Gary O’Neil tactics and style of play

For someone who made 214 Premier League appearances, among 542 games as a professional, Gary O’Neil the player went somewhat under the radar. Then, as a Premier League manager, his achievement in keeping Bournemouth up — despite widespread predictions of relegation — was not enough to keep him in the job. But the results in his first 18 months as a head coach — including at his next club, Wolverhampton Wanderers — spoke volumes about his diligence, not least with tactical detail.

Following his retirement as a player in 2019, O’Neil completed his UEFA Pro Licence in 2020, before being appointed assistant coach of Liverpool’s Under-23 team. In 2021 he joined Bournemouth as senior first-team coach, under former Middlesbrough teammate Jonathan Woodgate. After Scott Parker succeeded Woodgate as manager, O’Neil stayed on the coaching staff to help Bournemouth win promotion to the Premier League in 2022.

When Parker was sacked early in the 2022/23 season, O’Neil took over as caretaker. An unbeaten first six games in charge helped secure him the job on a permanent basis. Five wins from seven in the spring subsequently ensured Bournemouth’s Premier League status. 

Soon after the south coast club opted to replace O’Neil with Andoni Iraola, Wolves came calling on the eve of the 2023/24 season. He duly became only the second English manager — after Eddie Howe — to beat a Pep Guardiola team, as well as overseeing Wolves victories against Tottenham and Chelsea.

Below, our UEFA-licensed coaches have highlighted some key aspects of the tactical approaches O’Neil has taken at Wolves and Bournemouth…

Central combinations

At Bournemouth, O’Neil favoured a 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1. His team spent a considerable amount of time without the ball, registering the second-lowest average possession in the 2022/23 Premier League. As such, they tended to create chances in one of two ways: through central combinations that helped them progress forward on the counter-attack; or building through rare spells of sustained possession.

With both the 4-4-2 and the 4-2-3-1 shapes, Bournemouth narrowed their midfield unit out of possession, limiting opposing play through their blocks as much as possible. Upon regaining possession, they then had narrow support around the ball. Incisive and quick passing combinations helped them to avoid any opposing counter-pressure.

When they then connected with the highest two players — either two central forwards, or a nine and number 10 pairing — after a regain, they carried an impressive transitional threat. First-choice centre-forward Dominic Solanke was excellent at finding pockets to receive quickly. From there, he would hold and maintain possession, then link play into supporting runners. 

Philip Billing — often used around Solanke — offered similar link-up qualities, plus valuable goals that helped Bournemouth retain their top-flight status. Narrowed runs — from the likes of Ryan Christie, Marcus Tavernier, Jaidon Anthony and Dango Ouattarra — gave the front line short-passing options to set the ball away from central defensive pressure, before penetrating with movements the other way (below). 

Opponents were unsure whether to track runners beyond or squeeze up to press the ball. It was in these uncertain moments that Bournemouth’s narrowed attacking unit capitalised most. 

On the rare occasions they created chances through sustained possession, Bournemouth’s back line and deepest central midfielder circulated the ball until an appropriate gap opened through the centre. Here, they would change the tempo of the attack, quickly working the ball into the narrowing movements of wide players, or the highest players in the front line. They then progressed forward with quick, central combinations.

Inside channels

At Wolves, O’Neil has also utilised a 4-4-2, with heavy emphasis on central combinations and transitional attacks. But, unlike his time at Bournemouth, attacking players in the number 10 spaces have been an important element. There has been more focus on the inside channels, either from a 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 shape. 

One of Wolves’ attacking strengths has been the versatility that the narrow trio offers in central spaces and both inside channels. Rotations between Matheus Cunha, Hwang Hee-chan, Pedro Neto and Pablo Sarabia (below), have helped disrupt opposing back lines, just as Bournemouth’s front line did the season before. His Wolves team have created centrally with movements beyond, as well as those rotations and positional changes. They have also been a threat on transition, when not facing a compact block or back line.

