or right, it just means every time VAR gets involved in the past five years, if you get a point for it going for you and you get a minus point for it going against you, we're -20."

• He continued: "The nearest team to us are West Ham on -6, so you have an understanding as to why Wolverhampton and the fanbase isn't a big fan of VAR at this moment."

• O'Neil said "there are a few things that feel like they go against you when you're at the bottom of the league", such as a tough opening run of fixtures, but he added: "Regardless of all of that, the team, myself, the club and the fanbase just stand up and fight every game, as you saw against Manchester City. We've had some tough bumps but we're all standing here ready to fight again and ready to go to Brighton to give everything to improve our situation in the league."

• On Brighton: "It's a big challenge - they're going really well. They've got a fantastic side - they were already a fantastic side with Roberto de Zerbi there last year. There's a lot of stuff still there from Roberto and it looks like the new manager is trying to shift it, but there are bits that are very similar."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Wolves have lost their last five Premier League matches, despite finding the net in each match. The last team to lose six top-flight games in a row while scoring in every game was Manchester City in 1960.

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

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While setting out his reasons for hoping that the VAR verdict might have brought Wolves relief - and what would have been their hardest-earned point in recent memory - Gary O'Neil did not overdo the sugar-coating.

"The goal at the end, we can blame the referee if we want, or we can blame me. It's my team that conceded a corner. So, I'll look at me before I look at the officials. The first thing I did when I got in my office was ask how Stones got ahead of three."

It had nevertheless been a much more encouraging day, even if it had a painful finish.

Had Wolves not improved drastically on their showing at Brentford, they would have been easily beaten, and the atmosphere in the ground probably toxic. From the start, though, it was obvious they had a much better plan and the appetite to stick with it, and Molineux was at its most supportive.

O'Neil did not commit himself to a permanent return to a three-centre-back arrangement, the method that was welcomed by many supporters on Sunday.

The Wolves boss likes to point out it really is not a binary choice between that and a back four anyway, and their plans are far more nuanced. But he did underline that the performance against Manchester City was of the overall standard they must now maintain.

"We got a long way away from our gameplan at Brentford. Today, we stuck to it for all of it," he said post-match.

"We're up against one of the best sides around and we came up 20 seconds short... but that's where we need to be. It doesn't guarantee you points and it doesn't guarantee you victories. But it does guarantee you a chance - against everybody - if we can perform in the way we did today."

It does, but the unavoidable fact is that - for all the fair mitigations about fixture lists and limited budgets - the sense of jeopardy around the next few fixtures, beyond Saturday's visit to Brighton, is going to remain high.

"We're going to be under massive pressure for a cluster of games because we've not been able to pick up points. As nice as it was today, with everyone behind the team and behind me, and backing everything that we're doing, those games are going to come quick and we're going to be under big pressure in those. We have to accept that."

Listen to full commentary of Brighton v Wolves at 15:00 on Saturday on BBC Radio WM (95.6FM)

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Crystal Palace's 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest on Monday meant that for the first time in the English top-flight's 126-year history, four clubs have failed to win any of their first eight matches of a league season.

Palace, Ipswich, Southampton and Wolves are all yet to be victorious in the Premier League this campaign.

According to Opta,, external 10 clubs in the Premier League era (since 1992-93) have failed to win any of their first eight games and yet have gone on to avoid relegation.

The most recent of those came last season when Bournemouth, who did not win until their 10th league fixture of 2023-24, recovered to finish 12th.

Before Saints and Wolves did so this season, there had only been six occasions when a team had taken one point or fewer from their opening eight matches of a Premier League season.

Two of those sides ended up surviving - Southampton in 1998-99 and Sunderland in 2013-14.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

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Another game this season and another difficult result for Wolves.

A late 2-1 defeat by Manchester City on Sunday means the West Midlands side have only picked up one point in their first eight games of the Premier League campaign.

While on first glance that appears to be a torrid start for the team and one that would usually see fans calling for a manager's head, it does not feel like Gary O'Neil is under such fierce pressure right now.

And that, perhaps, comes down to an understanding of just how difficult Wolves' first eight league fixtures of the season have been.

O'Neil's side have played six of last season's top seven in the Premier League in their opening eight games.

That would be a difficult feat for any team, never mind one that once again sold key players in the summer without truly replacing them as they contended with profit and sustainability regulations.

However, despite the difficulties of the run of games, they may have still expected more points having taken 11 from the corresponding fixtures last term, although repeating wins against a new-look Chelsea and defending champions Manchester City would have been a big ask.

