Burnley 2-1 Wolves: Verdict Thread

[Norman Deeley]

This is Ruben's third PL season, and he's not turned into the player I thought he could be as yet. Like Moutinho we somehow set the bar of acceptability lower for him. Stats aren't everything but isn't it a bit of a luxury to have our central pairing never score and never assist either? Is that the case with any other teams with aspirations of success in this league?

You go back a year and people would have ridiculed the idea of McTominay in our midfield - but you watched him breaking forward against Leeds and he's exactly what we're lacking in midfield.
And comments re Neves body language are spot on - he looked absolutely pissed off when he was subbed last night

 

[PuntsWolf]

Don't think you can put the transition phrase in the bin, we have clearly been trying to change at times this season. My disappointment is last night after a decent 15 minutes when we didn't put much pressure on their goal, we got pushed back into a defensive mindset, I think that was mainly down to a lack of focal point to the attack, the big mistake last night was Otasowie at AM and no Silva imo. We paid Burnley far too much respect setting up like that. We had 3 at the back but still seemed concede as many chances as we did with just Boly and Coady...........against Burnley ffs

Well I can because we aren’t. Last night wasn’t transition. We can try and say WHU was transition, it wasn’t. Strikers isolated, defence still deep so midfield neither pressing or sitting back - aka tactical clusterfuck.

4-2-3-1 was transition, but if Ever there’s a game for it, last night was the one and we didn’t! 4-2-3-1 we were more exciting, created more chances, weren’t even particularly open (Villa literally didn’t have a sniff), just gave away poor goals.

Kenny might say “he wasn’t looking for someone to blame”, if not he’s just lost his head. Doesn’t really matter the reason for him “losing his head”.

 

[sycophantia]

This is Ruben's third PL season, and he's not turned into the player I thought he could be as yet. Like Moutinho we somehow set the bar of acceptability lower for him. Stats aren't everything but isn't it a bit of a luxury to have our central pairing never score and never assist either? Is that the case with any other teams with aspirations of success in this league?

Think its reasonable to question Moutinho's goal/assist contribution, in recent times,at least, but as you say stats don't tell the whole story, if Neves plays in what I think is his best position i.e. deep lying CM, he is unlikely to get direct assists or goals.
I sometimes wonder if with our Old Gold tinted specs, we over estimate our players quality at times, especially comparing them to their time in the Championship.

 

[Throbber3]

We have Tottenham next. We need to be on the front foot for that match as they will be smarting after losing to Leicester at home. I would probably go back to a back 4. Kane will drop deep in any case. I would also rest Semedo and RAN, playing Otasowie as DM alongside Moutinho to free up space . Bring Vitanha in for his first start too. Neves to the bench. At least it has the right balance to it. It may lack a bit of height though.

Patricio
Hoever Coady Saiss Marcal
Moutinho Otasowie
Neto Vitanha Podence
Fabio

I know you win nothing with kids , according to legend , but we our established players are in a bit of a rut and some youthful energy may bring them out of their shells a bit.

 

[sycophantia]

Well I can because we aren’t. Last night wasn’t transition. We can try and say WHU was transition, it wasn’t. Strikers isolated, defence still deep so midfield neither pressing or sitting back - aka tactical clusterfuck.

4-2-3-1 was transition, but if Ever there’s a game for it, last night was the one and we didn’t! 4-2-3-1 we were more exciting, created more chances, weren’t even particularly open (Villa literally didn’t have a sniff), just gave away poor goals.

Kenny might say “he wasn’t looking for someone to blame”, if not he’s just lost his head. Doesn’t really matter the reason for him “losing his head”.

you say you can say we aren't trying to transition then in the next paragraph say we transitioned with the 4-2-3-1.......sorry I'm confused. I agree we haven't stuck with what seemed to be a good 'transition' but that doesn't mean we aren't trying new things. I would love us to play more often than not with the 4-2-3-1 or even 3-4-1-2 but for some reason Nuno seems to be not confident with it

 

[sycophantia]

Personally thought Semedo was fine defensively last night, but I do want to see more offensively from him, seems to lack confidence going forward atm

 

[Paul]

Very dismissive and arrogant. I'd rather read someone's heartfelt 'bollox' than this 'playing to the gallery' smugfest

Dismissive yes, arrogant nooooooo
But if you want something heartfelt then typing " This forum – would have produced a better summer recruitment strategy than Nuno, Mendes and Jeff Shi " is the ramblings of someone who is not allowed to run with sharp objects, and it's not playing to a gallery if you type bollox then expect to get called out on it.

 

[prawnking]

We have Tottenham next. We need to be on the front foot for that match as they will be smarting after losing to Leicester at home. I would probably go back to a back 4. Kane will drop deep in any case. I would also rest Semedo and RAN, playing Otasowie as DM alongside Moutinho to free up space . Bring Vitanha in for his first start too. Neves to the bench. At least it has the right balance to it. It may lack a bit of height though.

Patricio
Hoever Coady Saiss Marcal
Moutinho Otasowie
Neto Vitanha Podence
Fabio

I know you win nothing with kids , according to legend , but we our established players are in a bit of a rut and some youthful energy may bring them out of their shells a bit.

Obviously Nuno knows better than any of us in terms of who's ready and who isn't, and I'm all for giving kids a chance but I don't think we can just chuck Hoever in based on wishful thinking. We need to persevere with Semedo IMO, he won't get to forge the partnerships Doc had if he's 'resting'. We need Semedo to work out.

