Wolves 0-0 Brighton: Verdict Thread

[Aikiwolf]

We are better when we are the ones keeping our shape, busting our gut and keeping calm then breaking with pace. But we're not a shitpile, we do it well. Rather than being the ones with more possession and trying to break down the blob.

That what it feels like. Perhaps it's just the transition from one league to the next.

EDIT: is it something that's followed us from the champ? Did we do better against teams trying to play rather than doing bugger all? I don't know, just a shower thought

Not really, we are just set up to play on the break (5 at the back, pace in attack...).

In the championship teams at the bottom are a little more aggressive in their attempts to win games and in the prem they are far more conservative. We've just not quite worked out how to play against a team that's playing backs against the wall football. Yet...

 

[Aikiwolf]

Completely out of order and worthy odlf a ban. I'm sure it won't happen though.

I'd suggest an odlf ban too. Not sure what it is but seems like a bandwagon I can jump on.

 

[PuntsWolf]

I’d say it was more that teams in the championship weren’t very good. The gulf in class from us to Bolton is like Man City to Huddersfield.

Crap players also make more individual mistakes and aren’t as well organised for the team to protect you from these.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

You make your own luck and we contributed to our failure today by passing too slowly and not getting players into their box. Once it was apparent they were parking the bus we needed to be braver and leave Coady, Boly and Bennett to take care of occasional breakaways and get players forward. In games like this you know a half chance, where a ball is half cleared or deflected, is likely to be the best chance of scoring but you need players in the box to seize such opportunities. Sticking rigidly to a formation in games like this makes it easier not harder for the opposition.

 

[Alan]

I’d say it was more that teams in the championship weren’t very good. The gulf in class from us to Bolton is like Man City to Huddersfield.

Crap players also make more individual mistakes and aren’t as well organised for the team to protect you from these.

I think we were able to attack different areas of the pitch more effectively last season. We don't create the same overloads out wide this season since we've shifted to the 3-5-2. Which has generally worked okay but if either of Jota or Raul aren't totally on their game then it really takes the bite out of our attack.

 

[Dire Wolf]

I'd suggest an odlf ban too. Not sure what it is but seems like a bandwagon I can jump on.

Lol, no idea what you mean...

 

[Premier Quality]

I think we were able to attack different areas of the pitch more effectively last season. We don't create the same overloads out wide this season since we've shifted to the 3-5-2. Which has generally worked okay but if either of Jota or Raul aren't totally on their game then it really takes the bite out of our attack.

Other than Diogo, we also lack any starters with dribbling ability - Doc and Jonny are great against teams that leave space, as a quick one two and they are away - against teams that park the bus, the space isn’t there so we go backwards, across the back three, and try and start again. None of Doc, Neves or Moutinho will beat a man, I can see why we played MGW today, as he does have that potential to break lines.

We should have started Vinagre today, and should have brought Traore on earlier than we did. Slow passing in front of the defence is unlikely to work in these situations.

 

[Keef]

I only listened on WM,in garden,so that makes me a garden chair fan,we sounded very poor,Mel Eves said Brighton were the worst team he's seen this season,and Paul Franks was absolutely scathing about Traore being not worth the 18 million,and hasn't got a footballing brain in him,needs to be gotten rid of asap,also reckoned Cav,FFS Costa,Saiss and possibly Bennet will go,with Coady and Doc becoming squad players.
Interviewed fans after the game and surprisingly most of them were articulate,reasonable on where we are and how far we've come in a short timeframe,one dickhead did say we were a disgrace to the colours and history of the club,but couldn't say why,when challenged over that comment and how to sort it,bet he was a brexit voter as well

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

we dominated completely against the most negative pile of shite side I have seen in a good long time. Should have won by plenty but it wasn't to be.

I must admit that a lot of this verdict thread really surprises me. Some nonsense being spouted.

 

[Premier Quality]

So Alan’s shearers summary was - pretty comfortable for Brighton, and our problems with deep lying teams is an issue for Nuno to sort out for next season.

Seems pretty spot on to me.

 

[Deleted Cyber]

So Alan’s shearers summary was - pretty comfortable for Brighton, and our problems with deep lying teams is an issue for Nuno to sort out for next season.

Seems pretty spot on to me.

Yep and the visual of top 6 points v bottom six points for us, Jena's highlights it as an area for improvement next season. We hope.

