[FA Cup 3rd Rnd Replay] Wolves 0-1 Liverpool: Verdict Thread

[slink]

Agree. He doesn’t seem to have accepted it either. If he could adapt to just being a penalty box striker he might have a chance with someone alongside him but it’s sad to watch him now

Yeah sad is the right word to describe how i feel about him. Agree he just needs to play width of the penalty area now to see if he can get anything back.

 

[Mel Evo]

The long drive back is underway, and it’s hard not to be particularly annoyed with Mr Sa for picking an unusual time of day to go for a little stroll around Wolverhampton. That said, I think everyone has already summed it up on this thread for me. To try and find one positive for Adama, he did hit one good cross straight to a player in front of goal, within the first minute. Unfortunate that the lights when out just as it landed with RAN, he never found a teammate with a cross again all night.

 

[slink]

If it's not Raul then who is it?

Cunha isn't a 9

Moutinho isn't a pseudo 10, neither are Neves, Lemina or Nunes

People are seeing a Costa renaissance I'm not. Still trying, still slow, mind still writing cheques his legs can't cash.

The answer is someone new, but in the absence of that?

Costa in the first half at Villa was the best we’ve seen of him. Agree it’s also not enough but he does actually hold it up and link which Raul doesn’t do now, he also doesn’t drift out to the right continuously. Cunha isn’t a 9 but feel he could play there with Sarabia/Podence coming inside or 1 of them as a 10 until the end of the season.

 

[HanDoJin]

With about 15 mins to go, we'd had about 450 passes to their 320. Pundits kept saying they 'were controlling the game'.
No, our passing was ineffectual, slow and non productive.
Liverpool didn't play well. We played poorly.
The sign of a good player is one that picks the best percentage thing to do, regularly.
We have several players who don't do that.
SA obviously.
Dexter (hope he will improve with coaching and experience)
Same with Toti.
Adama (I thought we had something special when we first signed him, it's obvious now, he's learnt nothing and hasn't got a footballing brain)....
Then there's....I could go on but I can't be bothered tbh.

The four that came on should have been on from the start, kilman should have started as well.

Thankfully 3 of them will almost never start again

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Midfield is still an issue for me, some talented players in there but the balance is often awry, think they often lack the mentality to take a game by the scruff of the neck and drag their team through it. They should be central to everything your team is doing but Wolves' options almost all appear far happier when they're closer to the half way line, often the wrong side of it, than the opposition goal. I think that leads to other areas of the team looking worse than they are at times.

The directionless playing out from the back often comes from a failure to play into midfield, they either don't provide an outlet or come far too deep allowing themselves to get penned in under the press alongside the defence. The frequent dead ends down the flanks too, if an opponent is defending the full width of the pitch then there should be spaces for runners inside but I think Wolves' midfield lacks both the legs and mentality to offer that outlet. Nunes is starting to allieviate some of this issue, far more adept wriggling away from pressure and more legs than the others, but I also think he's a bit of an airhead at times so you risk the fallout from that side of him. Also seems to be far too fond of an over the top 'not my fault' shrug, needs to check that.

From what I've seen of the Lopetegui era thus far, and tonight falls into this too, 442 seems to provide the best performance. Yet strangle he seems rather hesitant to go down that route, think it's been last resort in both of the previous two games? Think it makes a massive difference to the way the team can press, having that extra body higher up the pitch makes a world of difference compared to Moutinho's tiny little Super Mario legs trying to make up an extra 20 yards to press a centre half. I think it works better with the ball too, breaking up that flat midfield trio and getting an extra body ahead of the ball, just need to find the right combination of bodies there to make the most of it.

One other noticable thing from tonight, it's often irked me how tamely this team has moved the ball around, almost every pass just slightly underhit so it gives defenders time to get back close enough to influence things and making it so difficult to play around a decent press. Noticed today, rustic as he often appears, Gomes has no fear absolutely fizzing stuff into people, fair play to the lad. Think he's got a bit of that Sakho style clumsiness that makes him look worse than he really is but if the others passed the ball with such conviction then it could make a world of difference.

 

[YoungWolf]

I suppose this was Julen’s last chance to experiment. Hopefully that’s the last of a back five (well, certainly with Jonny or Toti in it anyway).

 

[PuntsWolf]

Manager favoured squad management over the result with the team selection.

433 with Moutinho and Hodge is just abysmal. Bizarre change to 532 which didn’t solve the problems 433 had created and in fact made us even easier to press with less options upfield.

We were better after HT because Lembikisa is/was miles off it and Hodge isn’t either and can’t play that role. I’d have had Moutinho off at HT too but guess he didn’t want to use 3 subs. Playing a guy who can’t score or run as a ten is just stupid. But as I said it was just squad management with players shoe horned in.

There Keeper had nothing to do. Ours made a meal of nearly everything. Collins and Toti were fine, I like his aggression and enthusiasm. Looks unrefined but he didn’t really make any mistakes.

Huffed and puffed second half but Adama is a waste of time (particularly against a team playing deep) and we need to just be done with him. RAN just over complicated everything. Crazy that Hwang is one of our better options now. Need Sarabia to come in and have an impact.

