Villa 0-0 Wolves: Verdict Thread

[Deleted Cyber]

If we are going to play Fabio he needs to be in a two at the top of a 4 1 3 2 , dropping Traore and Jose and bringing in Otasowie in midfield.
Rui
Semedo Boly Coady Jonny
Otasowie
Moutinho MGW Neves
Fabio Neto

 

[AndyWolves]

Regardless of what Fabio does or doesn't do we shouldn't be going for WJ in the summer. He might well be a decent player but not in the way that we play. He seemed like a good option on paper and thankfully we went for the loan route.

The justification for signing him cannot be "well, he isn't Fabio Silva".

Even if Silva wasn't here, there would still be plenty of criticism of WJ. Maybe, he does need time to settle but at 29 and with experience you'd expect him to be showing alot more.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Exactly, he was supposed to be plug and play. Ideally we wouldn't do this but the need was urgent and obvious.

As it turns out we'd have been better off signing Glenn Murray and I'm not even joking.

 

[prawnking]

Jose wasn't brought in to take three months to settle, you sign a player with that profile to do the job of a senior pro now. He's been a non-event, but the form of some of our other senior pros and that of our manager is a bigger issue really.

WJ's only real legacy will be as addition to DW's rogue's gallery!

 

[Johnny75]

What did Jose do? I keep seeing people saying he's a presence but he never wins a header and apart from dropping deep 2-3 times a game and performing a simple lay off I can't remember any contributions from him?

Again pretty much everyone agrees he won't be signed, what's the point playing him? If it means we get a few less points what does it really matter long term ? I'd sacrifice a few points so we can give Silva minutes and experience, so we can have a look at Vitinha in his proper position, play Hoever and possibly RAN, also bed in the system we want to use going forward.

Jose does link play well, he did a number of times in both halves, particularly with Neto. But he doesn’t make good runs into the box and isn’t creating his own space around the box.

Oddly enough we need a player like Olly Watkins who also had to toil away but he did create for himself.

I don’t think Fabio has either characteristic yet and just isn’t ready, if ever, to play in our current 1 up top system.

Jose takes the pressure off Silva to play every minute and that’s a good thing for Silva’s development.

I agree with you on the other young players too and think we should be doing the same with them.

 

[Tony Towner]

Not a language break down at all. Just poor decision making when the player out wide has time to look and pick a player.
See Ings goal v us a month ago. Their player looks up, see's a crazy amount of players in the area (2) and puts the ball towards one of them. Crazy advanced thinking I know and hopefully it catches on.
We have plenty of opportunities to put the ball in and probably back out if only 1 player is in the area. Today, 1st half especially that 2nd player should have been Adama but he was strolling around in midfield moaning about the weather or whatever.

Worth mentioning that all 4 of Raul's goals this season he created himself from nothing. We tend to cross into areas rather than picking out people, particularly Traore when playing well - accelerate past the defender and fizz the ball across They are ooh and aah moments from the stands but really the only way we are going to score from those kind of opportunities is with a predatory 9 and we don't have one of those. It's another reason why the teams evolution would be better without him. He doesn't suit what we are looking to do and vice versa

 

[Tony Towner]

They live the same lives as us: work, sleep, rinse, repeat. The only difference is they get paid an awful lot more, but that doesn't strip you of basic human needs. There isn't a fat lot to do in Wolverhampton when there isn't a pandemic, let alone when there is.

I imagine the likes of Silva and Neto returb from training to houses they probably live in, alone, and sit on Zoom to their families or play FIFA. WJ is probably living in a hotel room.

Neto lives with his parents

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Worth mentioning that all 4 of Raul's goals this season he created himself from nothing. We tend to cross into areas rather than picking out people, particularly Traore when playing well - accelerate past the defender and fizz the ball across They are ooh and aah moments from tbe stands but really the only way we are going to score from those kind of opportuities is with a predatory 9 and we don't have one of those. It's another reason why the teams evolution would be better without him. He doesn't suit what we are looking to do and vice versa

I think crossing to an area is pretty standard to be honest, how many assists does de Bruyne get from blindly whipping it across the 6 yard yard box from off the corner of the box?

It's about relationships and consistency, if you've got wide players than can hit those areas between the opponents backline and keeper where it's hard to defend, time and time again, then you're going to have chances. You also need some consistency in the timing of those deliveries though, which is where Wolves struggle more than anything I think, it's a mugs game trying to predict when either Neto or Traore might finally put it in the box after dicking around for 10 minutes.

If you've got both of the above then it's easy for your forwards, they know which spaces to attack and can time their runs based on when they know the wide player will deliver. Going back to City it must be like reading the same book over and over when you play up front for them, watch Mahrez or Silva lay it back to de Bruyne in down the right and there's your time to make the move on your defender, you'll get something to attack more often than not.