 

[Jinky]

So Alan’s shearers summary was - pretty comfortable for Brighton, and our problems with deep lying teams is an issue for Nuno to sort out for next season.

Seems pretty spot on to me.

More or less exactly my view, except I’ve been insulted multiple times for airing it. Wonderful stuff.

 

[MobNet Wolf]

I think we can drop the “we haven’t got a problem against the bottom sides” contrarian shtick that has populated this forum for months. Each game that we drop points against sides in the bottom 5/6/7 I wonder, “will this be the week?”.[emoji16]

 

[Johnny75]

We don't have a problem against teams at the bottom. Their league position is not material in whether we beat them or not.

We had a problem when playing 3-4-3 and a Nuno rectified it by changing formation. We then played shockingly poor against Huddersfield. Defensive howlers against Soton are nothing to do with league position.

We have created 50 chances against Brighton over 2 games yet haven't found the net. This is an outlier in gathering data. We hit the post twice, the bar and had two chances cleared off the line yesterday. I disagree with Shearer in that it wasn't easy for Brighton and they were extremely fortunate not to lose.

You could argue that we don't break sides down that well that park the bus, however we have created at least 20 chances against Brighton and Burnley who have done precisely that.

I have no idea why we played terribly against Huddersfield twice.

 

[Johnny75]

I think we can drop the “we haven’t got a problem against the bottom sides” contrarian shtick that has populated this forum for months. Each game that we drop points against sides in the bottom 5/6/7 I wonder, “will this be the week?”.[emoji16]

What about the wins against West Ham when they were bottom, Palace when they were in the bottom 3, Cardiff and Burnley, did you forget them or do you just focus on the negatives?

 

[Tony Towner]

The only objection I've made to that is the claim that we struggle against those sides BECAUSE they are in the bottom six, like we take the win for granted, under estimate them or that there is some hocus pocus at play because of an arbitrary league position. That was often said in the media particularly in the first half of the season.

We struggle against sides who defend deep and put 10 men behind the ball, I don't see how anybody could argue against that. If we were in the PL last year and played Burnley then we would have had the same issue the way they played getting 1-0's most weeks and finishing 7th. It just so happens that you have to go to Newcastle in 12th (who we got 4 points off) to find a team with a naturally defensive set up this year. Leicester would have had that mindset but Puel was clinging onto his job so came out to play. Nuno knows what the issue is, he needs to decide in the Summer whether the answer to it is a formation or personnel tweak.

 

[Tredman]

Any team outside of the top 6 would struggle against hyper defensive teams though. A lot of the teams set up that way against us because we have beaten the top teams. We don't have a hazard, son, ozil etc to unlock those teams so we have to do what we do normally patiently. I would imagine Nuno's plan against these teams was Traore, but the switch to 3-5-2 nixed that.

 

[Johnny75]

I don't think we struggle to break teams down as the number of chances created in those games suggest we're creating plenty.

Having said that we haven't scored much when teams do this, but then we did the same to Chelsea and they struggled too. It will not be a high scoring game if teams do park the bus unless you have the talent of City or Liverpool.

I'm not sure what the answer is, maybe taking more shots from outside the area to test the keeper more, or put more crosses in, play faster in tighter pockets around the area or play a goal scoring 10 instead of a creative 10. I would hope Nuno plays with more offensive wingbacks in this situation as Vinagre was decent when he came on.

I'm sure a Nuno will address this.

 

[MobNet Wolf]

What about the wins against West Ham when they were bottom, Palace when they were in the bottom 3, Cardiff and Burnley, did you forget them or do you just focus on the negatives?

In all honesty I’m not negative. I’m philosophical about yesterday. Our troubles this year are minor in comparison to previous seasons and actually give us a clear avenue for improvement.

And yes - we have got some results against bottom sides this year. But is this really the hill you want to die on? That we don’t have a problem breaking teams that sit deep down (which predominantly comprise teams at the bottom of the table)?

 

[Johnny75]

In all honesty I’m not negative. I’m philosophical about yesterday. Our troubles this year are minor in comparison to previous seasons and actually give us a clear avenue for improvement.

And yes - we have got some results against bottom sides this year. But is this really the hill you want to die on? That we don’t have a problem breaking teams that sit deep down (which predominantly comprise teams at the bottom of the table)?

See above.