 

[Tony Towner]

Seems the porn phone guy is serving a suspended sentence for previous offences, so expect him to have a knock on the door tomorrow

 

[Quirkafleeg]

Dear Julen.

Can you ship off Adama with Guedes please. Yet another dogshit performance when given so many splendid balls from Neves.

 

[WsWolf]

Seems the porn phone guy is serving a suspended sentence for previous offences, so expect him to have a knock on the door tomorrow

What would they even charge him with?

 

[Tony Towner]

What would they even charge him with?

His suspended sentence is for aggravated entry

 

[Charlie Wolf]

Most people have described quite accurately what happened tonight, poor first half after a fairly promising opening 10 minutes and then quality levels just dropped off a cliff and Liverpool ran the show.

We just set ourselves up for defeat until we got an established team on the pitch but that wasn’t until about the 65th minute and then we only huffed and puffed.
What is disappointing is, irrespective of who we play, is that most teams can easily nullify any threat we have, just pack 8 players in defence when we attack and we don’t have the guile or quality to find a forward and create anything. They don’t really need to do anything special just keep a tight defensive shape, whilst at the other end we look a car crash at times and invariably we have a collective brain fart and concede, it’s like deja vu.

As for the goal it really is on Sa with his positioning, but we let Elliott advance too easily and invited trouble.
So no real positives for me although there was a bit of fight in the second half, but we just look disjointed at the moment with no leaders on the pitch. I certainly hope JL can get the players in and mild them into a unit, because on current showing we are miles away, big 19 games coming up.
On a final note with a number of detractors on here, I have to cut Hodge a bit of slack as I thought he did okay first half, but it was obvious we needed to make changes and he and Dexter were the obvious candidates to be replaced.
As a young footballer trying to make their way in the game, some of the criticism I hear lately isn’t justified. If not working for the kid at the moment hopefully someone will take him out of the firing line and work on his weaknesses. To often it’s a case of ‘he shouldn’t be any where near the first 11 or he’ll probably be a good league one player’….not helpful comments or opinions to be honest, especially when there are a few more established players who on tonights performance we’re really no better.

Let’s at least give everyone a chance, yes critique everyone and everything, and we know we have some shit that needs clearing, but at the moment it’s our shit, so let’s try and keep positive. We’re Wolves let’s act like wolves

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

The thing is Hodge just isn't going to start again this season, barring an injury crisis.

We only ever play a maximum of three central midfielders, sometimes two. He is never going to get picked ahead of any of Neves, Nunes, Moutinho or Lemina if they're available. We're hopeful of signing Gomes and Bouba is back next month. That makes him 7th choice for at best three spots, and he can't play anywhere else.

He's tried his best when handed a task that is currently way beyond him, now it's time for him to develop away from the first team, whether that be here in the U21s (my preference, as I simply don't think he's physically ready for senior football as it stands) or on loan elsewhere.

 

[Dire Wolf]

I suppose this was Julen’s last chance to experiment. Hopefully that’s the last of a back five (well, certainly with Jonny or Toti in it anyway).

Based on tonight Jonny should be nowhere near the 1st team again this season and should be one of first players out of the door. He was simply awful.

 

[Charlie Wolf]

The thing is Hodge just isn't going to start again this season, barring an injury crisis.

We only ever play a maximum of three central midfielders, sometimes two. He is never going to get picked ahead of any of Neves, Nunes, Moutinho or Lemina if they're available. We're hopeful of signing Gomes and Bouba is back next month. That makes him 7th choice for at best three spots, and he can't play anywhere else.

He's tried his best when handed a task that is currently way beyond him, now it's time for him to develop away from the first team, whether that be here in the U21s (my preference, as I simply don't think he's physically ready for senior football as it stands) or on loan elsewhere.

Exactly this, the lads come in at a time of need, done okay in some aspects of the game and not in others, but some comments show a complete lack of understanding, patience or sympathy.

It’s like we have to have prime Kenny Hibbitt immediately at the age of 19 otherwise they are crap

Let the kid develop

 

[Charlie Wolf]

Can anyone enlighten me as to why to the challenge on Neves by Thiago in the 2nd half wasn’t a foul?

Sincere question as I was too far away in the NB

 

[Wolftone]

Can anyone enlighten me as to why to the challenge on Neves by Thiago in the 2nd half wasn’t a foul?

Sincere question as I was too far away in the NB

It looked a foul but the TV replay showed he got the ball first. Actually a very good tackle.

 

[sycophantia]

It looked a foul but the TV replay showed he got the ball first. Actually a very good tackle.

Yep took the ball cleanly, I think Neves actually stood on him after the challenge.

 

[Wolf Hunting]

There was one time we were attacking down the left, Liverpool running back quickly filling all the gaps and then I think Ran turned his man and quickly passed it about 8 yards, can't remember to whom, but he took a touch and I could see a horseshoe of Wolves players just outside the box, about 4 or 5 of them and the ball found its way to each them until it got to I think Semedo and every single one of them took a touch before passing it around the circle.
No one had the confidence to take it first time and go forward. Obviously 'Pool were all back and sorted and took possession off us again.
That sort of shit has got to stop!

 

[prawnking]

That crap pre-dates Lage