Wolves 1-5 Man City: Verdict Thread

[Tony Towner]

At a work event (still am) - so only seen the goals. For a team notionally playing 3 centre halves and 3 centre midfielders, for the goals which is all I've seen we look very, very open. To have 3 or 4 players on the arses when the opposition scores is a sign of a gulf in class

 

[Wilf Wolf]

Forgot to say that Hwang excelled himself even by his standards. I think he received the ball four times and twice lost it due to a woeful second touch. It's nice to see he has some variety as normally it is his first touch that goes about 8 yards. Obviously Hwang is not the reason we lost but if our net spend is zero wasting £14m on him is verging on criminal!

 

[slink]

We do have some serious talent just a shame he’s leaving this summer.

Neves probably is but Chiquinho, Neto, Ait-Nouri, Kilman, etc… I can see there’s definitely issues within the squad but we don’t know what the actual issue is bust up wise.

I can totally understand peoples frustrations and the disappointment that we’ve thrown europe away really but i still think that post pandemic people in general are just more critical and have less tolerance to things and i do think that is part of it.

 

[Sniffer]

So lowered were my levels of expectation after Brighton I’m leaving thinking ‘well at least it wasn’t that bad’. I mean, there was some effort. But really, how did it come to this?

Enjoyed our goal. Reminded me of when we looked like we had some purpose. Chiquinho was good. Sa had a dodgier day with his boots. Thought the Neto penalty was a dead cert, but there we go.

M6 southbound closed to add to our misery.

Fernandinho got a knee to the ball to take it away before they both went over. I don’t think it was although it looked like one in real time. Zinchenko only touched the ball after his knee made contact with Chiquinho whilst also having his hands on him. You’ve seen them given.

 

[Mel Evo]

Fernandinho got a knee to the ball to take it away before they both went over. I don’t think it was although it looked like one in real time. Zinchenko only touched the ball after his knee made contact with Chiquinho whilst also having his hands on him. You’ve seen them given.

Cheers Sniffer. I didn’t have a great view for the Neto one in fairness, but it was even worse for the Chiquinho one! Simply with the Neto one it looked like the kind of passage of play where the ref inevitably points to the spot. Sounds like a good decision for once!

 

[Del Woppio]

Everything below has got to be read with the caveat that City were absolutely sensational. Quality on the ball, nearly always make the right decision, phenomenal movement in our half and an absolutely relentless mentality. The mood they were in, there's nothing we (or nearly anybody else in the world tbf) could've done to stop them.

Defensively we were absolutely terrible. We've got a nominally high line, but it was very rarely well set. Coady was dragged into midfield following his man, and not one of the midfielders thought it might be an idea to go with KdB, for two of the goals. Neves wasn't near fit, it was probably his worst performance of the season, and his mobility was non-existent. RAN also had a bit of a shocker, frequently on the wrong side of sterling.

I kinda get the formation tbh, wanting three in midfield, and a 532 out of possession with a 433 on the attack, but it was executed extremely clumsily. I know Dendonker is on the right to try and protect Chiqinho, but then most of our ball is on the side where we have the weakest midfielder. He wouldn't know a give and go to save his life, but saying that he was still probably the best of the three.

If you said to me that the only of our current centre backs we saw next season were the young lads in cups and as rotation options, I'd be delighted. We've got six of the fuckers but not one that really deserves to be first choice in a back four.

We looked decent on the ball at times, and committed players forwards, but the quality of the movement was nowhere near good enough from any of them.

I can't wait for this season to end tbh, and it looks the same for a fair few players. That may upset the skipper, but it's true.

Don't think Sa could've done much. Think he was tempted to clean sterling out and just decided against it at the last second, and even then it was quite unlucky.

Chiqinho was the living embodiment of 'try your best and we'll love you'. He's pretty exciting and looks a bargain, but still early days.
Jonny just didn't know what to do. Boly knows what to do but couldn't be arsed. Connor barely got near a tackle all game, and his decision making and organising was terrible.
RAN was taught a lesson defensively, and saw little of the ball in any meaningful way.

The midfield three were absolute bobbins. Couldn't get near the ball, and when they did get it they were safe and predictable. None really ever took the ball on the half turn and progressed, meaning that triangle of doom leading to a chip down the line to a retreating Chiqinho/Neto, running towards their own goal line, with no options.

Raul was OK, but he's pretty clearly done at the top level.

Final word for KdB who's probably put in one of the best individual performances in Molineux history

 

[Jinky]

City made Coady look like one of those traffic cones they use on the training pitch. He had men running off him and in behind him all night and when two of the other three defenders are playing out of position, you’ve no chance.

