Wolves 2-2 Everton: Verdict Thread

[slink]

As have you.

For what it's worth Alan what you said initially was wrong as i don't think we will struggle to score goals but you were right in saying we need to improve on yesterday to actually break teams down. It was the first game and we will get better but as mentioned Jota and Costa were both pretty poor on the ball, Costa more so and they didn't actually create anything meaningful when on the ball. The red card and goal came from our off the ball work and Jota pressing well and the second came from a Neves cross. Now a cross and a headed goal is breaking a team down but when we play a lot through the 2 positions that Jota and Costa play in they have to be much better on the ball and be more of a threat/make better decisions for us to score the type of goals we often saw last year.

In short we will still score goals from set pieces and crosses and will score from situations like the first goal where our shape and pressing will lead to opposition mistakes but then we also need to be able to break them down with our interplay like last year. It didn't happen yesterday but i am sure it will.

 

[Alan]

For what it's worth Alan what you said initially was wrong as i don't think we will struggle to score goals but you were right in saying we need to improve on yesterday to actually break teams down. It was the first game and we will get better but as mentioned Jota and Costa were both pretty poor on the ball, Costa more so and they didn't actually create anything meaningful when on the ball. The red card and goal came from our off the ball work and Jota pressing well and the second came from a Neves cross. Now a cross and a headed goal is breaking a team down but when we play a lot through the 2 positions that Jota and Costa play in they have to be much better on the ball and be more of a threat/make better decisions for us to score the type of goals we often saw last year.

In short we will still score goals from set pieces and crosses and will score from situations like the first goal where our shape and pressing will lead to opposition mistakes but then we also need to be able to break them down with our interplay like last year. It didn't happen yesterday but i am sure it will.

I am, as well. All I meant with my comment was that we will struggle to score goals if we don't improve. I don't doubt that the team feels the same and that improvements will be made, either by those who played yesterday or by their replacements.

Ultimately I stand by my initial post-match reaction. We were very impressive overall but those two inside forward positions have to improve. That's the long and short of it, IMO.

 

[slink]

I am, as well. All I meant with my comment was that we will struggle to score goals if we don't improve. I don't doubt that the team feels the same and that improvements will be made, either by those who played yesterday or by their replacements.

Ultimately I stand by my initial post-match reaction. We were very impressive overall but those two inside forward positions have to improve. That's the long and short of it, IMO.

Oh i know what you meant. Just what you said at first didn't come across like you meant it too. As i said above i agree those 2 need to do better and had they performed as they can then we would have won yesterday imo but i also think we will improve as a side not just in those 2 positions.

 

[Premier Quality]

It felt a bit weird at times Saturday - loads of our passIng was off (including neves), and the ball got stuck under Jota, boly and costas feet especially. The pitch looked perfect so the assumption seems to be a combination of the rain, nerves and the step up in class.


As Alan says, I’m sure we’ll improve - was just odd that some of the basics seemed so off at times from players who have made those things seem so natural and simple last season.

One thing that did impress me that I’ve not mentioned before was how well Nuno had done his homework on pickfords kicking - our front three denying him a short option meant he humped it out numerous times, it’s things like that that will make a big difference for us this season.


A points no bad thing - looking forward to seeing how we do against Leicester now.

 

[Langers]

I'm slightly taken aback by some of the reactions to the game because I thought we were okay - and at times, we actually did really well. There's absolutely no question that we will get better because I thought there were plenty of basic errors from players who we all know are capable of way better.

Having said that, there were plenty of positives as well against a very decent side.

I actually thought Neves was guilty of giving the ball away far too often - obviously he made up for it with a fantastic free kick and a great cross for Raul to make it 2-2. Thought Moutinho looked tidy alongside him and I wonder if that might mean Ruben can push up the pitch somewhat? It's not really a common occurrence for Neves to be that far up the pitch in order to deliver that kind of cross.

At the back, Boly didn't have the best of games but I was very impressed with Ryan Bennett.

I enjoyed the game as a spectacle - as I said, we're going to get better and we're going to look like we belong in this league.

One last point - listening to Steve McManaman for 90 minutes was painful.

 

[Johnny75]

Sorry jonny that's bollocks mate. All he's said - and it's correct both statistically and anecdotally - was that we didn't create many clear cut chances. That's unarguably true. Raul took his goal well, that was by no means a gimme. He had a one on one which was a good chance, and a volley from a cross that was a half chance. Other than that we didn't look like scoring, in a game where we had more of the ball than we did on average last season, when we pretty much created at will.

All people are saying is a that given yesterday, we need to be sharper and more inventive on the ball. That's not the pantwetting slating it's been made out to be!

