Discussion
I saw a rather good post on Reddit after the WHU game, which sums everything up nicely:
Defense: It is awfully tempting to bench TF out of Saiss, Boly, or Coady after last match. I certainly wouldn't argue with you if you felt it was necessary to send Boly a message, for example. However, I feel that our "Best 11" this season, at least until Jonny is back, will feature this back 3. I think Saiss/Marcal and Boly/Semedo need some time together to learn each other's game and develop some type of chemistry.
Midfield: I'd like to move on from the Neves/Moutinho pairing. It's wild to be typing this, but Dendoncker is a must for me in midfield. He is our best midfield aerial winner, short-passer, linker-of-play, and dribbler. That's alarming, but best to lean into it. He needs time out there.
I'm not going to get to alarmist over the slow start for the squad, but I do think Mr. Neves is at a cross-roads this season. I don't know if it's his mindset, his skillset, Nuno's mindset, or Nuno's skillset that has decided Neves' overall role should be 'lurk,' but it's not working for me. The man needs be dribbling forward, playing the front three through on runs, etc. Is his ceiling 'solid defensive midfielder who occasionally hits wonder strikes?' I hope not.
Attack: For better or worse, Neto and Podence are the creators of this team. I enjoy the fluidity of having them both on the field. Their ability to switch sides and take turns in the 10-hole adds an element of creativity and variety. I think it's critical that one of them is always available to link play between Never Forward Neves and the remaining two forwards.
Re, Traore: I'd like to see him return to the role of 65th minute tormenter of tired legs. I'm sure there will be certain opponents or game situations where it makes sense to start him, but I hope those prove the exception, rather than the rule. Similar to Neves, I'm not sure how much of the blame should be on Adama and how much on Nuno, but the fact of the matter is that you don't get points for getting the ball to the right corner. Further, there is a (predictable) overlap between Traore and Semedo's skillsets. You could pitch me on them getting more in sync as time goes on, but I'm not holding my breath. Traore's presence on the pitch enables our/Nuno's worst habits of force feeding the ball to Traore and spraying eyes-closed crosses into empty boxes.
Other thoughts: Our two central mids should play a much larger role in getting the ball forward. Playing down the wings will and should always be a part of our DNA, but it can't be the only way. The ball needs to find its way to the mids in advanced positions as often as it finds its way to the corners. I don't think we need to become the second-coming of tiki-taka. Just think one of the wingers' options should be to hit the central midfielder, who then looks to one of the forwards. Too often the winger tries to take it all the way, fails, and their pass to midfield starts the recycle instead of continuing the attack. Part of this is because the wingers typically run until they have to stop and then are playing a defensive, survival ball back to the mids. I'd like to see quicker decision making from the triangles as they form on the wings.
The back three + Marcal also have a large responsibility when it comes to getting the ball forward. Batting it around and waiting for Coady to play a diagonal into space is something we should be doing 3-5 times per game, but NOT 95% of the time. If none of the three feel comfortable dribbling, or playing a pass on the ground, down the middle, it makes for a much tougher life. I get it. Coady, Saiss and Boly are not that type of player. That was okay when they were a formidable brick wall. But their offensive drawbacks aren't worth it if they aren't kicking ass on D.
Can't say I disagree with much of it.
?
Defense: It is awfully tempting to bench TF out of Saiss, Boly, or Coady after last match. I certainly wouldn't argue with you if you felt it was necessary to send Boly a message, for example. However, I feel that our "Best 11" this season, at least until Jonny is back, will feature this back 3. I think Saiss/Marcal and Boly/Semedo need some time together to learn each other's game and develop some type of chemistry.
Midfield: I'd like to move on from the Neves/Moutinho pairing. It's wild to be typing this, but Dendoncker is a must for me in midfield. He is our best midfield aerial winner, short-passer, linker-of-play, and dribbler. That's alarming, but best to lean into it. He needs time out there.
