General Wolves News

[Norman Deeley]

I think it's perfectly fair on Costa. Virtually a third of the season gone: no goals, no assists. If Traore had played the same number of minutes for the same return this forum would have burst into flames.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Costa did all the work for the goal at Old Trafford, but Jiminez gets the assist for the layoff.

Stats can be very misleading at times.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Costa did all the work for the goal at Old Trafford, but Jiminez gets the assist for the layoff.

Stats can be very misleading at times.

He did work but he didn't actually produce a chance did he? Without Jimenez's involvement it's just a weak cross that goes behind everyone.

 

[Kenny]

He did work but he didn't actually produce a chance did he? Without Jimenez's involvement it's just a weak cross that goes behind everyone.

My brain is tired but was his weak cross caused by Shaw slamming him off the pitch, which actually made getting the ball back across a pretty decent effort (or am I thinking of a different moment)

 

[Premier Quality]

I think it's perfectly fair on Costa. Virtually a third of the season gone: no goals, no assists. If Traore had played the same number of minutes for the same return this forum would have burst into flames.

Agreed, he’s been poor most of the season. Played well against Man U and then the arsenal game was his best of the season by a long long way. Hopefully he can keep that standard going now.

 

[Lycan]

There's no way Costa & Jota are the worst 2 wingers in the league. I don't care how many goals/assists they have.

 

[Johnny75]

I think it's perfectly fair on Costa. Virtually a third of the season gone: no goals, no assists. If Traore had played the same number of minutes for the same return this forum would have burst into flames.

Would you start Traore over Costa?

 

[Premier Quality]

Would you start Traore over Costa?

I would have done a few games ago, he wasn’t contributing much at all creatively, and was actively missing really good chances. Costa deserves to keep his place after his performance against arsenal though, apart from his finishing, I thought he was excellent - I just want him to continue being positive and taking people on.

 

[Tony Towner]

Traore often gets credit on here for goals that he assisted the assist on, yet it doesn't work the same way for Costa? FWIW I think both Costa and Jota have both been largely fine apart from the final ball/shot/decision making. A lot of which particularly in the latters case is confidence based.

 

[Kenny]

FWIW I think both Costa and Jota have both been largely fine apart from the final ball/decision making a lot of which particularly in the latters case is confidence based.

Agree with that. Obviously as forwards they will be ultimately judged on goals/assists but they have had to do more of the defensive side of things this season. Jota v M City for example, not overly a forward threat but worked his bollocks off pressing and helping out in our own half. They will both be aware that they can easily be replaced in January if they don't start producing in front of goal

 

[James]

It’s also remembering that Jota and Costa are still only 21 and 24 so theres plenty of room for both players to get a lot better. Cannot agree more with your assessment of Jota in the Man City game and he does make the difference and a goal could set him off to the races.

 

[Kenny]

Scored 2 for the Portugal U21's so hopefully coming back with a bit of confidence in front of goal

 

[Tyrannosaurus Dan]

Costa can't be performing that badly seeing as he has won his first cap for Portugal this season.

There is no doubt that we expected more from him & Jota this season in terms of goals/assists but they will come.

 

[Lord Knows]

Costa can't be performing that badly seeing as he has won his first cap for Portugal this season.

There is no doubt that we expected more from him & Jota this season in terms of goals/assists but they will come.

Good man management from Nuno to keep the faith with his players during baron runs knowing the long term benefits of supporting players of obvious quality. Hopefully the fans also retain the faith and help these players find their best form. Its all to easy to throw a player under the bus.

 

[Johnny75]

I would have done a few games ago, he wasn’t contributing much at all creatively, and was actively missing really good chances. Costa deserves to keep his place after his performance against arsenal though, apart from his finishing, I thought he was excellent - I just want him to continue being positive and taking people on.

Traore did start against Brighton a few games ago and was hooked for ineffectiveness. Costa, Jota and Cav were far more effective than him when they were on the pitch. I agree with you on hoping Helder pushes on as he did against Arsenal. I thought Cav and Helder were very effective either side of Jiminez against Arsenal and I'd like to see more of that.

I don't get the Traore love, I think as a top level footballer he's exciting on the ball but a crap team player.

 

[Premier Quality]

Traore is really raw - this conversations been had a million times on this forum, but he has huge end product but not enough team play - but he’s been improving for the last year, so it’s anticipation that he can keep improving and add that team play to his end product.

Costa and Jota have been the opposite - team play and no end product, so it comes down to what you think is the important thing, people’s views differ. Jota had both last season, Helder was hit and miss due to his injury recovery.

At the moment, the jury is still out on all of them. Can Traore add team play to his obvious attributes and end product? Can Jota make the step up and be as effective in the prem against better players as he was in the champ? And can Helder get back to the kind of form he was showing pre Nuno where he was electric, and his finishing was top drawer, given he’s not been near that level since his injury?

Hopefully all of them will make it, but at the moment there are question marks over them all. The daft thing for me is that people are picking sides and saying x is crap and y is brilliant, when actually none of them are either.

 

[YoungWolf]

I think all of our options give us a very good variety, it's just now those players proving they can be effective at this level. A player like Jota may get more time as he is the youngest of them, but ultimately if they can't give us the goals/assists to take us up a level we will invest in players, no doubt.

 

[Johnny75]

The daft thing for me is that people are picking sides and saying x is crap and y is brilliant

I think most posters who don't rate x have said why so to boil it down to crap/ great is not recognising the debate.

 

[Premier Quality]

Those same people who don’t rate x (pretty clear who x is), are pretty unbalanced about it though in my view, applying different standards to x, compared to y.

And oddly, it’s all the people who slagged him off before we signed him. Kind of feels like that would be their views regardless of his performances tbh...

 

[Johnny75]

Those same people who don’t rate x (pretty clear who x is), are pretty unbalanced about it though in my view, applying different standards to x, compared to y.

And oddly, it’s all the people who slagged him off before we signed him. Kind of feels like that would be their views regardless of his performances tbh...

I was talking more broadly, the hate for Jota on the matchday threads illustrates that point, and TT also makes the point with Costa further up this page on the 'assist to the assist, however you seem to want to make this about Traore.

I think the posters that do/ don't rate a player because of x is the argument rather than questioning whether or not a poster will/ won't change their viewpoint (what is that they say about attacking the person rather than the argument?).

I find the 'your opinion can't count because you hold a prejudice on that player' the oddest of arguments. It dismisses debate on the subject at hand.