A fairer judgement of where Wolves' season may be heading could come in the next nine games before Christmas.

In this run of fixtures, that includes games against all three promoted teams, they will not play any of the 2023-24 campaign's top eight.

If the side can turn their form around over this period, they will not be able to breathe easy for too long.

Just like the beginning of the season, they have once again been dealt a tough hand by the fixture calendar having to face seven of last term's top eight in eight games.

But if O'Neil can survive these blocks of fixtures then it will come down to navigating a mixed run to the end of the season to determine whether their campaign finishes in celebration or dejection.

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BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club discussed Wolves boss Gary O'Neil's comments following his side's last-gasp 2-1 defeat by Manchester City on Sunday.

O'Neil suggested referees could have a problem with unconscious bias towards bigger clubs, after John Stones' late header was awarded following a VAR check.

New York Times journalist Rory Smith: "I think the VARs probably do feel it [the heat of a match situation] because it's not just the influence of a manager or a crowd screaming at you. I think it's an awareness of the fallout that can come from giving a decision against a bigger team.

"I think referees have always had that unconscious bias and I think it doesn't just apply to Manchester City - I think it applies to any team at any point in history that is considered as 'big'.

"Everything is subjective, everything is a grey area and there's loads of interpretation. We are trying to use technology to solve that subjectivity, which will never work to anybody's satisfaction.

"The people in the VAR room, just like the referee on the field, know full well that if you give a decision against one of the major teams, the fallout is greater than if you give a decision against one of the 'smaller' teams.

"That is perfectly natural and that is the most human quality about PGMOL, so I think we should probably be supportive of it, because it makes them, as Gary O'Neil said, 'human'.

"The fact the FA have contacted him is nonsensical because there are reams of psychological research into heuristics and biases. I'm certain that one around pressure, and knowing the consequences of your actions, taking the path of least resistance - I'm certain that is one of them."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

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More from BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club panel, discussing Wolves boss Gary O'Neil's comments following his side's defeat by Manchester City on Sunday.

Ex-Luton winger Andros Townsend had sympathy for O'Neil's view: "I understand where he's coming from - in this instance, the referee is in the VAR box, he's not in the stadium and feeling the heat of the bigger side, the fans or the world-class players, so I don't agree with him on this occasion.

"But I agree that there is unconscious bias in football and in any walk of life. You'll go into the office and say the biggest hello to your manager, and then shake the hands of everyone else and go about your business. That's just life."

However, former Premier League striker Chris Sutton disagreed with the Wolves boss: "Seeing that goal [on Sunday], that wasn't the battle Gary O'Neil should have picked.

"I remember the one at Old Trafford at the start of last season [when Wolves felt they should have been awarded a late penalty], so he may have had a gripe about that, but I didn't think [City's goal] was one where there was unconscious bias."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

Football is full of highs.

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And lows.

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Controversy takes hold.

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Moments of madness do too.

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Players become unexpected heroes.

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Some never change.

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There's pain.

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Joy too.

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And, given this ebb and flow of emotion, every so often, even the coolest heads boil over.

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Dazzling Dave
Fan writer

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Although worthy of a point against Manchester City, a last-minute goal, mired in controversy, was just another instance of Wolves facing poor officiating. Moments before City’s winner, Goncalo Guedes was closing in on goal but shoved with two hands from behind - a clear foul. Yet Chris Kavanagh ignored it, and City launched the attack that led to their win.

It feels like officials are punishing Wolves for their stance on VAR while all fans are asking for is fair and consistent refereeing.

However, this is all a distraction from the real problems at Wolves. In many respects, the performance highlighted how much more robust they become when we switch back to a five-man defence.

Wolves' defensive weaknesses have been glaring and opponents have taken full advantage. A back four at Molineux has troubled many managers and, despite its potential benefits, it has always failed because Wolves lack the right players for this system.

Instead, they have two fantastic wing-backs in Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri. Many fans felt that returning to the reliable back five would strengthen the unit and it also played more to their strengths.

In the centre, positioned between Toti Gomes and Santiago Bueno, Craig Dawson displayed authority and true leadership. For a second time, he marked Erling Haaland out of the game. The Norway striker did not even get a sniff at goal and for once, the Norwegian name on the scoresheet was not Erling but Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Considering the game was always going to be a defensive slog, it is hard to determine if this is enough to restore faith in O’Neil or if he has addressed our current tactical issues.

We will have to wait and see, but it was a step in the right direction.