I'm not going to get to alarmist over the slow start for the squad, but I do think Mr. Neves is at a cross-roads this season. I don't know if it's his mindset, his skillset, Nuno's mindset, or Nuno's skillset that has decided Neves' overall role should be 'lurk,' but it's not working for me. The man needs be dribbling forward, playing the front three through on runs, etc. Is his ceiling 'solid defensive midfielder who occasionally hits wonder strikes?' I hope not.
Attack: For better or worse, Neto and Podence are the creators of this team. I enjoy the fluidity of having them both on the field. Their ability to switch sides and take turns in the 10-hole adds an element of creativity and variety. I think it's critical that one of them is always available to link play between Never Forward Neves and the remaining two forwards.
Re, Traore: I'd like to see him return to the role of 65th minute tormenter of tired legs. I'm sure there will be certain opponents or game situations where it makes sense to start him, but I hope those prove the exception, rather than the rule. Similar to Neves, I'm not sure how much of the blame should be on Adama and how much on Nuno, but the fact of the matter is that you don't get points for getting the ball to the right corner. Further, there is a (predictable) overlap between Traore and Semedo's skillsets. You could pitch me on them getting more in sync as time goes on, but I'm not holding my breath. Traore's presence on the pitch enables our/Nuno's worst habits of force feeding the ball to Traore and spraying eyes-closed crosses into empty boxes.
Other thoughts: Our two central mids should play a much larger role in getting the ball forward. Playing down the wings will and should always be a part of our DNA, but it can't be the only way. The ball needs to find its way to the mids in advanced positions as often as it finds its way to the corners. I don't think we need to become the second-coming of tiki-taka. Just think one of the wingers' options should be to hit the central midfielder, who then looks to one of the forwards. Too often the winger tries to take it all the way, fails, and their pass to midfield starts the recycle instead of continuing the attack. Part of this is because the wingers typically run until they have to stop and then are playing a defensive, survival ball back to the mids. I'd like to see quicker decision making from the triangles as they form on the wings.
The back three + Marcal also have a large responsibility when it comes to getting the ball forward. Batting it around and waiting for Coady to play a diagonal into space is something we should be doing 3-5 times per game, but NOT 95% of the time. If none of the three feel comfortable dribbling, or playing a pass on the ground, down the middle, it makes for a much tougher life. I get it. Coady, Saiss and Boly are not that type of player. That was okay when they were a formidable brick wall. But their offensive drawbacks aren't worth it if they aren't kicking ass on D.
Can't say I disagree with much of it.
?
Fastchas said:
Deerfoot said:
Well I didn’t see that result coming, we looked dreadful...
Indeed, but after our performance against Man C, it isn't that much of a surprise. Whereas, we were poor versus Man C, I didn't expect West Ham to be so technically better and play it around us so easily. We were chasing shadows for 90 minutes and that's the second game that indicates we aren't as good as we think we are.Easily the worse match I've seen under Nuno. He has a serious job on to turn it around.
We have gone backward with the loss of Doc & Jota - although we need the new arrivals to bed in, I guess (why is it always Wolves that need players to bed in, as if they can't play football till we get them??).
I'm not gonna sugar-coat it, that was a shocking display by Wolves and not one we should be seeing in our third season in this league if we have any aspirations of going places.
We have lost all;
endeavour (lazy balls, waiting for the pass to get to you rather than being on the front foot and not letting the opponent get ball side of you, lack of creativity),
skill (can't seem to keep the ball, lose possession when passing, receiving the ball)
hunger (again, make sure the ball is yours, win those second balls)
Considering we have just come out of a transfer window, I consider us weaker than when we went into it.
We need a midfield with some energy and vigour. I love Moutinho, but he can't save us every week. The Donk is good for getting forward but he is not going to be orchestrating anything.
Neves is not the same player. I agree with the other post where he might be playing too deep.
Too many teams are giving us lessons in 'pass & move'.
I think we have stagnated.
We have lost all;
endeavour (lazy balls, waiting for the pass to get to you rather than being on the front foot and not letting the opponent get ball side of you, lack of creativity),
skill (can't seem to keep the ball, lose possession when passing, receiving the ball)
hunger (again, make sure the ball is yours, win those second balls)
Considering we have just come out of a transfer window, I consider us weaker than when we went into it.
