Villa 4 - 1 Wolves: Verdict

[Alan]

We haven't become a rubbish team overnight. This result has been coming and should firmly wake us up that this season isn't over by a long way.

I've no doubt the players are tired and I think Nuno has to trust the squad and give some players a break. The wingbacks need a break especially as we play again on Tuesday. I wouldn't be against 4 at the back with with Bennett or Coady at RB to facilitate a rest.

Baath doesn't get to play again this season, we have to go with Bennett or Hause. Afobe should start even though I don't think he's up to speed with our system yet as Bonatini is proving to not be a threat.

I'm really hoping the squad are hurting from this defeat and use it as motivation to go on a run.

Tbf you would like to have thought that the Fulham result would have woke them up a bit.

 

[Irish_Wolf]

2 form teams have easily beaten Wolves recently. I knew this was coming when I was reading, best team in the league by a mile, Premiership team too good for this division. 1 win in the last 5 games, the wheels nuts are undone IMO and not getting 3 points at home to Reading will see the wheels come off.

 

[Wolf Hunting]

Not really, centre mid was fine, Neves and N'Daiye were very good along with Doherty.

Johnny, apart from his excellent diagonal defence splitting pass, I thought Doherty's distribution was woeful. One of the main reasons we just kept giving away possession.
And as Parkin has said, we do play some lovely football at times but sometimes one or three passes too many because we're not creating space up front, but we certainly aren't as domineering as we used to be.
Hence our diminished lead of 13 points to 3!

 

[b3h]

apart from his excellent diagonal defence splitting pass

That didn't make it

 

[Wolf Hunting]

We have had bad days this season (I was at both of QPR & Fulham away) & bounced straight back - no reason for us not to do that against Reading & Burton after which we will all feel a bit better.

There will be changes for Reading

If only that bastard Warnock wouldn't keep winning whilst we dither away points!

 

[Johnny75]

Johnny, apart from his excellent diagonal defence splitting pass, I thought Doherty's distribution was woeful. One of the main reasons we just kept giving away possession.
And as Parkin has said, we do play some lovely football at times but sometimes one or three passes too many because we're not creating space up front, but we certainly aren't as domineering as we used to be.
Hence our diminished lead of 13 points to 3!

You watched a different player to me then. I thought his defensive work was pretty good, even stopping crosses. His distribution was excellent as well as his touch when some of the balls were pinged at him. 2nd half he didn't play as well but was still at the heart of some very good link ups with Cav, defensively he was poor in the second half and got worse with Saiss coming on.

Douglas was abysmal all game and the reason Doherty was involved so much. Coady and Neves passed a lot to Doherty and had Cav's touch been better Doherty would've been in on goal twice.

Did you miss his hook back across goal that Terry cleared over his bar?

 

[Tyrannosaurus Dan]

The reality is that we are currently probably the 4th best team in the division. Thankfully, a season is over 46 games and we have spent a chunk of the season where we were the best team in the division giving what is still a healthy 7 point cushion.

I'm not panicking yet as we *should* get 6 points out of our next 2 games and have a favourable run in. I fully expect us to lose at Boro and Cardiff but another 15 or 16 points will see us promoted and if we can't get 5 wins out of our remaining fixtures then we really do have problems.

Cardiff have had a fantastic run of 6 straight wins but with a big run of away games coming up (plus the game vs Villa) they will drop points and so will Villa. One of them may finish above us but not both of them.

 

[Wolf Hunting]

I'll have some of what you're drinking then Dan.

 

[Tyrannosaurus Dan]

I wasn't this optimistic on Saturday night (I was fucking fuming) but have since calmed down and relaxed a little! We'll be fine.

 

[Tyrannosaurus Dan]

I wasn't this optimistic on Saturday night (I was fucking fuming) but have since calmed down and relaxed a little! We'll be fine.

Having said that, I just did the predictor and had Cardiff 94, Villa 93, Wolves 91 :icon_lol:

We'll still be fine, honest...

