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[NicholasG1973]

I think we’re mostly agreed that three at the back is fine if Saiss and Kilman are brave enough to bring it out from the back and the wing backs are able to get up and down.

All the while we have absolutely incompetent WB’s (even one leaves us unbalanced) the system just doesn’t work for us.

And, currently, our wing backs are gash.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Jonny and Ait-Nouri isn't gash. But Bruno picks the others. We miss Semedo too. Hoever and Marcal is beyond abominable.

 

[redvictor]

Well they are losing to Arsenal, so for sure a loss or a draw against us Thursday. A loss to us of course...
I'd be happy with a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3. RAN and Jonny have to play, so does Raul.

 

[jlo]

If we consider who would play in our first XI if it was a 4-2-3-1 and compare the 7 defensive players (incl. GK) to Arsenal, who would you swap into our team? Tierney is the only one for me that comes close, so I really do think it should be a probably for us to play that formation too. Attacking wise, they have more on offer though

 

[NicholasG1973]

Jonny and Ait-Nouri isn't gash. But Bruno picks the others. We miss Semedo too. Hoever and Marcal is beyond abominable.

Sorry……as I said…..”currently”……meaning Marcal and Hoever.

And I stand by it - they are both gash.

 

[Nando]

If we consider who would play in our first XI if it was a 4-2-3-1 and compare the 7 defensive players (incl. GK) to Arsenal, who would you swap into our team? Tierney is the only one for me that comes close, so I really do think it should be a probably for us to play that formation too. Attacking wise, they have more on offer though

Semedo would be an improvement for them, otherwise, I don't really see anything as being particularly clear cut.

Gabriel is exactly the type of centre back we need - regardless of his brainfart last time. Partey hasn't set the world alight since coming over here, but he's settling in now and looks very good.

 

[PuntsWolf]

We do miss Semedo becuse Hoever is dreadful and Jonny isn’t match sharp.

But we weren’t an attacking force with him either.

 

[jlo]

Semedo would be an improvement for them, otherwise, I don't really see anything as being particularly clear cut.

Gabriel is exactly the type of centre back we need - regardless of his brainfart last time. Partey hasn't set the world alight since coming over here, but he's settling in now and looks very good.

That's my point, it's fairly level pegging but too often people say we can't play 4 at the back. Same with United's back 7 today. They are all around the same level as ours and very few you'd actively swap for any of ours (I'm counting Jonny as our RB for this purpose, not Hoever). So I think it might be worth us trying a 4-2-3-1 against Watford ourselves, and maybe for a few more games thereafter.

 

[Dinowolf]

What's happened to Willy Boly? Is he injured or just out of favour?

 

[PuntsWolf]

Bloke next to me says him and Bruno fell out.

Saiss said he got Covid really bad which explains his drop off the end of last season.

I assume he will be gone in the summer anyway but I’m not sure how much value 31 year old injury prone CBs with one year left hold.

He probably on 50k ish p/w so we will be glad to get rid and replace him with Toti who is probably on a tenth of that.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

I'd like to see Fabio and Raul up front together in a 2, i don't think we've started a game with it, Fabio looked decent against West Ham, and despite Raul not being anywhere near his best, he's still our best chance of a goal?

We absolutely must play RAN at LWB if we are playing 2 up front though, 2 up front with Marcal and Jonny would be awful, obviously.

Neto and Podence as the impact if required (which is probable)

 

[Tony Towner]

Bloke next to me says him and Bruno fell out.

His comments about his injuries definitely sounded critical rather than sympathetic

 

[Tredman]

This doesn’t seem to make any sense

https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/wolverhampton-wanderers-fc/2022/03/03/bruno-lage-willy-boly-will-bring-balance-to-the-wolves-squad/

 

[Tony Towner]

Only way it makes sense on a theoretical level is he classes Kilman as a young player. He's a couple of months off his 25th birthday though so a big old stretch. I wouldn't be against taking him out for a couple of games as he's not been at his best probably from the Norwich game (didn't see Spurs) and at points in the first half including the penalty he looked mentally shot. A lot of projection, me included, re Ukraine as nothing has been said about it from the club or him, but just because it's an easy link doesn't make it an incorrect one.

All that said
a) he's not particularly young
b) that change would be like saying the issue with Johnson is he's overweight, it may be true but is a long way down the list of problems and addressing that will fix little as you aren't attacking the core failures
c) he's at the wrong club to moan about the youth experience balance. Rightly or wrongly that's the strategy he signed up for and isn't changing
d) Ignoring all the cynical stuff that's the number 1 reason he got the job
e) I'm sick of him moaning about squad depth/balance/experience outside of the transfer window whilst rolling over and getting his belly tickled inside them

 

[Johnny75]

This doesn’t seem to make any sense

https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/wolverhampton-wanderers-fc/2022/03/03/bruno-lage-willy-boly-will-bring-balance-to-the-wolves-squad/

Interesting bit at the end where Bruno says Jeff told him Hwang was available.

Confirms to me that the scouting is non-existent.

Bruno also seems to think Hwang is a winger. That's some deluded shit right there.

 

[Lycan]

Watford have scored more goals than us this season...

 

[1986]

I don't like the way that Bruno publicly is critical of some of our players . I don't care what supporters think of Ki Hoever , as a Manager you do not hang him out to dry in an interview . Hard words are said behind closed doors in private .
Has Lage fallen out with Boly too I wonder - he might well need him yet .
If Lage has as issue with the owners not providing him with funds to buy new players - then don't take your frustration out on existing players .
Work with what you have and keep private stuff private .

 

[Jinky]

Sa
Jonny Coady Boly RAN
Moutinho Cundle
Neves Podence
Raul Fabio​

Similar system to the way Southampton play (4-2-2-2). Neves tucking in to make a three in front of the defence with Moutinho/Cundle when we don't have the ball. Podence pulling wide or just in behind Raul/Fabio with the ball.

The problem is preperation. We won't be able to comfortably play a new system with these players that have been so set in their ways for so long. And because of that, it will be more of the same. I'm fully expecting this:

Sa
Jonny Kilman Coady Saiss Marcal
Moutinho Neves
Podence Raul Neto
​

And we'll be shit again.

 

[Nando]

Moving our best player into some pseudo-right wing role is somewhat bizarre, Jinky.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

We don't have anything like the players to go mimicking another team who play in a completely different way on and off the ball.