We need a midfield with some energy and vigour. I love Moutinho, but he can't save us every week. The Donk is good for getting forward but he is not going to be orchestrating anything.
Neves is not the same player. I agree with the other post where he might be playing too deep.
Too many teams are giving us lessons in 'pass & move'.
I think we have stagnated.
https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/wolv...
Raul comfortable after an operation on fractured skull. Nasty injury to have suffered. I am reminded of the Bratislava home game where one of their players went off with a similarly nasty knock and instead of celebrating his injury time winner he made a gesture of concern to the injured player. A class guy and a new father who will hopefully recover fully.
Raul comfortable after an operation on fractured skull. Nasty injury to have suffered. I am reminded of the Bratislava home game where one of their players went off with a similarly nasty knock and instead of celebrating his injury time winner he made a gesture of concern to the injured player. A class guy and a new father who will hopefully recover fully.
I'm really pleased Raul is 'comfortable' after receiving surgery for his fractured skull. He is a great player and we are lucky to have him. I hope this injury doesn't affect his future.
However, it is interesting to see (which I have thought for a while) how Wolves would play WITHOUT Jimenez leading the line.
We had our hand forced (let's be honest, Raul wouldn't get dropped) and the players stepped up and performed. They played differently, rather than booting it up to Raul all the time, which would more often than not find an opposing player or Raul wouldn't be able to keep possession.
It's horrible to say but his going off has opened the door to other players and a different system of play.
However, it is interesting to see (which I have thought for a while) how Wolves would play WITHOUT Jimenez leading the line.
We had our hand forced (let's be honest, Raul wouldn't get dropped) and the players stepped up and performed. They played differently, rather than booting it up to Raul all the time, which would more often than not find an opposing player or Raul wouldn't be able to keep possession.
It's horrible to say but his going off has opened the door to other players and a different system of play.
All good points, he was so critical to the way that we play that we will have to come up with something else unless we recall Mir who is a similar player doing well on his loan spell, or Cutrone who isn't. Mir was of course s
t for us and Forest. We have played a different way in the last couple and looked decent for it, hopefully taking some pressure off whoever plays up front. I think on the evidence of last night and Southampton 2nd half we definitely have players who can chip in. Silva looked tidy although he's still so young, maybe go with him initially and then consider the position in January.
I'm wondering if Raul will play again as you'd suspect a doctor would be brave to suggest he can go back with heading such a part of his game.
t for us and Forest. We have played a different way in the last couple and looked decent for it, hopefully taking some pressure off whoever plays up front. I think on the evidence of last night and Southampton 2nd half we definitely have players who can chip in. Silva looked tidy although he's still so young, maybe go with him initially and then consider the position in January. I'm wondering if Raul will play again as you'd suspect a doctor would be brave to suggest he can go back with heading such a part of his game.
Absolutely. I'm struggling to see any aspects of his game that suggest he's worth £35m now or in years to come.
But after last nights defeat I'm not feeling that down - it was a very good performance by Wolves. They passed & moved very well, much better than in recent games.
But after last nights defeat I'm not feeling that down - it was a very good performance by Wolves. They passed & moved very well, much better than in recent games.
Edited by Fastchas on Thursday 31st December 15:29
Fabio Silva is a very special talent. His positional play and awareness and general footballing intelligence are far beyond his years. His physicality needs a lot of work though, as is to be expected for an 18 year old. He can get bullied off the ball far too easily for a player leading the line in the Premier League by defenders with far less talent, but far more experience and cunning. English football is by far the hardest in the world for a striker to succeed and it’s going to be a huge culture shock for pretty much any young player in that position who hasn’t been brought up with it.
He’s half a number 9 and half a number 10 at the moment. With some physical work and some experience he will be able to use more strength alongside his natural intelligence to start finding that half a yard he needs.
