Wolves 0-2 Brentford: Verdict Thread

[Jeb01]

Chaotic, frantic football from us, to no effect, especially in the second half with a multitude of forwards on the pitch against ten men.
I really thought we would win today, but Brentford looked a better balanced side overall.
Joyless, sterile performances to close out Nuno’s reign have given way to football under Bruno that is full of sound and fury, but is currently signifying very little.
Southampton and Newcastle are now massive games for us.
Attacking football by all means but with purpose and a bit of thought please.

 

[YoungWolf]

Looking at the second goal, really baffled by what Saiss is doing. Maybe trying to defend a potential cut back? Was stupid regardless.

Kilman should obviously just put it out and although Coady isn’t the worst culprit if he got over quicker in first place and forced Toney wider perhaps the goal doesn’t happen either (he was too scared to get sucked out 1v1 though)

 

[jd1981]

Unfortunately time is something he doesn’t have, sadly he’s been heavily let down by individuals in every defeat defensively and in front of goal.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Sorry, which bit isn't true?

We've hardly been a free scoring team in the PL, and without Neto and (essentially) Raul, where are the goals supposed to come from?

Bruno, like Nuno before him, has to play three at the back as we don't have two CBs in the squad worthy of the name in a four. Being able to play a four would give him the option for an extra midfield or forward body

The bit where you say no one will succeed with this squad.

We weren’t free scoring by design by the mananger. We didn’t have to play 5 in the championship, the manager chose to. Then we just played that as a continuation.

Where are the goals going to come from? The team! Stop having players who can’t score in goal scoring positions and stop playing players who can’t score. Find a way of creating better chances. We created one meaningful chance today and it fell to Raul who missed. Chance creation was dreadful today. We’re the joint lowest scorers with bloody Norwich. This squad is not so shit that it should be the worst team output wise in the league despite an attacking style.

 

[redvictor]

Well the poor sod has missed the boat for the latter, so let's hope he gets the former!

In this window yes. I'm sure he wants to be here for the next one. We'll see i guess..

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Looking at the second goal, really baffled by what Saiss is doing. Maybe trying to defend a potential cut back? Was stupid regardless.

Kilman should obviously just put it out and although Coady isn’t the worst culprit if he got over quicker in first place and forced Toney wider perhaps the goal doesn’t happen either (he was too scared to get sucked out 1v1 though)

Think Saiss followed Mbuemo when he made a slight movement away from goal but he then became fixated with the ball which allowed Mbuemo to run in behind him completely untracked.

No idea why Kilman went to ground, he'd already got ahead of Toney by that point, but even still he could've actually done something other than slide straight into it and essentially trap the ball between his legs.

 

[prawnking]

The bit where you say no one will succeed with this squad.

We weren’t free scoring by design by the mananger. We didn’t have to play 5 in the championship, the manager chose to. Then we just played that as a continuation.

Where are the goals going to come from? The team! Stop having players who can’t score in goal scoring positions and stop playing players who can’t score. Find a way of creating better chances. We created one meaningful chance today and it fell to Raul who missed. Chance creation was dreadful today. We’re the joint lowest scorers with bloody Norwich. This squad is not so shit that it should be the worst team output wise in the league despite an attacking style.

I think the important distinction is that I said no one will succeed with this squad playing 'attractive, attacking football'

We just don't have the players right now to make that viable imo. The transfer window was the time to begin fixing this, and we all know how that went. Every player we signed apart from Sa and Trincao (who pretty much have to play as there have been no other options) spend most (or all) of their time on the bench.

We can't 'stop playing players who can't score', because that's pretty much all we have! We only have Raul and Neto who are goalscorers, no defenders or midfielders chip in with any regularity, not even the wide forwards.

The 'creating better chances' angle is probably the way to go, as Bruno himself has said. They just probably need to fall to (in time) Raul or Hwang.

