Villa 2-3 Wolves: Verdict Thread

[prawnking]

The sooner he susses out Marcal at LWB the better

Isn't that just looking for scapegoats though? RAN has had stinkers, as has Boly. There must be a reason he isn't playing them. We just obsess over players that aren't playing, as if they're going to be the answer.

We were all creaming over Hwang after the last game, now he's shit and Pod should start, who in turn was shit last year...

Don't get me wrong, I'd be interested to see RAN in that role, but it's not like Lage is leaving Jonny or Neto out.

The Raul late sub was weird though.

 

[Dire Wolf]

I don't think we should be uncritical, but Bruno isn't doing too badly to have us 8th in the table after an uninspiring transfer window and less than ten PL games to suss out the players and the league?

I think he's probably doing as well or better than most of us expected. I'm also fairly sure that in the previous season and a half if we'd have gone 2-0 down there is very little chance we would have won. Credit the players mostly for that, but maybe it says something about the belief and attitude Bruno instills in the players?

 

[Paul]

Isn't that just looking for scapegoats though? RAN has had stinkers, as has Boly. There must be a reason he isn't playing them. We just obsess over players that aren't playing, as if they're going to be the answer.

We were all creaming over Hwang after the last game, now he's shit and Pod should start, who in turn was shit last year...

Don't get me wrong, I'd be interested to see RAN in that role, but it's not like Lage is leaving Jonny or Neto out.

The Raul late sub was weird though.

Welcome you must be new here

 

[thisisgil]

 

[AndyWolves]

Isn't that just looking for scapegoats though? RAN has had stinkers, as has Boly. There must be a reason he isn't playing them. We just obsess over players that aren't playing, as if they're going to be the answer.

We were all creaming over Hwang after the last game, now he's shit and Pod should start, who in turn was shit last year...

Don't get me wrong, I'd be interested to see RAN in that role, but it's not like Lage is leaving Jonny or Neto out.

The Raul late sub was weird though.

Marcal hasnt done enough over a period of games to not have his inclusion questioned imho.

Especially when we have a player who is absolutely ideal for the role Marcal is being asked to play

I don't think I'm scapegoating here

 

[Throbber3]

It’s as if this is the season to prove that it all evens out. We deserved much more from our first 3 games and probably much less from our last three. We deserved to beat Watford and Newcastle and to lose to Brentford. Saints and Villa we were a point at best yet got 6 . Strange times.

 

[YoungWolf]

Marcal is what he is. Pretty consistent performer, with obvious deficiencies (baffles me two managers have played him wing back). Bruno just clearly doesn’t trust RAN at this point, as much as that disappoints me.

 

[The Bear]

After watching the goals again it is a great ball from Neves for the 1st goal, and he goes on and gets his goal. Also, Traore's ball to the far post for the 2nd was excellent as well, plus he won the free-kick for the winner.

Good stuff from both of them in terms of end product today. Shame Traore couldn't finish his chance in the first half.

 

[prawnking]

Marcal hasnt done enough over a period of games to not have his inclusion questioned imho.

Especially when we have a player who is absolutely ideal for the role Marcal is being asked to play

I don't think I'm scapegoating here

I'm not saying his inclusion shouldn't be questioned at all, sometimes a team is a balancing act, perhaps he sees Marcal as bringing something to the team, perhaps RAN isn't doing enough to force his way in. It's not conclusive that RAN would make the team work, though. He's just this season' s Vitinha

To me, after Raul and Neves, many of our players are much of a muchness. If he was leaving those two out, or a fit Neto, I'd be asking questions.

 

[NicholasG1973]

Marcal obviously gives Lage something defensively that he doesn’t feel he gets with RAN - and that’s obviously more important to him. Weird.

We can’t carry on with this system with ineffective wing backs and midfielders that don’t go forward though?

It doesn’t make sense?

I don’t have the answers though with this squad. We can’t play four at the back or we’re destroyed and we are so slow in central midfield that we can’t allow them to play too far forward.

Surely our current way of playing will be worked out just as Nuno’s was last season?

Nice win today however the fuck we got it, though.

