How can Gary O’Neil fix bottom-of-the-table Wolves – three at the back? Revamp midfield?

Gary O’Neil will get the chance to turn Wolves around.

That is despite fans turning on the head coach during Saturday’s embarrassing 5-3 defeat at Brentford, a result which left Wolves bottom of the table on goal difference after six losses in seven matches.

The performance prompted O’Neil, not for the first time, to speak about the prospect of adapting his plans after the summer switch to a four-man defence and more front-footed approach.

But what exactly are the issues he needs to address?

Three at the back?

Thanks to O’Neil’s post-match press conference at Brentford, we already have a clear idea of what he is thinking when it comes to the basic formation for Wolves’ first match after the international break — a visit from Manchester City — but also potentially beyond.

O’Neil spoke about the possibility of “revisiting” the shape that had worked well for his side for much of last season, which begged the question why he had not done so at the end of the transfer window, when he spoke of not getting the players he had hoped for to implement a new style and system.

While O’Neil has always been at pains to point out that formations are fluid, and Wolves did operate something if a hybrid 3-4-3-cum-4-2-3-1 setup for much of the last campaign, they essentially had their biggest successes when starting with three centre-backs in Maximilian Kilman, Craig Dawson and Toti.

The obvious issue with returning to that plan is that, with Kilman departed and Yerson Mosquera ruled out for the season, O’Neil only has three senior central defenders available in Dawson, Toti and Santi Bueno.

Are Bueno, pictured, with Dawson and Toti the solution for Wolves? (Michael Steele/Getty Images)

So one more injury or suspension would leave him needing to change again or deploy a makeshift centre-back — probably Mario Lemina, who operated in a back three on occasions for Nice, or Nelson Semedo, who did so at times last season for Wolves.

But O’Neil does not currently have the luxury of worrying about what-ifs. He needs results now and selecting the extra centre-back appears to be a sensible way to go.

It would offer Dawson and Toti, who have yet to look convincing as a central defensive duo, some extra help and allow Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri to switch to the wing-back roles that both are better suited to.

It remains odd that O’Neil moved away from three at the back, given that Wolves were not only successful last season but were pretty fun to watch, too.

But now must be the time to go back to it.

Drop a square peg?

There is no doubt that captain Lemina, Brazil international Joao Gomes and summer signing Andre are comfortably in the list of Wolves’ best 11 individuals, but attempts to get all three successfully into the same starting lineup have so far proved difficult.

All are essentially defence-minded midfielders; Andre because of the areas he plays in and Gomes and Lemina because of how they play. So while a strong case could be made to retain all three against City, with the champions likely to dominate possession, looking further ahead O’Neil might need to make a big decision over which one to leave out.

An argument could be made for all three as to who to leave out — Lemina is the captain and an influential figure but is in the worst current form, Gomes offers more energy than the others but is not playing at his best, and Andre has impressed hugely so far but has less experience and dynamism than the other two.

O’Neil has used Lemina in alternative positions whether as a wide player with licence to drift infield or even at times as a No 10. But with so many natural wide or forward options at his disposal following the summer transfer window, it is increasingly hard to justify putting a square peg in a round hole to get his three star midfielders in the team.

Who plays in attack?

Matheus Cunha has yet to hit top form this season but still has three Premier League goals to his name and his talent is not in question, so the Brazil forward starts whenever he is fit. One place is taken.

Cunha is undroppable at the moment (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

And despite having mixed fortunes so far in his Premier League career, Jorgen Strand Larsen has shown enough signs of his potential with two goals already.

So if O’Neil does opt for a front two against City and potentially beyond, then the Norway international should get the nod to lead the line and bring Cunha into the game.

But if O’Neil ultimately reverts to the system that worked last season he would need a third forward, probably to operate from the right flank with Cunha roaming from the left and Strand Larsen leading the line.

Carlos Forbs caught the eye in the opening 20 minutes at Brentford before drifting out of the game.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde is an option. Goncalo Guedes has scored goals in the EFL Cup but has operated more recently in Strand Larsen’s position rather than his previous wide role. Rodrigo Gomes, who impressed in pre-season, is waiting for a chance. Meanwhile, Hwang Hee-chan is badly out of form and attracting some criticism from supporters, but still boasts the best Premier League scoring pedigree in the squad, so cannot be discounted.

It is another conundrum O’Neil may have to solve.