I do think confidence is an issue too. A convincing goalscoring team performance would do wonders

 

[Charlie Wolf]

I may be the only one who mentions this but Brentford were the best team we have played all season, they gave us a footballing lesson IMO and irrespective of the two goals, which were avoidable, if they had not have scored these they would have/ could have created other chances and scored at any time
Toney was everything we don’t have and cut our defence a new arsehole, he was just immense, and they have a defence that threw themselves in front of everything and did the routine dirty stuff with ease
So credit where due, they deserved the win.
If you look from our perspective, firstly our defence is a plane crash, and I know it’s gone now but not investing in a proven CH was a massive mistake. We have to get Boly and Mosquera playing in a 4 together, with Semedo and RAN, where in my view they are the only two true CHs that we have.
Neves and Mouts need support in the middle and Raul needs at least another month to get something back to his former self, and perhaps a couple of games out of the firing line and play Hwang and Adama up top more centrally could be an option with Trincao and Podence providing the width.
Either way we have to find the balance, improve our decision making and be more clinical in front of goal otherwise it’s going to be a long winter

 

[WolfmanOz]

Well given my circumstances, I'm a glass half empty at present, and I see nothing but a relegation scrap this season.

1. We have a paper thin squad that is seriously unbalanced.

2. We have no real goal threat at all - unfortunately we simply cannot be sure Raul can return to form. His horrific injury from last season could well finish him as a regular goal-scorer, and what was our back-up - an underwhelming teenager who we paid a record fee for !

3. For all our attacking intent in the 5 games so far, clear cut chances have been few and far between. It's quite simple - you don't score you go down. Zero goals in 4 out of 5 games.

4. At best Neto and Jonny might be back at the end of the year - effectively half a season, and with no guarantee they can quickly return to their former selves.

5. Lage seem to be somewhat better than what most of us thought of, but he has been hugely let down by our recruiting (or lack thereof) - CM and CB have been obvious requirements for 2 years now. He has been right royally thrown under the bus. The ineptitude of how the club has been run for the last couple of years defies belief.

A couple of weeks ago I said I favoured Norwich, Watford and Newcastle for relegation, with us at 17th. Nothing has changed in the interim to alter my opinion.

I would happily accept 17th place as I really fear we are serious relegation candidates at present.

 

[PuntsWolf]

I think the important distinction is that I said no one will succeed with this squad playing 'attractive, attacking football'

We just don't have the players right now to make that viable imo. The transfer window was the time to begin fixing this, and we all know how that went. Every player we signed apart from Sa and Trincao (who pretty much have to play as there have been no other options) spend most (or all) of their time on the bench.

We can't 'stop playing players who can't score', because that's pretty much all we have! We only have Raul and Neto who are goalscorers, no defenders or midfielders chip in with any regularity, not even the wide forwards.

The 'creating better chances' angle is probably the way to go, as Bruno himself has said. They just probably need to fall to (in time) Raul or Hwang.

I do think confidence is an issue too. A convincing goalscoring team performance would do wonders

And I still think that first paragraph is bollocks. Attractive is subjective anyway. At no point today we’re we attractive. First half was Nuno esque and the second half was a shit show.

I agree on the second we should have signed better defenders and CMs but we’ve still signed two forwards and have two back from injury.

Traore is the only player “who can’t score”. He lacks the technical ability to do so. All the other players have technical ability. Raul is just out of practice. So if two of your front 3 can’t score and your WBs are useless In attacking situations then play a different way, or play other players!

Sa
Semedo Boly Kilman RAN
Neves Donck

Then pick any 4 players from the attackers to go with that.

If you really must play a 5 then play RAN. If you have to play Traore on the right then Trincao needs to come out for Hwang of Podence. If you don’t think Raul is at it then play Fabio or Hwang there. Plenty of options to make something work.

 

[prawnking]

Plenty of options to make something work.

There are, but none are definite goers, no matter how good Mosquera and Hwang get in our minds the longer they're out of the team. And the manager isn't going to have cycled through all of the options in five games.

What is the crux of what you're saying, because I'm struggling? That Bruno should be doing better than he is?

