Liverpool (H) 15/3 - Sky Sports

[AndyWolves]

We are predictable just now - everything slows down (apart from Neto as he has Duracell batteries)

Podence isn't as predictable (& I don't mean Adama unpredictable as no one knows what that is including himself a lot of the time) so may just produce something - we are not getting more than mid table this year & probably don't need that many more points to be certain of security so just get there & have a rest which most of the team haven't had since July 2019.

Nuno home to see his family - Neves to be able to hold his baby & the rest of the team to draw breath & see their family and spend time away from this.

I really enjoy watching Podence play, he's capable of doing things no one else can.

 

[AndyWolves]

Both can be true but although Podence can come across as wasteful, often he is trying to do the more creative options and in the middle of the pitch, he's going to give the ball away more. I'd really like to see him have an extended run in that role because when we have played him in that set up:

Southampton (h) for last fifteen minutes: Played very well and team looked far more cohesive
Arsenal (a): Played very well and team looked far more cohesive.
Villa (h): Played fairly well and team looked far more cohesive.
Spurs (h): Played fairly well and team looked far more cohesive.
Arsenal (h): Was probably poorest of the lot but made the chance for Jose, although we were awful at the back for 20-25 minutes of that first half.

Only lost the Villa game out of those fixtures and that was an unfortunate/annoying one we should have won. Small sample but it's what I'm holding out for to see more of.

Totally agree, it goes with the territory of being creative. We have to accept that he'll lose the ball occasionally

 

[YoungWolf]

Totally agree, it goes with the territory of being creative. We have to accept that he'll lose the ball occasionally

Yeah, and not to say that if we do play 4231 with him there that suddenly we will be amazing before PrawnKing suggests we are making him out to be the messiah . I just think it will make us look a slightly more organised team in attack and give us the ability to press a bit more effectively. Plus, will give me confidence about what the plan is going into next season

 

[Johnny75]

Yeah, and not to say that if we do play 4231 with him there that suddenly we will be amazing before PrawnKing suggests we are making him out to be the messiah . I just think it will make us look a slightly more organised team in attack and give us the ability to press a bit more effectively. Plus, will give me confidence about what the plan is going into next season

I'd be happy if we went 3-4-3 with Pod and Neto narrow and around whichever forward we play.

We would have to press higher and we would be a lot more creative.

 

[YoungWolf]

I'd be happy if we went 3-4-3 with Pod and Neto narrow and around whichever forward we play.

We would have to press higher and we would be a lot more creative.

That is what we went with after the Leeds home game when we started getting ourselves together until Raul got injured basically.

I think our best options at the moment are 343 with inverted wingers, and 4231 with the wingers on their 'correct' side (but they could also be inverted tbf). Right now though, if we want to be able to play a back four next season, we may as well start the process now I think. Even if the bulk of the important work will come in pre-season.

 

[The Bear]

Time to drop Traore to the bench and give Silva more minutes. Give Neto a free role to roam around behind the strikers wherever he can find space.

Rui

Boly - Coady - Saiss

Semedo - Moutinho - Neves - Jonny

Neto

Jose - Silva

​

 

[AndyWolves]

That is what we went with after the Leeds home game when we started getting ourselves together until Raul got injured basically.

I think our best options at the moment are 343 with inverted wingers, and 4231 with the wingers on their 'correct' side (but they could also be inverted tbf). Right now though, if we want to be able to play a back four next season, we may as well start the process now I think. Even if the bulk of the important work will come in pre-season.

I wonder if Nuno will use the break after the Liverpool game to try changing things. I guess it'll probably depend on what happens with internationals though

 

[YoungWolf]

Okay I've just watched the first half on ball in play time (just under 30 minutes - much better way to watch a game )

So:
- Nuno didn't set us up deep at all.
- We didn't let them play out from goal kicks,
- Their possession in our half generally came from our sloppy errors.
- José isn't lazy. He was told to either mark Luiz OR screen the passes into him while pressing. Occasions they generally got the ball to Luiz to beat our press was when a team-mate didn't connect to him properly.
- Adama isn't lazy either. But he has been pretty poor with his use of the ball.
- We got the ball into the final third a fair few times but lacked the guile and numbers to make anything of it, so created nothing. Think Punts said about how we get the ball there then end up going back to Coady/a defender - I agree.
- Agree with Johnny about the defenders being a bit more aggressive in the box (so far anyway).

The lazy stuff winds me up if I'm honest, I can barely think of a Wolves players in the time under Nuno that I could consider lazy. he just doesn't allow that.

 

[sycophantia]

Okay I've just watched the first half on ball in play time (just under 30 minutes - much better way to watch a game )

So:
- Nuno didn't set us up deep at all.
- We didn't let them play out from goal kicks,
- Their possession in our half generally came from our sloppy errors.
- José isn't lazy. He was told to either mark Luiz OR screen the passes into him while pressing. Occasions they generally got the ball to Luiz to beat our press was when a team-mate didn't connect to him properly.
- Adama isn't lazy either. But he has been pretty poor with his use of the ball.
- We got the ball into the final third a fair few times but lacked the guile and numbers to make anything of it, so created nothing. Think Punts said about how we get the ball there then end up going back to Coady/a defender - I agree.
- Agree with Johnny about the defenders being a bit more aggressive in the box (so far anyway).

