Wolves return to Premier League action next Monday and Gary O’Neil will be without Craig Dawson – and it is surely time for Santiago Bueno to make his first start in the competition.
The amazing 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur did not come without cost, with centre-back Dawson getting his fifth booking of the season when he tangled with Heung-min Son.
It will be the first time Wolves line up without the 33-year-old in the starting XI.
Dawson has been a staple pick for O’Neil this season and, after a bit of a shaky start this term, has been a rock alongside Max Kilman.
But we will now see just how Wolves are able to cope without the veteran – and it’s a potential chance for summer signing Santiago Bueno to show what he can do…
Santiago Bueno deserves a chance to play for Wolves with Craig Dawson suspended
So far since he came to the club for £8.5 million, Wolves fans have only seen Bueno start once.
He started alongside Toti Gomes in that 3-2 defeat to Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup, after which O’Neil admitted the Uruguay international struggled.
Bueno enjoyed a good opening 20 minutes or so at Portman Road, but then started to look uncomfortable. It was a pretty off night in general for Wolves, with even the usually dependable Toti struggling as well.
It will have been frustrating for Bueno not to start since that game.
That is partly why O’Neil needs to consider starting him against Fulham next Monday. It is never ideal to have players stewing on poor performances, especially players who are playing as little as Bueno.
He needs to be given the chance to bounce back and the Fulham game is potentially a good opportunity for him to do that. So far, he’s only played a handful of minutes against Luton Town in the Premier League.
Recently, Wolves changed to a back three and have looked better for having done that. It makes sense at this moment in time to replace Dawson with another defender, rather than change the system and add another midfielder or striker.
Perhaps Bueno – described by sporting director Matt Hobbs as ‘a perfect fit’ for Wolves when he signed – playing in a back three with Kilman and Toti could see him look a bit more comfortable.
The 24-year-old has got to get an opportunity at some point and the Dawson suspension really ought to be his chance now. O’Neil has told the player to be ready to come into the side, so hopefully this is a suggestion he will indeed be selected to start against Fulham.
