Wolverhampton Wanderers return to Premier League action this afternoon, taking on Crystal Palace at Molineux in what is their final home game of the season.
If the Old Gold win their final two games, they could snatch a top-half finish, yet it could depend on other teams' results whether this happens.
Regardless, Gary O’Neil has enjoyed a solid debut campaign in the Midlands as he will be aiming to take six points from six in the next two games, albeit while facing the frustration of having to pick a side without the likes of Pedro Neto and Craig Dawson due to injury.
Could there be a change or two in the starting XI? As several players performed poorly against Manchester City last weekend – including Boubacar Traore.
Why Boubacar Traore could be dropped against Crystal Palace
The promising starlet started the game in the heart of the midfield three, alongside Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes, yet failed to really assert his influence throughout the clash.
Indeed, he may have finished the game with a 92% pass success rate, yet the youngster failed to deliver a key pass or create a big chance when he did have the ball.
Additionally, Traore also lost possession four times, succeeded with just one dribble and was dribbled past once in what was a fairly underwhelming showing.
Accurate passes
35 (38)
Total duels (won)
7 (4)
Key passes
0
Dribble attempts (successful)
2 (1)
Possession lost
4
He was even given a match rating of just 4/10 in 90min for his display, and it looks as though he could drop back to the bench for the clash against Palace today.
Thankfully, O’Neil has the perfect replacement – Tommy Doyle.
Tommy Doyle’s statistics for Wolves this season
The youngster wasn’t in the squad for the 5-1 defeat to City due to being on loan from the Champions, but the Old Gold have made his move permanent ahead of next season, activating the option in his loan contract.
The Englishman has certainly enjoyed a fruitful loan spell in the Midlands, making 30 appearances across all competitions, scoring once during an FA Cup tie against Brentford.
Hailed as “fantastic” alongside Cole Palmer and Liam Delap by talent scout Jacek Kulig in 2021, Doyle failed to really make the grade at City, playing only seven times for the senior side.
A move to Wolves has certainly reinvigorated the midfielder, and he could turn out to be a shrewd investment, especially as they could cash in on him a few years down the line should Doyle utilise his talents.
Among his teammates, Doyle currently ranks seventh for accurate passes per game (32.3) in the top flight, along with ranking third for accurate long balls per game (3.1) and eighth for interceptions per game (0.5), showing his talents off across a range of metrics.
He is still only 22, which means the midfielder will continue to get better and better the more he plays in the Premier League.
City’s loss is Wolves’ gain as the £10k-per-week ace could turn out to be a superb piece of transfer business. The youngster will be well rested ahead of the Palace tie and this could see O’Neil unleash him in the starting XI in place of Traore.
Palace have been in solid form of late, securing a stunning 4-0 win over Manchester United in midweek. If Wolves want all three points, they will have to perform at their very best.
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