Wolves v Bournemouth - Matt Maher and Nathan Judah preview
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00:00 [Music]
00:09 Hello I'm Nathan Judah, I'm here with Matt Mayer.
00:12 We've been talking to Gary O'Neill ahead of the...
00:14 Guest of Disappearance.
00:15 Guest of Disappearance, absolutely, yeah, no Liam Keen's in Qatar riding a camel.
00:18 So we've been speaking to Gary O'Neill ahead of the game against Bournemouth tomorrow night.
00:23 And first of all let's go with the team news Matt, some better news on the injury front,
00:27 some improving news at least because it's been a bit of a shocker over the last month hasn't it?
00:31 Yeah it's getting there isn't it, I mean it could hardly have gotten any worse.
00:36 I suppose it always could get worse but...
00:38 Everyone hates to be playing at some point.
00:40 John Richard Bellegarde, that was probably the big kind of...
00:44 Surprise, yeah.
00:45 Surprise that he's not entirely been ruled out of tomorrow night, that he's progressing, he's doing quite well.
00:51 Mattes Kunia, hopefully, Semedo, hopefully, so they're in the hopeful camp.
01:01 Sarabia, good to start.
01:04 Mario Lamina.
01:05 Mario Lamina, good to start.
01:07 Very quickly starts to get to...
01:09 Ryan Aitnuri.
01:10 We think Wang can play a bit more.
01:12 Yeah Wang, just above 48 minutes and Ryan Aitnuri I think is the big one as well as in teams.
01:17 He said he's fit to start, whether he starts him or not is another question.
01:21 But you've got to think that with the way that Wolves have been going and obviously filling out that left hand forward side,
01:28 it's been Tommy Doyle or Jao Gomes that, you know, he's not a left winger of course but he has done well there
01:35 and Ryan Aitnuri would be wanting to start there if he was fit and he does start tomorrow night.
01:39 Yeah I think absolutely, you've got to use these players if they're available.
01:45 It's been a rough run hasn't it, it's the worst run of the season and it's kind of understandable,
01:53 well it's completely understandable perhaps with the injuries that Wolves have had but at the same time
01:58 you can sense the frustration that Gary O'Neill's got and whatever team you put out there,
02:05 you still want to win the game and Aitnuri, if he's got a chance to start, if he's going to start,
02:12 then he obviously goes in because it's going to give him a better chance of beating what is a pretty handy ball in the team.
02:19 Yeah and he said he was quite pleased with Hwang Hee Chan, that he looks at probably the best he has done since his return
02:25 from the Asia Cup and he's going to be integral isn't he because although Pedro Oneto, Matthias Kunius sometimes get the headlines,
02:32 he's probably the best natural finisher Wolves have.
02:35 Yeah you forget, you know, it's...
02:36 It's probably been sold already.
02:37 Well exactly, and that was in before the turn of the year wasn't it? I was going into the record books looking at the last Wolves player
02:45 to score 20 in a Premier League season, sorry a top flight season, I think I had to go back to John Richards,
02:52 1974, it might have been 73, I was looking at these stats months ago because Hwang was playing that well
02:59 and you thought actually he's got a chance of getting there and then of course the injuries have happened.
03:06 It's been hugely frustrating all round because you do wonder, not just individually but as a collective,
03:16 what might have been achieved this season, had Wolves had a bit more luck, or a lot more luck shall we say with injuries.
03:24 At the same time, everybody knows that the squad's quite thin and it's no surprise why the clubs at the top of the league,
03:31 other clubs with the bigger squads, but yeah it'd be good to see Hwang have a strong end to the season,
03:39 it'd be good to see Wolves have a good end to the season because it'd be a real shame if this was to just kind of fizzle out,
03:46 through a lot of bad luck with injuries, it feels like this has been too good of a season really for it to just kind of drift.
03:58 Yeah and look, obviously Wolves were outperforming the peripherals to start with, they've had a shocking injury situation
04:04 and some will feel I guess that the chance has gone now to have that great season because obviously they weren't involved in the semi-final on Sunday,
04:12 the European dream is all but over now, especially with eighth place being probably unlikely,
04:17 so it's just a case of what might have been, how do you turn it around, is it just a case of winning games?
04:23 Yeah, it is as simple as that, the more time you spend working around football you realise it is just out of results,
04:33 they change everything, Gary O'Neill said in there the season doesn't just stop, he came in August 4th,
04:43 three days before the start of the season, and the point he made in there, this project does not just stop because we're out of contention for anything,
04:52 there's players who are perhaps playing for, it's not an exaggeration to say playing for their futures,
04:57 you can learn a lot about these players in the situation they're in now, where it would be very easy to fold,
05:04 to take the easy option, to take the excuse, to say 'oh well, it's just not our year',
05:09 and there's still a lot to play for individually and collectively in terms of how this season finishes.
05:20 Yeah, look in the short term, Bournemouth at home, Luton at home, on paper you think they're obviously doing very well against Arsenal,
05:27 being lost 2-0 in the end, probably slightly unlucky, these are the kind of games where they're looking to pick up points,
05:32 and looking to pick up at least one win in these two games.
05:35 Yeah, they're different games aren't they, when you face teams like Arsenal you know you're going to have to do a lot more defending,
05:42 the onus in these two games really is on Wolves to take the game, or would be at home to take the game,
05:48 certainly Luton, Bournemouth, I saw them at Villa on Sunday, consider where they were when Wolves won there,
05:56 there was a lot of talk that Areola might get the sack after that, and now you look at Bournemouth,
06:02 they've got a very quick front three, caused a lot of teams problems, I think it's going to be a really,
06:08 could be a really entertaining game, they're a good side, but yeah, it just needs a bit of positivity,
06:17 it's been a rough month, a rough six weeks, where you were thinking, again going in the stats book,
06:25 with Villa up there, Wolves up there, when's the last time we had two teams from the West Midlands competing in Europe,
06:31 you had to go back, well I'm actually not sure it ever happened, so yeah it's been a frustrating finish,
06:40 but I think the message certainly from Gary O'Neill in there is, do not think that this season is over,
06:45 I think he's been very complimentary of the players, and rightly so for the way, some of the performances they've put in,
06:52 when really they've had no strikers, no forwards on the pitch, but they've got to keep doing that,
06:58 there's no excuses for giving up the ghost.
07:03 Final prediction then, who's that leaning for?
07:05 Prediction?
07:06 Prediction for the game, it is Wolves against Bournemouth, Matt Mayer, please give your prediction.
07:09 I will go for a, you know what, I think, I think Wolves might win this, I think they'll be goals,
07:22 but I do think that, you know, I think Wolves have played pretty well, you know, considering they haven't had any strikers,
07:30 without, you know, in recent weeks, they're going to have a bit more firepower tomorrow,
07:36 Bournemouth are a good side, you know, I can see them scoring, but I do think that Wolves, you know, at home,
07:43 there's going to be players who have been champing at the bit to get back out there and play,
07:52 I think there's perhaps a bit of frustration to be taken out on the opposition, so I fancy Wolves in this one.
08:03 I think Saturday's game against Luton, I know we're going to get it, because you've got a team that's kind of
08:09 almost in the last chance saloon, you know, but I think with Bournemouth, yeah, I just fancy Wolves perhaps edge this one.
08:17 Love it, sorry about the lowering this thing. Don't write it in, Ivo. No, no, no, don't bet your house on it yet,
08:21 but you know, maybe just survive and return it. Myself and Oli Westbury at the game tomorrow,
08:25 for all the build-up on this one, make sure you log on to expressandstar.com.