I actually didn’t mind the players he picked on paper tonight, but it was just such an odd game to experiment - you’re playing the best team in the country with possibly the best midfielder in the world. Lage is so, so weird.

We’ve completely lost it at both ends of the pitch and without a major restructure over the summer, that doesn’t bode well for next season. I really, REALLY hope they don’t just look at the league table & think everything will be fine. I’m worried because the clowns in charge all pat each other on the back and think they’re all doing fantastic jobs.

Raul is gone. He’s a shadow of the player we signed & I think he knows it. I really feel for him, but it’s a cut-throat business and we have to sign someone to replace him next season. I wouldn’t mind seeing Chiquinho & Neto either side of a new forward.

City will win the league. We’re absolutely lightyears away from them at the moment. They’ve probably got better from a couple of years ago (and they were decent then!) but we’ve definitely gone backwards.

Oh, and Atkinson can get in the sea. Appalling performance.

 

[jd1981]

I think tonight highlights either one of two things either our position is very false or the PL is in a poor state of affairs that the 8th placed team can brushed aside so easily. Bare in mind City are playing with no recognised striker tonight.
As for DeBruyne just glad he did it to us when we’ve got zero jeopardy in our league position was able to fully appreciate just how good he is. Not just him Silva and Foden just make things look so easy.

 

[Throbber2]

Outclassed front to back. The form from February has been abysmal in the main. Start from the top and make some changes on and off the pitch.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

There's losing and there's losing like that. Fucking crap. We had five minutes after they scored (and we then equalised with a pretty good goal) but other than that...another planet. If you can't match them for ability then match them for effort. For the second home game in a row we just gave up. Sa, Boly, Jonny just aimlessly swinging their foot at stuff and knocking it 10 yards straight to a City player. De Bruyne was amazing, but hey lads, do you want to give him a bit more room?

We genuinely could have conceded 12. They were great but equally we were appalling.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Incidentally is he *really* managing by Zoom and phone calls? You can't fucking do that, for Christ's sake. How insecure is he? You either trust your staff in your absence or they shouldn't be at the club.

Hwang with possibly the worst sub appearance I have ever seen too. Good signing Bruno, thanks mate.

 

[Lupo]

825591We look a disorganised mess and serious issues on and off the pitch with stories of several players losing their shit including Raul, Jonny, FS, etc. The 'strength in the pack' mantra which made us what we were has all but gone, the deterioration in 12 months since Nuno went is startling. I know we're 8th (for now) but that has as much to do with teams around us slipping up as it does to us.

As others said, something is seriously wrong somewhere. Bruno is apparently in the background, orchestrating from the shadows but in truth has not been seen or heard of since the photo of him at the airport flying back to Portugal following the Brighton debacle.

Man City were excellent tonight and I hope they go on to win the title, De Bruyne scored almost as many tonight as our top scorer has all season. They could have had a couple more but for Sterling and the uprights.

I had been calling for Chiquinho's inclusion and he certainly didn't disappoint despite his odd position and hope he starts against Norwich and has more joy. That run in the first half, his pace was a joy to behold and shame he couldn't get a shot away before being brought down.

Hwang... WTF??? His touch is abysmal and contributes fuck all. I think it must have been Leipzig who circulated the ludicrous rumour of Liverpool wanting him and Dumb and Dumber fell for it hook, line and sinker.

2nd game running there has been a large scale fire drill but no booing this time except for the useless imbecile that is Atkinson.

Big changes are required as our form over the past 2-3 months is quite alarming and we are in the shit next season if this continues.

Chiq MOTM
Hwang fuck off and don't come back

 

[Charlie Wolf]

I’ll give it my best shot at staying positive whilst realistic in my opinions

It’s difficult to judge and benchmark that performance against City, they are on another entirely different level to us, one which we all aspire to but sadly the football hierarchy has created and nurtures to ensure the survival of the fittest and an evolution to a European super league, which many were vehemently opposed with vigour last season, is inevitable at some point in the not too distant future, but perhaps that’s for a different forum topic.

Fact is a team in our position, with frequent and some long term injuries to key players with a paper thin squad anyway and then to set up as we then have most of this season is always going to struggle and tonight we got taught a lesson, big style.

Did we show some fight, marginally, did we show some quality, on occasions, but we are a shadow of the side that came back from 2-0 down a couple of seasons ago, and frankly, although Saturday against Chelsea gave us a lift, it’s clear that we have gone backwards and tonight again proved that

The challenge is that without some serious investment and more so strategic planning we are going to be in a relegation battle next season.