We had 11 attempts on goal with 4 on target. The average for the PL last season was 11 and 4. And according to this table we ranked 13th in total attempts (average was 11.85) and 7th in attempts on target (average was 3.89).

Just for comparison Everton had 6 attempts of which 5 were on target which ranks them dead last on that table (good job defensively) but 3rd clinically (not so good).

We will get better there is no doubt but I think people need to temper their expectations that the PL is some kind of chance fest and teams are broken down at will. It isn't and we won't. Being clinical is key.

 

[Dire Wolf]

I'm slightly taken aback by some of the reactions to the game because I thought we were okay - and at times, we actually did really well. There's absolutely no question that we will get better because I thought there were plenty of basic errors from players who we all know are capable of way better.

Having said that, there were plenty of positives as well against a very decent side.

I actually thought Neves was guilty of giving the ball away far too often - obviously he made up for it with a fantastic free kick and a great cross for Raul to make it 2-2. Thought Moutinho looked tidy alongside him and I wonder if that might mean Ruben can push up the pitch somewhat? It's not really a common occurrence for Neves to be that far up the pitch in order to deliver that kind of cross.

At the back, Boly didn't have the best of games but I was very impressed with Ryan Bennett.

I enjoyed the game as a spectacle - as I said, we're going to get better and we're going to look like we belong in this league.

One last point - listening to Steve McManaman for 90 minutes was painful.

I agree with all of this.

 

[Wolvensam]

If we played shit (according to some people) and still drew 2-2 with Everton - one of the better sides in this league - then we'll be fine.

Outside of the top seven/eight teams in this league (Chelsea, Man City, Spurs, United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton, Leicester arguably) we're just as good as anyone else. And the only three teams I am genuinely dreading playing are Liverpool, Man C and Spurs.

 

[Deleted Cyber]

He's the main commentator for NBC's coverage here in the US. Robbie Earle is the other voice you'll hear in this video.

Hopefully you have access to the video at all (could be region locked) as I think Arlo does a great job.

This is the stream I watched this weekend. I find it reliable but its about 30 seconds behind! It does mean that there is no Mcmanaman which is a godsend. His whiny drawl was never good on the ears, like a supertramp lp stuck on repeat

 

[The Saturday Boy]

Neves in Garth Crooks team of the week and very complimentary. Just think what they will be saying when he has a good game.

 

[Langers]

Neves in Garth Crooks team of the week and very complimentary. Just think what they will be saying when he has a good game.

Absolutely - like I said in my other post on this thread, I thought his passing was way below his usual standards.

No doubts from me whatsoever that he'll reach his best form again and even surpass it and I can't wait to see what the media make of him when he plays a blinder.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

He scored, ergo it's an inevitability that Neves would be in.

 

[Wolvensam]

And assisted the second!

 

[Jinky]

This was an impressive debut for Richarlison, and if the referee hadn't got over-excited, Everton would have won their fixture against Wolves.

Garth Crooks wrote that. May I ask how you came to that conclusion, Garth? Was Phil Jagielka saving the resulting free kick from Neves? Regardless of whether Jagielka was on the pitch or not, he would not have been able to prevent Neves from scoring that goal - and who's to say which way it would have gone from there, 11 v 11?

Can't stand the bloke.

 

[nimrod]

Garth Crooks wrote that. May I ask how you came to that conclusion, Garth? Was Phil Jagielka saving the resulting free kick from Neves? Regardless of whether Jagielka was on the pitch or not, he would not have been able to prevent Neves from scoring that goal - and who's to say which way it would have gone from there, 11 v 11?

Can't stand the bloke.

he's renowned for speaking and writing bullshit. really not worth the time of day. I've disliked him since the 1981 FA Cup semi final and our shitty result at their place the year after.

 

[AndyWolves]

For what it's worth the expected goal stats had us better than Everton

https://understat.com/league/EPL

 

[Premier Quality]

Everton not appealing the red card - over on their forum they are still debating whether it was even a booking...

 

[Paul]

Everton not appealing the red card - over on their forum they are still debating whether it was even a booking...

Fat Sam was saying virtually the same thing the other night apart from noticing that Neves took the free kick from x yards forward of where Jota was fouled, even came out with the old bollox of 'in years gone by it wouldn't have even been a foul', yes lets go back to the seventies where intimidating the opposition was one of key tactics, lets end peoples careers shall we ? Dick !

 

[AndyWolves]

Everton not appealing the red card - over on their forum they are still debating whether it was even a booking...

Scenes when the same thing happens to richarlison

 

[Alan]

The NBC crew over here were kind of bemused that the red was officially for "denial of a goalscoring opportunity" but I think Kyle Martino said it best: "you could have given him two reds; one for the denial and one for excessive force".