Wolves have had a rough start in the Premier League and some fans have just started to question manager Gary O’Neil.
Wanderers still haven’t won in the league and currently sit rock bottom with one point from six games.
But Wolves have been competitive, and have been in positions to take points. Frustratingly, the players have been unable to see games out, and capitalise on promising periods of play.
O’Neil has made some interesting selections so far this year.
And one thing he has liked to do is start Jean-Ricner Bellegarde out wide.
Following the Frenchman’s display against Liverpool, it may now be time to abandon this experiment in favour of playing a more natural option.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde out wide has not worked for Wolves
Bellegarde did not have a particularly good first season at Wolves, after signing for the club from Strasbourg for around £12.8 million.
The star was actually fantastic on his debut against Liverpool, but then struggled to replicate that level.
He just couldn’t really show any consistency, and his campaign was also interrupted by injury.
But Bellegarde returned to Wolves this summer and impressed Gary O’Neil in pre-season and has started the new season in favour with the manager, with the likes of Hwang Hee-chan and Pablo Sarabia taking more of a backseat.
The manager even said that he fully thought Bellegarde could become a regular for Wolves this season.
So far, that has actually been the case. But Bellegarde’s pre-season performances have not really translated over into the new season.
After playing him deeper in midfield in pre-season, O’Neil has had Bellegarde playing out wide for most of 2024/25 – and it’s not something that has really worked.
Most recently against Liverpool, fans saw a timid display from Bellegarde, who chose to pass backwards several times rather than take on Trent Alexander-Arnold, who had picked up an early booking.
Bellegarde has good pace, so this was frustrating to see.
That said, when he did try to be more positive, he failed to make an impact. As per Sofascore data, he attempted just one dribble against the Reds, which was unsuccessful.
He just came across as a player not comfortable in the position he was playing – and O’Neil should not persist with this experiment for a second longer.