 

[PuntsWolf]

There are, but none are definite goers, no matter how good Mosquera and Hwang get in our minds the longer they're out of the team. And the manager isn't going to have cycled through all of the options in five games.

What is the crux of what you're saying, because I'm struggling? That Bruno should be doing better than he is?

You said “ but no one will do that with this squad” in reference to “attractive, attacking football”.

I said it was bollocks, because it is. Simple as that really. I even quoted it for you but you still managed to get confused.

 

[prawnking]

I don't see how it's bollocks, when we watched Nuno struggle for a whole season to find the right mix, and we're witnessing Bruno discovering the same problems.

Without at least one suitable first XI addition to this squad, playing that way effectively (ie getting points!) is practically mission impossible for any manager that we could realistically attract.

I don't see what's so risible about that assertion, seems self-evident to me?

 

[jd1981]

I don't see how it's bollocks, when we watched Nuno struggle for a whole season to find the right mix, and we're witnessing Bruno discovering the same problems.

Without at least one suitable first XI addition to this squad, playing that way effectively (ie getting points!) is practically mission impossible for any manager that we could realistically attract.

I don't see what's so risible about that assertion, seems self-evident to me?

same players doesn’t mean same outcome tho does it? Different coaching methods and set ups can get better performance levels out of players. If you look how Nuno converted Doherty and Coady etc

 

[prawnking]

That's the point though, the current manager is hampered in terms of set up due to the wonky squad, as he probably has to be wedded to three at the back for a start.

Coady and Saiss aren't suddenly going to turn into back four options, unless his coaching methods are superhuman!

I'm not sure coaching is ever going to make Semedo or Traore the goal threat Doc and Jota were, either.

There's talent in the squad for sure, but being reliant on a defensive set up desperate for both specialists and fresh blood, a midfield short on variety and numbers and a forward line that can't hit a barn door isn't exactly the best foundation if your remit is to radically overhaul our playing style

 

[Tredman]

Shit. Just shit.

Now I’m less annoyed, and in the cold light of day, this is still my considered opinion.

 

[Paul]

A few extra notes

The linesman with the lighter hair would need to go to college for two years just to raise his standards up to inept
Why did the ref let the game go on for two minutes after an offside flag?
Yes they shithoused, but we let it get in our heads
Why wasn't Semedo used as much in attack as usual, were they instructed to put everything through Traore?
Every time a Brentford player hit the deck it was an injury (very clever)
Wrong gloves? Tough shit, play without you tosser
If we were still playing now I'm adamant we would have scored one

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

So Neves goes down after a tackle from behind has gone straight into his Achilles and we are told to play on but every Brentford “injury” he stopped the game.

 

[AndyWolves]

So Neves goes down after a tackle from behind has gone straight into his Achilles and we are told to play on but every Brentford “injury” he stopped the game.

Brentford were very canny and make sure they only went down when play had already been stopped.

 

[Throbber3]

And I still think that first paragraph is bollocks. Attractive is subjective anyway. At no point today we’re we attractive. First half was Nuno esque and the second half was a shit show.

I agree on the second we should have signed better defenders and CMs but we’ve still signed two forwards and have two back from injury.

Traore is the only player “who can’t score”. He lacks the technical ability to do so. All the other players have technical ability. Raul is just out of practice. So if two of your front 3 can’t score and your WBs are useless In attacking situations then play a different way, or play other players!

Sa
Semedo Boly Kilman RAN
Neves Donck

Then pick any 4 players from the attackers to go with that.

If you really must play a 5 then play RAN. If you have to play Traore on the right then Trincao needs to come out for Hwang of Podence. If you don’t think Raul is at it then play Fabio or Hwang there. Plenty of options to make something work.

I agree. Can I add that our set pieces are woeful and are at present an opportunity for the opposition to attack rather than us score. Again yesterday they stank . It’s a complete waste of an opportunity to deliver garbage into the box as we have done in pretty much every game .