Wolves’ attacking players offer a greater dribbling threat than O’Neil could call upon at Bournemouth. Cunha and Neto were both in the top 15 in the entire league for dribbles after 20 games of the 2023/24 season. Hwang also offers a dribbling threat, allowing Wolves to counter-attack through carries as well as the kind of passing combinations seen at Bournemouth. 

Against compact blocks, dribbles can help unlock central spaces. They can work past covering or screening pivots, or in a 1v1 against back-line opponents. These dribbles also help attract opponents to the ball, especially in the inside channels. From there, overlapping runs from the wing-backs offer width and support in the final third, as well as creating overloads around Wolves’ dribbling number 10s.

Wing-backs Nélson Semedo and Hugo Bueno have provided a significant number of Wolves’ crosses, with Neto and Cunha also supplying threatening deliveries. With wide, final-third rotations between their number 10 and the wing-backs, O’Neil’s side have got around and between opposing full-backs and centre-backs. From there, they have been able to work the ball back into their central attackers. In this regard, they have been more fluid with their movements in the opposition half, compared with his Bournemouth team.

4-4-2 block

Bournemouth’s defensive output under O’Neil focused heavily on a compact 4-4-2 block, often defending for prolonged periods inside their own half. This mid-block focused first on the front-line pair covering and screening central access into the opposing pivots. Once this cover was established, teams were then forced into the inside channels and wide areas. When Bournemouth attacked using a 4-2-3-1, the number 10 would join Solanke as the second player in the first line on defensive transitions. This worked to create a 4-4-2 without the ball. 

Bournemouth’s central midfielders would often defend slightly staggered. One jumped on to the opponents’ pivot, especially if the first line was played through. Should the opposition work the ball around to their full-backs and bounce the ball back inside — a common way to find the pivot when up against a 4-4-2 — the highest of Bournemouth’s two central midfielders jumped forward. The other covered access into the opposing 10, helping protect the areas ahead of the centre-backs. 

Bournemouth were very good at screening and covering central passes and bounces back inside. For example, O’Neil’s wide midfielders narrowed to add further support and force the ball wide. If the opposition switched the play, or built around, Bournemouth’s full-back and wide-midfielder pairings would try to double-press the receiving wide player. The closest centre-back would then cover across, with the deeper of the two central midfielders working back towards central-defensive spaces (below).

Under O’Neil, Bournemouth had the most interceptions in the Premier League in 2022/23. Back-pressing, doubling up and pinching the ball in front of the receiver were key defensive attributes during O’Neil’s spell in charge at the Vitality Stadium. 

Pressing

Wolves have spent considerable time defending inside their own half under O’Neil, also forming organised 4-4-2 blocks. But he has also had them defend on the front foot, showing slightly more pressing intent than his Bournemouth side did. His 4-4-2 block at Wolves uses identical defensive principles as seen at Bournemouth, just marginally higher up the pitch. 

His use of a back five has also helped Wolves form compact blocks inside their own half. An additional defender in the back line has given extra cover and support, which has been important because his Wolves team — as with Bournemouth — have averaged less than 50 per cent possession in the league. 

When Wolves’ back five moves into a pressing shape (below) from their initial block, they resemble the 4-4-2 structure seen at Bournemouth. Here, the closest wing-back to the ball aggressively jumps forward, working well beyond the double pivot when required. The rest of the back line swing around, defending briefly as a back four to support the press into midfield. 

The 10 furthest from the ball then narrows, working much deeper to support the double pivot as they move across to assist the wing-back and protect the inside channel. This means that switching play with forward intent is harder for the opponents; they have to play backwards more when working the ball across the pitch.

Wolves then have time to readjust, with their wing-backs in particular afforded time to recover back or jump forward, depending which side of the ball they are. The closest number 10 then supports the central forward in the first line. As a narrow pairing, they stop central play back through the middle, as seen with Bournemouth’s block.

All of which requires hard-working, diligent application. Very much in the Gary O’Neil mould.

To learn more about football tactics and gain insights from coaches at the top of the game, visit CV Academy

Author: The Coaches' Voice