Gary O’Neil: The Wolves manager becoming the new Premier League survival specialist

Wolves manager Gary O'Neil did not walk into the most favourable position when he took over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the beginning of this Premier League season.

O'Neil had taken over from Julen Lopetegui just days before the start of this season, and the majority had Wolves favourites to go down, but things look different after the first 12 games.

Wolves beat title hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, with two goals in added time, taking their points tally to 15 and putting them nine points clear of the relegation zone.

O'Neil has already led his Wolves team to a victory over reigning champions Manchester City, so how has he managed to take another team destined for relegation to safety?

After Nuno Espirito Santo's successful two-year spell with the club, where Wolves finished seventh twice in a row, the team has consistently worsened since 2020.

Under Espirito Santo, Wolves had the 13th and eighth-best goal-scoring in the Premier League, but it dropped significantly from there: 16th in 2020/21, 17th in 2021/22, and 20th in 2022/23.

Based on their attacking output last season, only one other team has survived a Premier League season in the last five years, scoring 31 goals or fewer.

In just his first couple of months in charge, O'Neil has got Wolves pressing, shooting, taking on more dribbles, and winning the ball more.

Last season, Wolves averaged 10.8 shots compared to 12.8 this season. Tackles are up from 17.4 to 19.8 per match, showing their willingness to press and engage. Interceptions have gone from the third lowest (7.3) to the fifth highest (9.1).

Wolves have been scoring the majority of their goals from quick transitional attacks and averaging 13.7 dribbles per game, by far the most in the Premier League this season.

Wolves have scored 16 goals in 12 Premier League games, ranking 11th in the Premier League so far. His improvements shouldn't come as a shock, as he did the same thing with AFC Bournemouth last season.

At the start of the 2022/23 Premier League season, AFC Bournemouth failed to bring in any real quality in their first season back, spending just £26,000,000.

O'Neil took over as caretaker boss after Scott Parker was sacked at the end of August. According to sportlinglife.com, Bournemouth were 8/11 favourites to be relegated when O'Neil took over.

After Bournemouth were beaten 9-0 in Parker's last game in charge, O'Neil regrouped the team and took them on a six-game unbeaten run, drawing against Newcastle away and beating Leicester City and Nottingham Forest.

Once the 2022 World Cup had finished, the club brought in more recruits, and O'Neil's influence on the group grew, winning six games in nine between the middle of March and the end of April, taking them to safety.

AFC Bournemouth shockingly sacked O'Neil at the end of the last season, and it has shown, with AFC Bournemouth sitting 17th in the Premier League after 12 games. Is he the new Sam Allardyce?