The lazy stuff winds me up if I'm honest, I can barely think of a Wolves players in the time under Nuno that I could consider lazy. he just doesn't allow that.

This is how I saw it, you've put it more eruditely than I could and seen more tactical detail but thats pretty much what I thought happened.
One criticism..... you've put it in the wrong thread

 

[YoungWolf]

Ahhhhh! Good spot ahahah.
I’ll give my full time report in the correct thread

 

[prawnking]

Yeah, and not to say that if we do play 4231 with him there that suddenly we will be amazing before PrawnKing suggests we are making him out to be the messiah . I just think

I'd actually like to see more of Podence there too when fit, mainly because what other decent option is there really? Not convinced he'd be at his best centrally though.

It won't happen, but I'd pick the OP's team, I'd even put Saiss at the back with Coady if Boly can't start

 

[Tony Towner]

As JD said on another thread I think Fulham's win yesterday will guarantee an extension of pragmatic, risk averse Nuno until we get another 5 points which is a shame. For however long that lasts we'll continue to learn nothing new about players or formations. Therefore assuming he's fit it'll be Boly for Donck or Moutinho and the other 10 the same in a 343

 

[Tredman]

Nuno seemed to realise a lot sooner than the rest of the us the potential danger - for all the moaning and whinging his 'pragmatic, risk averse' approach is the reason why we don't really need to worry now. If he hadn't switched back to 3-4-3 we would have potentially been in another Terry Connor situation by now.

 

[prawnking]

Nuno seemed to realise a lot sooner than the rest of the us the potential danger - for all the moaning and whinging his 'pragmatic, risk averse' approach is the reason why we don't really need to worry now. If he hadn't switched back to 3-4-3 we would have potentially been in another Terry Connor situation by now.

He is an amazing guy. Only Nuno could save us from Nuno. He's also waging a secret war against Satanic paedophiles, I hear

 

[Tredman]

He is an amazing guy. Only Nuno could save us from Nuno. He's also waging a secret war against Satanic paedophiles, I hear

And crustaceans.

 

[Tony Towner]

Nuno seemed to realise a lot sooner than the rest of the us the potential danger - for all the moaning and whinging his 'pragmatic, risk averse' approach is the reason why we don't really need to worry now. If he hadn't switched back to 3-4-3 we would have potentially been in another Terry Connor situation by now.

I don't believe we were in danger and don't believe we ever would have been. If we treat the Chelsea game as the reset then we've played 9 games in the league from then, in those we've scored 7 goals. Those 7 were 2 penalties, 2 pieces of individual brilliance, 1 freak og, 1 set piece and a decent move created from open play. In 4 of those 9 games we didn't score at all, however conversely only lost 2 and of the 8 conceded 4 were in the same game.

Perhaps the ends justify the means, but the collective you can't look down their noses at Allardyce, Bruce, Dyche etc who have similar approaches

 

[Tredman]

I don't believe we were in danger and don't believe we ever would have been. If we treat the Chelsea game as the reset then we've played 8 games in the league from then, in those we've scored 7 goals. Those 7 were 2 penalties, 2 pieces of individual brilliance, 1 freak og, 1 set piece and a decent move created from open play. In 4 of those 8 games we didn't score at all, however conversely only lost 2 and of the 8 conceded 4 were in the same game.

Perhaps the ends justify the means, but the collective you can't look down their noses at Allardyce, Bruce, Dyche etc who have similar approaches

I think it very much does justify the means - it seemed oddly arrogant to assume we were automatically going to be safe. As I've said before when it comes to Wolves winning comes first, great to win well but I'd take a shithoused win over an entertaining loss any day of the week - for any other football entertainment comes first.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I know we're not great at the moment but will we ever have a better chance of beating them than now?

Hopefully Boly and Podence can play this one. Definitely do not pick José. Team largely picks itself otherwise.

Not beaten them at home in the league since 1981.

2020/21: L 0-4 (A)
2019/20: L 1-2 (H), L 0-1 (A)
2018/19: L 0-2 (H), L 0-2 (A), W 2-1 (H, FAC)
2016/17: W 2-1 (A, FAC)
2011/12: L 0-3 (H), L 1-2 (A)
2010/11: L 0-3 (H), W 1-0 (A)
2009/10: D 0-0 (H), L 0-2 (A)
2003/4: D 1-1 (H), L 0-1 (A)

 

[northfield wolf]

I think maybe this is our chance to beat them, hopefully with Podence and Boly returning. Why is it that im more nervous watching Wolves on the tele, than i am down Molineux ?

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

How many times this season have we scored 2 or more and lost? Once? So that's what we need to do - score at least twice.
Liverpool have scored something like 5 goals in their last 10 league games, we never score enough, so 0-0 or 1-0 look the most likely scores, but I have a feeling this might be a high-scoring game, especially if we attack from the start.