At the moment, he can’t lead our attack all on his own, but we do need a number 9 as a focal point, so need to bring someone in during January. An older player and/or loan would do us well here. I still want to see Fabio getting minutes as he needs that for his development. We’ve been spoilt with Raul as he’s one of the very best number 9s anywhere in the game and he’s had no real injury issues before this huge one. For any club to find any genuinely good and good value player in January has always been a huge task, but there are a few options I think. Clubs will know we are pretty desperate for a quality striker, so demands will go skywards, but we also have one of the worlds top agents on our side, so the right wheels are always being oiled.
I think amongst the most likely names at the moment are:
Alex Teixera - Likely to be on his way out of China. The wage cap will put a stop to the mass exodus of players looking for a big pay day and seems an obvious fit
Salomon Rondon - See above really. We have kept tabs on him previously and is about as strong and physical as a striker gets in today’s game really. Knows the Premier League, suits it well and would be my personal first choice
Divock Origi - Have also been linked with him before. He would be easy to sign as Liverpool are happy to sell for £20m and we have a good understanding with Liverpool after a very easy transaction with Jota and Hoever, which could have been complicated between other clubs given the payment terms. Nuno has his reservations about him, which is why he hasn’t signed before now, but still knows he can do a job, so is likely to be a “plan b” rather than first choice. I think we would be more likely to take a punt on him if it were a loan deal, but Liverpool want to cash in at the moment as they need to raise funds. Not the worst plan b in the world though...
Diego Costa - Will obviously be linked given who his agent is, but he would make a lot of sense as a short-term fix. Wage demands and personality most likely to kill that one off though.
Luka Jovic - A loan is very possible and I think he’s the most likely signing from this list. Likely to be in demand on loan though. If he can find his Frankfurt form again then it would be a world class signing, or he could end up being another Halilovic/Odegaard.
Or it could be someone completely different, but I’m sure we will see a striker coming in one way or another, and we can’t really afford to wait until the end of the window on this occasion.
He’s half a number 9 and half a number 10 at the moment. With some physical work and some experience he will be able to use more strength alongside his natural intelligence to start finding that half a yard he needs.
At the moment, he can’t lead our attack all on his own, but we do need a number 9 as a focal point, so need to bring someone in during January. An older player and/or loan would do us well here. I still want to see Fabio getting minutes as he needs that for his development. We’ve been spoilt with Raul as he’s one of the very best number 9s anywhere in the game and he’s had no real injury issues before this huge one. For any club to find any genuinely good and good value player in January has always been a huge task, but there are a few options I think. Clubs will know we are pretty desperate for a quality striker, so demands will go skywards, but we also have one of the worlds top agents on our side, so the right wheels are always being oiled.
I think amongst the most likely names at the moment are:
Alex Teixera - Likely to be on his way out of China. The wage cap will put a stop to the mass exodus of players looking for a big pay day and seems an obvious fit
Salomon Rondon - See above really. We have kept tabs on him previously and is about as strong and physical as a striker gets in today’s game really. Knows the Premier League, suits it well and would be my personal first choice
Divock Origi - Have also been linked with him before. He would be easy to sign as Liverpool are happy to sell for £20m and we have a good understanding with Liverpool after a very easy transaction with Jota and Hoever, which could have been complicated between other clubs given the payment terms. Nuno has his reservations about him, which is why he hasn’t signed before now, but still knows he can do a job, so is likely to be a “plan b” rather than first choice. I think we would be more likely to take a punt on him if it were a loan deal, but Liverpool want to cash in at the moment as they need to raise funds. Not the worst plan b in the world though...
Diego Costa - Will obviously be linked given who his agent is, but he would make a lot of sense as a short-term fix. Wage demands and personality most likely to kill that one off though.
Luka Jovic - A loan is very possible and I think he’s the most likely signing from this list. Likely to be in demand on loan though. If he can find his Frankfurt form again then it would be a world class signing, or he could end up being another Halilovic/Odegaard.
Or it could be someone completely different, but I’m sure we will see a striker coming in one way or another, and we can’t really afford to wait until the end of the window on this occasion.
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