 

[Norman Deeley]

Sadly if you look at the form tables then we are currently a very long way from the best team in the league, or even the 4th best. Over the last 6 games we are 2-2-2 Scored 9 conceded 10. Over the last 10 games we are 4-3-3 (points 15) scored 13 conceded 12. Throw in Nuno's record of his teams falling away at the end of a season and there is every reason to be worried. Yes, we should beat Reading and Burton but arguing that we are currently the best team in the league "just having an off day" is nonsense.

 

[Dinowolf]

I think you all know what I think of Doherty, but he was not our worst player against Villa.

That accolade goes to Danny Batth. Time and again he let us down with poor defensive headers going straight to their players, slicing his clearances, being out of position, allowing their players to play around him etc.. In the 2nd half Villa targetted him as they knew he was the weak link and I agree with others who have said that Nuno should have replaced him at half-time.

The final score flattered Villa, but there is no doubt they deserved to win after their 2nd half performance. Yes, we should have been given a penalty for hand-ball by Snodgrass off Neves free-kick and who knows what that would have led to, but overall Villa deserved the 3 points.

 

[Langers]

Sadly if you look at the form tables then we are currently a very long way from the best team in the league, or even the 4th best. Over the last 6 games we are 2-2-2 Scored 9 conceded 10. Over the last 10 games we are 4-3-3 (points 15) scored 13 conceded 12. Throw in Nuno's record of his teams falling away at the end of a season and there is every reason to be worried. Yes, we should beat Reading and Burton but arguing that we are currently the best team in the league "just having an off day" is nonsense.

That's a bit selective though. I'm encouraged by the performance at Leeds, and I REALLY hope the fans get behind the team and make Molineux a cauldron of noise this week. There have been too many 'off days' recently, I'd agree with that - but I also have faith that with so much at stake, we'll get the results we need to see us over the line.

We've got the best squad in the league, and we also tend to recover well after disappointing results. We need to do so again and I don't see why we won't.

 

[Norman Deeley]

Hope you're right, Langers. But Leeds were poor - let's hope all the other teams at the bottom are as bad!

 

[The Bear]

We all know what they say about form being temporary.

 

[Johnny75]

Hope you're right, Langers. But Leeds were poor - let's hope all the other teams at the bottom are as bad!

Reading haven't won since beating Burton and their only other win since the middle of November is against Sunderland. We may be in a run of poor form but we're not bottom 3 form.

Also, Nuno's teams tailing off? At Porto it is true his team didn't win every game and drew too many at the end of the season (W4, D5, L1) and the end of his first season in Valencia his last 10 games were a replica of that, only losing to Barca. If we were to achieve that record in Nuno's last 10 games then that will give us 93 points. I'll take that.

 

[Tyrannosaurus Dan]

Over the last 10 games we are 4-3-3 (points 15) .

Keep that up over the remaining 10 games and we'll have 91 points. The chances of finishing 3rd on 91 points are very, very slim (although not impossible). If there were another 15 games to go, I think we may be in trouble but we should have done enough already this season to see us stumble over the line.

It's only natural for us all to be jittery and overly negative but, despite recent form, there is just as much chance of us finishing strongly and winning the league. Things will be a lot clearer after the next 2 games.

 

[Norman Deeley]

Spreadex spread betting currently have Wolves winning league by 7 points from Cardiff, with a points total of 94.5 to 96. Then Cardiff, Villa, Fulham, Derby and Middlesbrough.
Going down, Burton, Sunderland and Birmingham

 

[lemonjelly]

Why is anyone bothering keeping on with these predictors. Have you seen how bad we all generally are in the prediction leagues?

 

[jd1981]

Good stat when we beat Villa back in October we moved 7 points ahead of them, if you’d said back then we’d still be 7 points clear of them with 10 games to go and you have to home games against sides 19th and 23rd in the table we’d have all took it.