I like the increase in chance creation 4 at the back gives us, but feel a bit uneasy about Coady and Saiss as the pairing

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Personally thought Semedo was fine defensively last night, but I do want to see more offensively from him, seems to lack confidence going forward atm

Saw him being blamed in places for the opening goal, no chance. Podence totally sold him down the river with a ridiculous flick and he was out of the game. Like running your partner out in cricket.

 

[sycophantia]

Saw him being blamed in places for the opening goal, no chance. Podence totally sold him down the river with a ridiculous flick and he was out of the game. Like running your partner out in cricket.

Yeah you can apportion blame for that goal but Semedo is way down the list..Podence, Rui, Saiss, Coady to start with

 

[prawnking]

Dismissive yes, arrogant nooooooo
But if you want something heartfelt then typing " This forum – would have produced a better summer recruitment strategy than Nuno, Mendes and Jeff Shi " is the ramblings of someone who is not allowed to run with sharp objects, and it's not playing to a gallery if you type bollox then expect to get called out on it.

Ah...the old 'type bollocks get called out' cliche again.

Not playing to the gallery but you still get your likes from your pals...Still waiting for Johnny to explain why Adama's hand in both goals v Arsenal don't count as 'contributions'...but then again some people just vanish when they get 'called out'

 

[PuntsWolf]

you say you can say we aren't trying to transition then in the next paragraph say we transitioned with the 4-2-3-1.......sorry I'm confused. I agree we haven't stuck with what seemed to be a good 'transition' but that doesn't mean we aren't trying new things. I would love us to play more often than not with the 4-2-3-1 or even 3-4-1-2 but for some reason Nuno seems to be not confident with it

My issue is people put bad performances down to “transition”. When in reality we’ve done something different in what - Saints, Arsenal, Villa, Liverpool which have been our best performances (barring the second half at Anfield).

We could even play 3-4-3/3-5-2 more aggressively. But we don’t. We still play a low block, sit deep, don’t press, rely on individual attacking brilliance/ counters to work chances with 5 at the back. This is what we’ve done forever, nothing is different, this isn’t transition. We’re just worse at it now without Jota, Raul, Doc, Jonny etc.

3-4-3 isn’t an defensive formation same as 4-2-3-1 isn’t an attacking one. It’s the how you play not What you play. Bar the games in mentioned we haven’t really changed the how.

 

[Jabbawolf]

Personally thought Semedo was fine defensively last night, but I do want to see more offensively from him, seems to lack confidence going forward atm

Gets beaten very easily in the air with the cross for the 2nd - if he had competed, it may have defused the attack.

 

[prawnking]

This is what ever done forever, nothing is different, this isn’t transrion. We’re just worse at it now without Jota, Raul, Doc, Jonny etc.

Agree with this

 

[Del Woppio]

Plenty of people to blame for the first, but Semedo is absolutely one of them. Taylor is nearest to Pope, when Podence gets Semedo into trouble on the edge of the area. By the time Taylor puts the cross in, Semedo still isn't even in our half. Yes, we had plenty of opportunites to stop it, but he's got to take fair share of the blame. If Taylor get there, then he's got no excuse.

I do accept that I'm pretty much done with him though, and so aren't exactly impartial.

 

[Norman Deeley]

Plenty of people to blame for the first, but Semedo is absolutely one of them. Taylor is nearest to Pope, when Podence gets Semedo into trouble on the edge of the area. By the time Taylor puts the cross in, Semedo still isn't even in our half. Yes, we had plenty of opportunites to stop it, but he's got to take fair share of the blame. If Taylor get there, then he's got no excuse.

I do accept that I'm pretty much done with him though, and so aren't exactly impartial.

I hadn't noticed that. If Semedo hasn't kept pace with Charlie Taylor, or made an attempt to, that is very poor. Exactly the sort of thing Doc was criticised for

 

[Norman Deeley]

Stripping out our penalty xG last night is 1.36 - 0.45

 

[YoungWolf]

I hadn't noticed that. If Semedo hasn't kept pace with Charlie Taylor, or made an attempt to, that is very poor. Exactly the sort of thing Doc was criticised for

And those things weren't Doc's fault either.

 

[Tony Towner]

He couldn't have stopped Taylor from where he was with his momentum taking him one way and Taylor's the other. His finishing position when the goal was scored isn't a good look on the face of things though. I'd need to see from behind the goal to see why that was.

 

[sycophantia]

My issue is people put bad performances down to “transition”. When in reality we’ve done something different in what - Saints, Arsenal, Villa, Liverpool which have been our best performances (barring the second half at Anfield).

We could even play 3-4-3/3-5-2 more aggressively. But we don’t. We still play a low block, sit deep, don’t press, rely on individual attacking brilliance/ counters to work chances with 5 at the back. This is what ever done forever, nothing is different, this isn’t transrion. We’re just worse at it now without Jota, Raul, Doc, Jonny etc.

3-4-3 isn’t an defensive formation same as 4-2-3-1 isn’t an attacking one. It’s the how you play not What you play. Bar the games in mentioned we haven’t really changed the how.

Oh I agree the transition thing shouldn't be used as an excuse for all our problems, it will have an effect though. We have been a defensive, counter attacking team since we came up tbf, we have built our team around that up till now, not sure how long it will take but would have liked to see more progress and less chopping and changing around