Vacate the middle: boot the ball long

[Norman Deeley]

Seems to me that this "tactic" is deserving of its own thread. Where the hell did it come from? Is it a tactic that other teams have had success with? At times on Thursday Braga were running through the middle of the park with not a Wolves player anywhere near them. I can't be the only one who's confused...

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

It's bizarre. I thought it looked so obvious against Braga and I just couldn't see the point.

 

[Tredman]

We tried it last season against Cardiff away iirc. Part of the problem is we have issues in defence and I suppose this helps to reinforce defence. I'd far rather we just played Saiss if needed.

 

[PuntsWolf]

It doesn’t reinforce the defence as we only play it when we’re in possession. When we lose the long ball and second ball, there is then no one in the middle so if anything it is exposing us more.

When we are out of possession we drop into the standard 5 with 3 across the middle.

I literally don’t get it. It’s making Coady pointless. We’re playing someone CB who can’t really defend that well but makes up for it with his passing but we aren’t using it

 

[AndyWolves]

U23s were doing it too

Utterly baffling

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

The fact it is being used in the other age ranges suggests it is a new tactic that we have dreamt up.

I just can't see any positives to it at the moment. If we need to protect the back line I would much rather see

----------Bennett-------Coady------Boly

Doc--------------------Saiss------------------Jonny

------------Neves---------------Moutinho

 

[arklowolf]

I assume this tactic is to allow the wing backs even more freedom. Thereby giving more cover at the back if we lose possesion. It's a floored tactic, we are constantly too deep at the back when we have posession, that is the problem imo.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I agree. It leaves the front players completely isolated.

 

[prawnking]

Do we think this is all Nuno's dream or does Thelwell as Sporting Director likely have any input?

 

[Johnny75]

Do we think this is all Nuno's dream or does Thelwell as Sporting Director likely have any input?

It looks like it is through the whole club. I presume this has been agreed by all coaches and the Sporting Director. I would say the data analysts and the likes of Cathro have had a huge input on this.

They need a rethink of this strategy as it isn't going to ever work.

You have to try new things and it doesn't really matter who came up with it, they've given it a go and it's failed. You move on (or back to what was working) and go again.

The worst thing we could do is persist with this, it'll get us relegated and ruin any youth coming through.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

If you end up with three on the left and three on the right it severely limits options for whoever is in possession. The only option s frequently to go backwards to either Bennett or Boly. At one point versus Braga we had Doherty, Donk and Raul within about 8 yards of each other on the right and MGW, Jonny and Cutrone were all close to each other 50 yards away. I’m struggling to think of a tactic that would be easier to defend against and the lack of clear openings we have created recently bears this out.

 

[Tredman]

I don't agree with it, but I would guess Nuno and coaches know more about it than us.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

I don't agree with it, but I would guess Nuno and coaches know more about it than us.

Hopefully but I’m struggling to see how splitting into three sub-teams playing a long way from each other is going to work. Time will tell.

 

[Johnny75]

Hopefully but I’m struggling to see how splitting into three sub-teams playing a long way from each other is going to work. Time will tell.

That's the thing, we've seen it for 4 games in a row now. We haven't won any of them. Sometimes you just have to admit defeat, Kill it quick and move on.

 

[prawnking]

It's not exactly pleasing on the eye and our results are nose-diving, those two factors seem pretty damning as an initial assessment on any tactic. I hope unless it miraculously clicks into place there's a point at which common sense prevails

 

[jd1981]

I agree if the tactic continues results will follow a similar course and Nuno won’t be seeing Xmas with us. Against Everton 2nd half the gap between the front 2 and midfield was huge. Makes very difficult to create anything or hold the ball up.
Also means the opposition can push further up the field.
It isn’t even playing to our strengths which makes all the more bizarre.

 

[prawnking]

Maybe the club spent all summer dreaming this crap up instead of bothering to recruit properly :icon_wink:

 

[Wilf Wolf]

I agree if the tactic continues results will follow a similar course and Nuno won’t be seeing Xmas with us. Against Everton 2nd half the gap between the front 2 and midfield was huge. Makes very difficult to create anything or hold the ball up.
Also means the opposition can push further up the field.
It isn’t even playing to our strengths which makes all the more bizarre.

Opponents have definitely been pushing on more and are doing so in the knowledge that they know where the ball is going when we do get it. That means they can plan for it. We have become so predictable in possession which is hardly surprising given the player on the ball has so few realistic options.

 

[Tony Towner]

It's interesting that the only place I've read this is on here. National and local press are going with the small squad narrative, although it's definitely happening

My take on it is that Nuno assumed teams would play differently this season and rather than adjusting for this after the fact has tried to preempt. There is an element of truth in as much as teams are setting up to stop us from countering. Both Utd and Chelsea made tactical switches to try and negate this, however I don't see how what he's trying to do can work without an AM to close the gap between the forwards and the rest of the midfield.

He also seems to putting more emphasis on individual rather than collective defending. Our shape out of possession isn't what it was. Our strength was everyone knowing their roles and teams not being able to pass through us or break us down. We didn't tackle as such in midfield and when we did it was often tactical fouls, hence the yellow card count. We now have Neves flying around trying to make tackles, which he's often not doing and opening us up.

 

[jd1981]

Teams have targeted Coady I think and his ability to knock his diagonal balls. Also think a lot of the better sides didn’t worry about us tactically last season thinking their better quality would be enough. Frank Lampard did some homework on us last week and it worked.
We’ve seen just small glimpses of last seasons form, out of the 450 minutes of league football played this season I think we’ve seen our best football for about 70 minutes of that.