Find more from Dazzling Dave at Always Wolves, external

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Wolves' Premier League game away at Leicester City has been moved to Sunday 22nd December due to a clash with a Leicester Tigers fixture.

The game was originally set to be played on Saturday 21st, but will now kick-off at 14:00 GMT on the Sunday.

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We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Wolves and Manchester City.

Here are some of your comments:

Wolves fans

Mike: Much better performance, we need to produce that level every game. We were robbed at the end because whether or not there was an offside the corner should not have been given. There was a clear foul on the Wolves player.

Matthew: Defensively, we were solid. Bueno and Dawson kept Haaland quiet, and Semedo had a really good game. However, it's clear that we have forgotten how to win games.

Malcolm: Yet another VAR directive going against Wolves. This one costing us a valuable point. Changing to a 3-5-2 set up worked and should be continued with in forthcoming games. Jose Sa made three great saves and kept us in the game until the 95th minute. I believe Gary O’Neil will prevent us being relegated and should be supported to turn things around soon.

Man City fans

Jeff: I was at the game and we lacked creativity in central midfield. Pep preferred to go down both flanks but Savinho and Doku were poor. It didn’t improve much when Foden and a Grealish were brought on, but the subs allowed us to put Wolves under pressure which eventually resulted in Stone’s winner.

Stella: City were slightly off it today, but ground out a result. Defensively we don’t look safe and quick to transition teams can exploit us too easily. That said, great display by Gvardiol and thought we just about deserved to win. The winning goal debate is vacuous: Arsenal have been scoring plenty with backing in tactics yet no complaints for theirs?

Mark: City looked aimless at times, devoid of their usual leader Rodri. Passing was crisp but looked laboured at times. There also didn’t seem to be many smiles on the City faces during the game, until that final game changer from John Stones. City need to improve quickly to keep the title within their grasp. De Bruyne, Rodri and Bobb were visibly missed!

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Wolves boss Gary O'Neil says there "could be" an unconscious bias towards the bigger teams in the Premier League when it comes to refereeing decisions.

John Stones scored a controversial late winner for Manchester City at Molineux on Sunday which was given via VAR after initially being ruled out for offside against Bernardo Silva.

"I can categorically tell you they don’t mean to," said O'Neil when asked about potential bias after the match.

"They are 100 per cent honest. I just know from a human point of view it’s tough.

"I feel different playing Manchester City than someone else in the Carabao Cup first round. I’m sure they feel it, they are human. I don’t know if I’m miles off, it just feels there could be."

Silva was initially ruled offside from Stones' header after standing in front of Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa from the last minute corner. However, referee Chris Kavanagh was summoned to the pitch side monitor and reversed his decision after determining the Portugal international was not interfering with play.

"If I had to upset someone in the street and there’s a big and little guy in the street, I’m upsetting the little guy," O'Neil added.

"There is something in there and they don’t do it on purpose and are doing the best job they can.

"Maybe there’s something which just edges it in that direction when it’s really tight."

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Former Premier League midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker hopes Wolves will offer the same "desire" they showed against Manchester City going forward.

Wolves remain bottom of the league with one point from eight games, but their display against the champions did not reflect their league positioning.

"It was a great performance by Wolves but they now need to go into the next couple of games with the same application and desire they showed against City," said Reo-Coker on the BBC Radio 5 Live Football Daily podcast.

Everton goalkeeper Asmir Begovic added: "A couple of wins over the last 20 games does start to become a mental thing.

"When you are thinking about when you are going to get that win, it does put extra pressure on the team. But they can take a lot of heart from that performance."

Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's two Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Man Utd 2-1 Brentford

• Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal

• Wolves 1-2 Man City

• Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Gary O'Neil has clearly learned from experience.

Having been given a touchline ban and £8,000 fine after his reaction to Max Kilman's disallowed goal against West Ham last season, there was never going to be a repeat.

It was similar to John Stones' winner for Manchester City on Sunday but O'Neil was stoic in the face of defeat. He questioned if there was unconscious bias which favoured bigger sides but was careful enough not to step over the line and accuse officials of it.

The head coach was the one pulling Pablo Sarabia - who was eventually booked in the chaos following the goal - back from confronting the assistant referee in protest.

With Wolves still searching for a win they need a cool head to lead them and O'Neil has not lose his sense of responsibility.

The side slipped back to the bottom of the table but in the relegation battle those with clear thoughts and processes are the ones who are likely to succeed.

It is eight winless games but O'Neil has shown enough leadership and clarity of thought to prove Wolves can survive.