Burnley (H) 25/4 Build Up & Match Thread

[prawnking]

Hence the transition? It hasn't worked and we ended up getting involved in the relegation discussion.

It's hardly surprising Nuno went back to what we know and then results followed. Whenever we've tried anything different results have suffered or injuries have made it impossible (sometimes both!).

It takes a brave manager to knowingly not put out his best team in the PL with how much prize money is at stake for each position.

I get it, but as I said no-one's suggesting anything too radical, just seeing more of players who are right in the first team mix anyway.

The notion of 'best team' isn't set in stone either. Moutinho and Podence are hardly shoe-ins. I'm not saying we send Neves on holiday early and chuck Owen in for the rest of the season.

And no-one on here is ever bothered about prize money unless they want to be contrary

 

[AndyWolves]

I get it, but as I said no-one's suggesting anything too radical, just seeing more of players who are right in the first team mix anyway.

The notion of 'best team' isn't set in stone either. Moutinho and Podence are hardly shoe-ins. I'm not saying we send Neves on holiday early and chuck Owen in for the rest of the season.

And no-one on here is ever bothered about prize money unless they want to be contrary

It's simple for me, give us the best chance of getting as much prize money that we can - I think someone said around £2m per position, or jeopardise that to have a look at some players Nuno sees every day in training.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I think Timmy Spiers said we'd be 5th based on results post Arsenal. I know only the full season counts but I'd see Arsenal as the turning point of our season and the time (bar a few blips) we got our heads back on.

P11 W5 D3 L3 from Arsenal onwards. Two of the losses to Man City and Liverpool (and we probably shouldn't have lost the latter, and we also created enough against West Ham to have pinched something, even if our defending didn't merit us grabbing a result).

 

[AndyWolves]

P11 W5 D3 L3 from Arsenal onwards. Two of the losses to Man City and Liverpool (and we probably shouldn't have lost the latter, and we also created enough against West Ham to have pinched something, even if our defending didn't merit us grabbing a result).

This really raises the question with me as to why we're so desperate to change our style / approach? It may not be the most entertaining but it works, we put better players into that system and it should produce even better results.

I'm not so sure I'm on board with the clamour to go 4 ATB anymore.

 

[prawnking]

This really raises the question with me as to why we're so desperate to change our style / approach? It may not be the most entertaining but it works, we put better players into that system and it should produce even better results.

I'm not so sure I'm on board with the clamour to go 4 ATB anymore.

I think it would be way too simplistic to look at that sample as an indicator of where we should be heading.

Nuno could have 'put better players into the system' we had last year but he obviously saw something in it that lacked the longevity and flexibility needed to keep us as the 'best of the rest' or even better. He actually said as much.

He clearly wants the option of having more possession and being more attacking. One way to do that is swapping a CB for a MF

 

[Kenny]

P11 W5 D3 L3 from Arsenal onwards.

AKA The Willian Jose effect...

 

[Tony Towner]

This really raises the question with me as to why we're so desperate to change our style / approach? It may not be the most entertaining but it works, we put better players into that system and it should produce even better results.

I'm not so sure I'm on board with the clamour to go 4 ATB anymore.

I think the ratio between what is expected from performance/entertainment and results is balanced differently in fanless football. What is a perfunctory unglamorous win but job done against Sheff Utd in the ground is a borefest watching on the tele and therefore reactions are applied accordingly.

Without wishing to nick Punts' mantra the issues with 343 have always been more about attitude and intent than the formation itself

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

AKA The Willian Jose effect...

He's clearly the new Matt Hill.

I do think it's overplayed how "bad" we are. You can point out that Fulham and Sheff Utd aren't very good (they aren't) and you'd be hard pushed to say we played particularly well, but we definitely deserved to win both games.

 

[Tredman]

I'm not so sure I'm on board with the clamour to go 4 ATB anymore.

Come over to the dark side, you know it makes sense.

 

[prawnking]

Without wishing to nick Punts' mantra the issues with 343 have always been more about attitude and intent than the formation itself

I agree to a extent (Del's point about why can't we be more restrained with a 4231 and more progressive with the 343 is a good one), but having an extra creative/attack-minded Sexy MF in the team instead of a functional CB would surely give us physically an extra body and option that could have a huge impact too

 

[AndyWolves]

I agree to a extent (Del's point about why can't we be more restrained with a 4231 and more progressive with the 343 is a good one), but having an extra creative/attack-minded Sexy MF in the team instead of a functional CB would surely give us physically an extra body and option that could have a huge impact too

Don't get me wrong, id love to see us play possession based attacking football but not if it means results suffer.

We have a lot of work to do for us to play 2 CBs, namely buying a really good CB or two. I can see us going into next season still playing 3 ATB.

 

[Tony Towner]

Agreed PK, the halfway house is to sign a midfielder who can do a bit of everything. Mount makes all the difference when he plays in the middle of Chelsea's 343 offering the defensive solidity but also the attacking outlook that we don't have from Moutinho, Neves or Donck. Soucek does the same for West Ham.

I don't mind if 343 or 4231 is the future, whichever it is we need the players to make it work on both sides of the ball

 

[prawnking]

Don't get me wrong, id love to see us play possession based attacking football but not if it means results suffer.

We have a lot of work to do for us to play 2 CBs, namely buying a really good CB or two. I can see us going into next season still playing 3 ATB.

I'm not wedded to 4 at the back necessarily, but I think Nuno at least wants it as a weapon in his arsenal, if not his dominant formation.

I agree we have work to do defensively, but unless you seriously think we're making two or more big CB signings in the summer, then we'd still be using Coady or Saiss in there next season with Boly or new guy when one or both of them miss games. I don't think we really know what Coady and Boly or Saiss and Boly look like as a back 4. I wouldn't be against checking that out.

However, I can see Nuno staying with a steady formation ship till the end of season and I'm less bothered about that then using the time to give our young talent some more first team experience

 

[WarwickWolf]

He's clearly the new Matt Hill.

I do think it's overplayed how "bad" we are. You can point out that Fulham and Sheff Utd aren't very good (they aren't) and you'd be hard pushed to say we played particularly well, but we definitely deserved to win both games.

Perhaps it's not how "bad" we are but how this season trails behind the last two or three in terms of excitement and ultimately finishing position. We're obviously in a transition and that on top of little to no preseason, a succession of injuries and empty stadiums, none of which we've had before, has contributed to a poor season by recent standards. Fans always want to see their team improving season on season but that just doesn't happen.

 

[Tredman]

Agreed PK, the halfway house is to sign a midfielder who can do a bit of everything. Mount makes all the difference when he plays in the middle of Chelsea's 343 offering the defensive solidity but also the attacking outlook that we don't have from Moutinho, Neves or Donck. Soucek does the same for West Ham.

I don't mind if 343 or 4231 is the future, whichever it is we need the players to make it work on both sides of the ball

I think Moutinho can (and did) do that, it’s just age is catching up with him.

 

[AndyWolves]

I guess Saiss is fasting at the moment, Rogers took Fofana off after an hour. Does anyone think this will be a factor in our team selection?

 

[Lycan]

I guess Saiss is fasting at the moment, Rogers took Fofana off after an hour. Does anyone think this will be a factor in our team selection?

RAN as well.

 

[YoungWolf]

For a mid day kick off they might be alright tbf!

 

[Tom Hark]

I guess Saiss is fasting at the moment, Rogers took Fofana off after an hour. Does anyone think this will be a factor in our team selection?

MOTDx: Wolves' Romain Saiss on being a footballer during Ramadan​

 

[Jinky]

Neves still in isolation so won’t feature in this one. That’s a blow.