A match that was dubbed ‘El Sackico’ in the build-up ended up going the way of Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham United on Monday night as Wolverhampton Wanderers fell to another crushing defeat in the Premier League.
This loss could be the final straw for Gary O’Neil, who was lucky to still be occupying his dug-out at the London Stadium arguably, having overseen a dire 4-0 defeat to Everton the match before this equally as gloomy away day.
Wolves would have felt hard done by in a number of incidents in the 2-1 loss, as penalty shouts passed them by, but there were still notable underperformers for the Old Gold that let their side down on the big occasion, away from any decisions going against them.
Notable Wolves underperformers vs West Ham
Away from the likes of Matheus Cunha, Matt Doherty and Rayan Ait-Nouri who all shone for the away side – with Doherty even netting his team’s equaliser before Jarrod Bowen’s stunning winner – other faces for O’Neil’s men such as Joao Gomes really underwhelmed.
Introduced into the XI in place of Goncalo Guedes, the 23-year-old notably struggled to ever get going in the high-stakes affair, with only two of his 14 duels being successfully won on the night.
He would also miss a glorious opportunity in the first half after being found in space by eventual goalscorer Doherty, with that strike perhaps changing the complexion of the contest if it had gone in.
Alongside the Brazilian in the centre of the park, Mario Lemina also put in a sub-par showing, as the Old Gold captain failed to impress in attempting to make things happen for his side with just one key pass registered all match.
Sam Johnstone will also be worried he will be axed for Jose Sa to return for his side’s next game versus Ipswich Town – regardless of who is in charge or not – with the former Manchester United man only making two saves away from leaking two goals.
But, whoever does take on the reins for the Tractor Boys clash – or later down the line – should also be preparing to drop Santiago Bueno, who didn’t leave the Hammers match with his head held high whatsoever.
Bueno's performance in numbers
With Craig Dawson out of the XI after his horror show at Goodison Park, Bueno would have hoped he could offer more stability at the back in his absence, away from the experienced head scoring two own goals versus the Toffees.
Whilst it wasn’t quite as nightmarish as that outing, the Uruguayan did still look shaky in the heart of defence, with possession squandered a total of ten times by the South American among other worrying numbers.
Stat
Bueno
Minutes played
90
Touches
42
Accurate passes
28/38 (74%)
Possession lost
10x
Total duels won
5/8
Clearances
2
Long balls completed
2/5
As can be seen when glancing at the table above, it was a night to forget for Bueno in terms of his play out from the back, with only a 74% pass accuracy in-tact come the full-time whistle after he had waywardly given up the ball.
He was also at fault for Tomas Soucek’s crucial opener being far easier than it should have been, as the Czech Republic international found himself surprisingly free to loop home a header from a corner, after a whole host of Wolves shirts left him in acres of room.
O’Neil must have thought his team could at least salvage a point when Doherty did equalise, but it wasn’t to be as the porous Old Gold defence slipped up once more when Bowen delivered a sucker punch just moments after the pressurised game had become level.
Handed out a low 5/10 rating after the game by Birmingham World journalist Charlie Haffenden, Bueno will be worried that a new manager replacing O’Neil could see him ditched from the XI moving forward.
There will surely be a sense of inevitability on the 44-year-old’s end that his time in the West Midlands is up, with ‘El Sackico’ perhaps living up to its name.
O'Neil can put the blame on £15m Wolves star if he gets the sack
The Wolverhampton Wanderers central midfielder struggled badly at the London Stadium.
ByDan Emery
