Pedro Neto has been one of the Premier League's standout wingers this season; Neto has created more chances than Bukayo Saka, Mo Salah and Phil Foden this term; watch Wolves vs Newcastle live on Sky Sports' Saturday Night Football this weekend from 5pm; kick-off 5.30pm
Saturday 28 October 2023 17:53, UK
When Gary O'Neil began work at Wolves in August, there were doubts about winger Pedro Neto.
"When I arrived I didn't know too much about him and I was told that maybe he wasn't reaching the levels the club would expect of him," the Wolves manager said in September.
There was a valid reason for those doubts. Over the past 24 months, Neto spent 15 of them on the sidelines with long-term injuries. The winger, who had started his Premier League career with Wolves so promisingly four years ago, was becoming a forgotten man.
Now those days are lost to the past. This season, no player has created more Premier League goals than Neto - and while he is level at the top of the assist charts with Newcastle's Kieran Trippier, bizarre rules surrounding assists for own goals mean his run and cross to force Ruben Dias' mistake against Man City in September does not count in his total.
On top of that, give Neto's personal highlights reel a view and it's a stunning watch. A superb solo goal against Luton alongside four mazy runs to set up Wolves' openers against Liverpool, City, Aston Villa and Bournemouth. The fact those moments have come from both the right and left flank just adds to the excitement.
A closer look at Neto's season so far rubberstamps his status as one of the standout wingers in the Premier League this term. He has created more chances than Bukayo Saka, Mohamed Salah and Phil Foden - and to date only Bruno Fernandes, Trippier and James Maddison have managed more.
If you have not noticed already, all those other players play for teams currently in the top six, yet Neto is bringing up these numbers for pre-season relegation candidates Wolves.
Behind this excellent form Neto form is new manager O'Neil. Firstly, the new Wolves manager has developed the winger from a belief point of view after his recent injury woes, with Neto confessing earlier this month: "I needed the confidence the coach has given to me."
But O'Neil has also developed Neto from a tactical standpoint. The Wolves manager, who impressed many with his insight on Monday Night Football this week, has been keen to unleash Neto, shackles-free, since the start of the season.
"When he gets someone one-v-one, let's go," O'Neil told the media earlier this season when asked about tactical instructions to Neto. "Don't turn it down, let's go every single time. Don't care if you lose it, test him. Let's go."
So let's break Neto's game down based on O'Neil's words. The Wolves winger does indeed go, choosing not to turn those duels down: Neto is up there with Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Jeremy Doku for most one-v-one contests in the league.
The Portugal attacker does a good job at keeping the ball too, with the data showing Neto takes the ball further up the field and into more dangerous areas than most other players in the league.
The end product is excellent as well. No player has made more crosses after one-v-one duels than Neto, and given he has the third-highest crossing success rate in the division, that is a handy weapon for Wolves.
None have felt that more than Neto's Wolves team-mate Hee-Chan Hwang - or 'Channy' as he is known in the Molineux dressing room. The South Korea forward has five Premier League goals already this season - three of them have come from Neto crosses.
"He [Neto] knows that Channy is going to arrive in the penalty area for him," O'Neil revealed last month. So what should Hwang do? "Be ready, be ready to arrive in the goal, because balls are going to come across, and you're going to have a big chance to score again."
So Neto's game is rubbing off on the rest of the team - and it is unlocking a side that in recent years have struggled for an impact up front. Wolves have scored 11 Premier League goals in nine games so far this season. They had to wait 19 games - and January 4 - to hit the 11-goal mark last term.
Wolves also rank highly for direct attacks in the Premier League this season. Looking at the teams who attack in a similar manner, it gives the impression that O'Neil's side attack with the same tenacity and directness as a top-six side.
And Neto's attacking threat is central to how Wolves operate. The winger has been involved in 64 per cent of his team's Premier League goals this season and 37 per cent of the shots they have taken.
With Neto and Hwang alongside Wolves forward Matheus Cunha, who tops the Premier League's charts for carrying the ball and progressing it up the field, it is set to be a challenging frontline for defensively-proud Newcastle, who visit Molineux this weekend on Saturday Night Football.
Man City saw how dangerous Wolves can be in transitions and counterattacks, even at home, while Liverpool got an almighty scare at Molineux too. That's more than enough of a warning for Eddie Howe's team.
Then there's the prospect of Neto coming face to face with Trippier - the player tied with the Wolves winger at the top of the assist charts, remember.
The winger vs full-back duel against the England right-back could provoke an intriguing challenge for Neto, or potentially Hwang, down that one flank of the pitch. If it is indeed Neto marking Trippier, then the Wolves player will be trying to stop the player whose chance creation statistics he is chasing.
It could be one of the key areas where Saturday night's game may be won or lost. But who out of Neto or Trippier should be more worried about the other?
Watch Wolves vs Newcastle on Sky Sports' Saturday Night Football, live from 5pm; kick-off 5.30pm. The match can also be streamed using a NOW TV pass.