 

[Tony Towner]

I think you are agreeing with me. There's no point fizzing the ball across the 6 yard line as we don't get players in there in that way. We did in the Champ with Bonatini Cav and Jota, but not really since. We either need IF's that look up and pick out the player who is available or sign a penalty box forward. Peak Traore with Raul can do that, but what we have now is incompatible. You use KDB an an example, but our midfield doesn't deliver balls into the box other than from set pieces, they'll move it inside or out to one of the IF's or WB's. It's another reason we are so one dimensional, since Raul's injury it's been give it to Neto and Traore and hope for the best

 

[prawnking]

I wish we'd attempt to drive into the opposition box more (especially players like the inside forwards and Semedo).

We seem to act as if there's a force-field around the area, I'd have thought Neto, Pod, Traore or Nelson bearing down on you would make most teams uncomfortable, and we've always got a chance of something falling our way

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

The amount of times we reset (for want of a better word) is crazy. We get into the final third and within five seconds it's with our back three again on the halfway line.

Rui frequently has the ball within 10 seconds of us being right near the opposition's penalty box. And not because they've hoofed it clear either.

 

[Johnny75]

The amount of times we reset (for want of a better word) is crazy. We get into the final third and within five seconds it's with our back three again on the halfway line.

Rui frequently has the ball within 10 seconds of us being right near the opposition's penalty box. And not because they've hoofed it clear either.

It’s very frustrating to watch.

You watch City and others when they get to the final third and the speed of passing and off the ball running at times is a joy to watch. We get to the final third and play musical statues.

 

[PuntsWolf]

The amount of times we reset (for want of a better word) is crazy. We get into the final third and within five seconds it's with our back three again on the halfway line.

Rui frequently has the ball within 10 seconds of us being right near the opposition's penalty box. And not because they've hoofed it clear either.

This is it. We go backwards to maintain possession. It worked in the championship because teams would sit off and then we could go again. But now teams just press us as it goes backwards and then it keeps on going backwards as they don’t want to lose it on the halfway line with nothing behind you!

So we give up an attacking situation and don’t maintain any decent possession either as it either ends up in a Rui hoof or back at Coadys feet on the edge of our area.

I said I think after last week, We’d be better off just taking some kind of risk in possession in the final 1/3 and if we lose it so be it.

But this risk averse mentality comes from the manager. And like the other negative/passive/whatever elements of our game we’ve been mentioning for ages, they aren’t doing what they are supposed to be at the one end and are effecting our ability at the other.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Podence is a big miss in terms of taking "risks" in the final third, for sure. Worth remembering that the one clear cut chance that Subbuteo Willian has had (and Luiz took him down, the big doofus) - Podence played a fantastic little pass through.

We need him back.

 

[Hereford Wolf]

Time to rest Adama for a while. He does not seem interested in taking defenders on anymore. 90% of the time he just passes the ball back. Why is this happening?

I agree with Deutsch - Podence has been a bigger miss than we thought he would be.

Feel a bit sorry for William Jose. Arn't we supposed to supply him with some chances? I agree, he's not the most mobile of players, but nobody passes to him in the area. No corner ever lands on his head. No free kick goes near him. Never mind - the seasons nearly over and he will be going back.

 

[northfield wolf]

Things to do before our next game. Nuno must give his half time talk BEFORE the game. Silva must pump some iron in the gym. Jose should be deported. Podence must come out of exile. Moutiniho must learn to pass forward or become an unused sub. Coady should go into the box for our free kicks. Sort that out and were back in the Europa League.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Yep he does take risks and his brain is very good. His feet aren’t quite as good as his brain though as his “success rate” from these risks is actually pretty low which is what he will need to improve on if he wants to become a real top end player.

id rather him be a “show pony” or “wasteful” which is what he is labelled as often when he overhits a through ball 20 yards rather than running into people for the 5th time or passing it back to the halfway line as soon as anyone gets within 5 yards.

 

[prawnking]

Podence is a big miss in terms of taking "risks" in the final third, for sure. Worth remembering that the one clear cut chance that Subbuteo Willian has had (and Luiz took him down, the big doofus) - Podence played a fantastic little pass through.

We need him back.

I'd be wary of over-emphasising the importance of missing players, though, Raul aside.

We've seen a few messiahs and missing links this season mourned when they weren't playing and then even when they're back things don't change that much.

 

[YoungWolf]

As well as taking risks in the final third we need to be able to react to the turnovers (“counter-press”) better when we do lose the ball, that way us losing possession still gives us the chance to win the ball back in a promising situation.

that’s never been the way we’ve played though as we usually sit into the mid block, and focus the ball to where we want to win it back. Which was fine, but we clearly want to press higher now I think, we just aren’t very good at it, and it doesn’t just happen straight away.

 

[YoungWolf]

I'd be wary of over-emphasising the importance of missing players, though, Raul aside.

We've seen a few messiahs and missing links this season mourned when they weren't playing and then even when they're back things don't change that much.

Podence returning is the only way I see Nuno playing a 4231 though at moment, so while individually he is not the messiah his involvement may at least allow us to play a formation where we have looked far more fluid attacking wise.

it’s a shame we brought Gibbs-White back, I understood it at the time but he’s only here at the moment in case of another “injury” crisis, when he should be playing. I would like to see him more often tbh