- Matheus Cunha registered a goal and and assist as Wolves beat Southampton
- Gary O’Neil has often criticised the Brazilian forward’s work rate off the ball
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To keep Wolves in the Premier League and himself in a job, Gary O’Neil should focus on one factor above all others: keep Matheus Cunha fit and firing.
Cunha is surely the best player in the group of clubs battling for survival, from West Ham in 14th to Southampton at the bottom.
The Brazilian is a game-breaker, a player who can beat opponents with ease, see passes others cannot and hit shots that would be beyond many rivals.
During team shape sessions at Wolves’ Compton training base, O’Neil tears his hair out at Cunha’s inability or unwillingness to do his job when the opposition have the ball. No matter how painstakingly O’Neil tells Cunha what he wants, the 25-year-old will still do his own thing.
Does it really matter? This is the era of the super-coach, where tactics and systems and low blocks and build-up phases must be dissected to the nth degree. Yet it is still players who decide games, not the people in the dugout.
Matheus Cunha registered a goal and and assist as Wolves beat Southampton at Molineux
The Brazilian is a game-breaker, who can beat opponents with ease, see passes others can not
Gary O’Neil has often criticised Cunha’s work rate off the ball, but he needs more freedom
At the highest level, you cannot carry passengers without the ball – as the Paris St Germain of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar found to their cost. Lower down the food chain, it is a little different.
If Cunha had been in Southampton’s team rather than Wolves’ on Saturday, Saints boss Russell Martin would have been celebrating a second straight win and O’Neil would probably not have survived the international break.
Instead, Cunha showed why he is Wolves’ highest-paid player and why he has played in the Champions League. The pass for Pablo Sarabia’s opener was exquisite, the strike for Wolves’ clincher even better.
O’Neil is kidding nobody if he thinks he can turn Cunha into someone who will defend diligently. Cunha can win matches on his own, though. How many other players in the bottom half can do that?
O’Neil likes to present himself as a details man. So make sure the other nine outfield players follow the defensive plan to the letter. Leave the rest to maverick Matheus.