 

[Johnny75]

Marcal is what he is. Pretty consistent performer, with obvious deficiencies (baffles me two managers have played him wing back). Bruno just clearly doesn’t trust RAN at this point, as much as that disappoints me.

He's been consistently shit over the last 4 games.

Can't dribble, cross, tackle, mark, read the game or head the ball. Other than that he's great.

In the time RAN was on against Spurs he showed he was streets ahead of our own Marcelo.

I have no idea what took Bruno so long to make changes when it was eye bleedingly obvious the formation and personnel weren't working.

Quite why he isn't starting without Raul, Boly and RAN is truly mystifying and the type of thing that eventually gets you the sack.

It was really poor management and the football is getting worse game by game not better.

No idea why this is happening but it's not a good thing.

 

[sycophantia]

2-0 down going into injury time wasn’t it?

Yep De Wolf pen after Don was bought down, then Emblen headed it out of the keepers hands dying minutes

 

[prawnking]

Boly has been injured or mediocre for most of the past 18 months, and RAN is an effervescent but inconsistent teenager.

I don't buy either of them as our saviour, or their omission as a sackable offence.

 

[Freddeno]

He's been consistently shit over the last 4 games.

Can't dribble, cross, tackle, mark, read the game or head the ball. Other than that he's great.

In the time RAN was on against Spurs he showed he was streets ahead of our own Marcelo.

I have no idea what took Bruno so long to make changes when it was eye bleedingly obvious the formation and personnel weren't working.

Quite why he isn't starting without Raul, Boly and RAN is truly mystifying and the type of thing that eventually gets you the sack.

It was really poor management and the football is getting worse game by game not better.

No idea why this is happening but it's not a good thing.

I think it is mostly down to our paperthin squad and lack of competition for places

 

[squashnut]

I will never understand why Podence and Traore have played 90 minutes together maybe a handful of times the last 2 seasons.

You have 2 great players- find them a position.

 

[AndyWolves]

Boly has been injured or mediocre for most of the past 18 months, and RAN is an effervescent but inconsistent teenager.

I don't buy either of them as our saviour, or their omission as a sackable offence.

I don't think anyone is saying they're our "saviour". Just that they're preferable to who is currently starting

Marcal has been consistently poor, I think because he's being asked to do things he isn't very good at.

 

[Throbber3]

I really don’t know what to think. I am conflicted. On one hand the performances against Spurs Leicester and Man Utd were really positive and entertaining and I enjoyed everything bar the result. Yet I enjoyed little about today ,78 minutes, Brentford and Saints bar one moment of world class brilliance . Newcastle and Watford were ok but that’s it. So we have a manager and squad capable of playing some great football that doesn’t bring results or some pretty average stuff that does. Makes Fosun and their lack of impetus in the transfer market look all the more strange. That said Bruno looks like he put 20 names in a hat today, drew them out and that was the team. We se to have been extremely lucky today. That won’t happen often. Or maybe it e we I’ll as I have proved today I know squat about football and comebacks

 

[Johnny75]

I think it is mostly down to our paperthin squad and lack of competition for places

The board have certainly let Bruno down in that regard but they don't not pick the best players available to him on the day or make the man persevere with something that obviously isn't working.

I'm hoping it's Bruno working things out but I'm not impressed with our regression in playing style as a trend.

 

[sycophantia]

I think it is mostly down to our paperthin squad and lack of competition for places

Don't think today has anything to do with our squad depth, we just didn't pick our best players in their correct position. RAN is a viable alternative to Marcal, is he perfect? No of course not. Raul should have started jet lag or not, could have subbed him if necessary. We started with 5 defenders, Marcal is not a wb and Semedo does not supply goals or assists. We also started with 3 defensive midfielders.
The team sheet and tactics shouted we've come for a 0-0 which just doesn't make sense against a Villa side that is about on par with us quality wise.
I'm not about to start shouting Bruno out at this stage but that line up today has me concerned when we had better options.

 

[Throbber3]

I will never understand why Podence and Traore have played 90 minutes together maybe a handful of times the last 2 seasons.

You have 2 great players- find them a position.

Because the midfield is then lightweight. If we had done more business in the window …….,,,,,,