Gary O’Neil asked Pablo Sarabia to do one thing at Wolves in the 2023/24 season, with the manager now sharing if the Spaniard met his requirements.
Wolves coasted to a 14th-place finish under Gary O’Neil in his first season at Molineux, a position that could have been both better and worse.
When the Englishman arrived at the club, there was hope that he would primarily, keep the club in the Premier League, with any other successes a bonus after the mess of the summer.
Instead, the manager led Wolves to a five-point improvement of their 2022/23 tally with a lot of credit going to his ability to improve individual performance.
One player who had a largely impressive campaign was Pablo Sarabia, as the boss revealed that he asked the 32-year-old to do one thing to improve.
Gary O’Neil recalls what he told Pablo Sarabia to do at Wolves
The 2023/24 season was the first full campaign for both O’Neil and Sarabia, as the Spaniard arrived from PSG in January 2023.
In his first taste of Premier League football, the versatile attacker struggled to fully impose himself under Julen Lopetegui, netting just one goal in 13 appearances.
As relayed by Express and Star, O’Neil revealed that he told Sarabia that he ‘had to’ to do one thing to be a success in the English top-flight, a note that seemed to work throughout the season.
“Pablo’s done well this season because he had to adapt, if you look at the Premier League and the physicality of it, he worked his socks off to adapt and fit in.”
Having played his career in Spain, Portugal and France, the veteran stood out as a player who was not used to the intense physicality of the Premier League, with O’Neil outlining the weaknesses of his game.
“He’s a sort of luxury number 10 that doesn’t have massive pace and power, but he worked his socks off when I first came in to find a way to fit into the structure and change what he does.
“Fair play to him and the coaching staff for maximising Pablo and his performances this year.”
Wolves have seen an improvement in Pablo Sarabia, but is it enough?
Ending the 2023/24 season with four goals and seven assists in the league, Sarabia certainly paid close attention to the areas of his game that needed improvement.
That being said, the Spaniard’s frailties seemed to shine through in the latter stages of the campaign, as a string of poor performances saw him described as being ‘nowhere near’ the physical level needed to thrive in the Premier League by journalist Liam Keen.
Earning a reported £90k-a-week as Wolves’ highest-earner, Sarabia’s end-of-season form may have been enough to suggest he should be offloaded by the club, with money needed to be saved on wages.
There are certainly players better equipped to make it in O’Neil’s side than the Spain international although, when he’s at his best, it’s difficult to imagine life without him.
It will be an interesting development to see just where the 32-year-old’s summer takes him, whether that be at Molineux or away from the Premier League.