A truer reflection is against the likes of Burnley, Brighton, Palace, Leeds, Newcastle et al. Whom we should be pulling away from now if we had any mid to long term aspirations having had 4 years in this league, but as we all know we have again fallen miserably short. That’s not due to bad luck that’s managerial incompetence

The saddest thing is, from our European exploits to now, and even our flirt with Europe this season, our lack of vision has made us look like a big club thinking small.

So, what ever we do against Norwich is irrelevant, we’re in a no win situation, but it would just be nice to get a reaction and end the home games with a win, cuz I’m getting pissed off walking up that fucking hill towards the Ring Road with the opposition fans giving it large

However, Without being overactive, we probably have too many players now that need to be upgraded. Great servants as many have been, they need to be shipped out and bring in fresh blood and a higher quality of player. Arguably without Neves, if he does decide to leave, we won’t have the quality needed to survive if nothing changes.

I try never to name names, but moving forward only Sa, RAN, Jonny, Neves, Neto (if he can get back to preinjury level) and Chiquino are worth retaining….we need a massive overhaul in the Summer and if the last few games haven’t proven that then we deserve everything we get next season and so does Bruno.

He may still have a bit of credit in the bank based on where we are in the league, but failure to change and I can’t see him being here past October.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Watching MOTD for my sins. Dear God, that's awful from Sa on the first two.

He gets ridiculously lauded for someone who's definitively at fault for so many goals.

 

[Tony Towner]

I appreciate this is posted before we've played the worst side in the league, but with one game left at home we've lost 9 - more or less half of all we will play, 2 more than we've won and conceded 5 more than we have scored. That scored total is 1 over the number of games played. I appreciate a season is made up of home and away games, but as a generalisation those with st's on here seem more pissed off than those who go home and away or watch on the tele. £600 on average for what overall has been a crock of shite

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Tonight encapsulated a lot of what I hate about 2022 football.

Competing against that is virtually impossible. Like pushing a 15 tonne boulder uphill. And that's before you then take into account a referee giving them absolutely everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. Atkinson was a total disgrace.

However, the above should have a significant caveat that we shouldn't have given up and posted it in. Which we did. Subs were shite. Management by zoom a total joke, although, circumstances I guess.

I like the look of Chiquinho, a lot, definitely our best player on the night. However, the best player was obviously De Bruyne. Best midfield performance I think I have ever seen against us. Majestic doesn't even come close to covering it.

But my main thought when leaving was that lot will have Haaland in August. We might as well forfeit the game and take a 3-0 loss. And the table says we are the eighth best team. Competition is dead, and that's why this league is going to shit.

 

[Tony Towner]

Watching MOTD for my sins. Dear God, that's awful from Sa on the first two.

He gets ridiculously lauded for someone who's definitively at fault for so many goals.

First I agree with the second he's spreading himself for the Sterling touch which never came and it bounces off him. Looks bad, but I think he's unlucky

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

First I agree with the second he's spreading himself for the Sterling touch which never came and it bounces off him. Looks bad, but I think he's unlucky

I dunno. You can't just come out like that and freeze.

He might be in double figures now for goals that are his fault.

 

[North Shropshire Lad]

On Atkinson. Allowed City some serious leeway in not further penalising their early game fouls in transition or two blatantly bookable offences (pull back/trip by Zinchenko and kicking the ball away by Cancelo I think). Sets a tone for the game.
He doesn’t give any of the three penalty shouts and VAR doesn’t overturn any decision. If they were offences by us I bet he gives all three and VAR uphold it.
He’s not the reason we lost and it could have been ten, but it was a clear example of Sky 6 refereeing and VAR bias.

 

[Boozad]

I dunno. You can't just come out like that and freeze.

He might be in double figures now for goals that are his fault.

Seeing as I didn't get back from work in anywhere near enough time to make it I had the luxury of watching it from the sofa, and on the second I think he froze due to the ball bounce being a bit weird he may have made contact with Sterling and given away a penalty then didn't have time to react properly. That's how it looked to me but I was absolutely knackered so could have got it wrong. Shouldn't have got beat with the first one though even if it was a fine finish.

And the foul on Chiquinho by Zinchenko was a stonewall penalty, pulled his shirt, then arms round him then leg across making contact with the man before the ball. Wouldn't have changed anything in the big picture but how VAR can not overturn that is just completely beyond my comprehension. It's not just us who are shit, the game and officiating as a whole is.