Wolves 2-2 Spurs: EFL Cup 3rd Rd - Bah Lost on Penalties Verdict Thread

[prawnking]

Another question would be, why are Nuno and now Bruno so obsessed with crossing as our primary mode of attack? (at least the latter has more bodies in danger areas generally). It's not just Adama, I'm not sure we have a decent crosser of the ball in the whole squad

 

[Carsy]

Teams do double or sometimes triple up on him but only when he gets the ball, there's never 2 players just following him about all game though so the space is reliant on Adama identifying and picking a pass out that punishes this. If he did that, teams wouldn't double him but he's just not that sort of player, to quote an NFL phrase 'the are selling out to stop the run' because they know space for others isn't going to hurt them with him on the ball.

Tbf to him, he does often beat all 3 but then is usually forced into a low % cross or shot because of the position he's in. He was infinitely better when he played on the shoulder the first few games, I was even optimistic he'd get a decent goal return but he's regressed back to doing what he used to do and unless Raul is at his peak those crosses just won't be fruitful.

I agree to an extent , obviously they don’t follow him around, however it does affect the oppositions positioning on the pitch, and phase two of play etc

First two games him being on the shoulder I agreed look promising. Remember still early stages of the Bruno reign so we will see how it develops.

I’m going to stay in the optimistic camp. Maybe it’s misplaced, it probably is misplaced but there we go.

 

[Tony Towner]

Another question would be, why are Nuno and now Bruno so obsessed with crossing as our primary mode of attack? (at least the latter has more bodies in danger areas generally). It's not just Adama, I'm not sure we have a decent crosser of the ball in the whole squad

I don't really understand the move from inverted wide forwards to more conventional wide ones against Brentford. I hope it's something Lage thought he could take advantage of in that game rather than something more permanent. Both Adama and Trincao looked more effective coming from the other side

 

[Carsy]

I don't really understand the move from invented wide forwards to more conventional wide ones against Brentford. I hope it's something Lage thought he could take advantage of in that game rather than something more permanent. Both Adama and Trincao looked more effective coming from the other side

The answer both yourself and PK, our squad personel isn’t currently set up to play with an out and out winger. It worked 2 years a go with Raul and Traore linking up well, but when that partnership isn’t working well we don’t have much else. For that to work, you’d want the left winger to be able to attack the box and to have a box to box midfielder arriving into the box. If we’re playing neves and mout neither of them do that, and on the left trincao and Podence most certainly don’t. Not seen enough of hwang.

personally we are better off playing with the inverted wingers, it gets the front 3 closer together and should open up space for the wingbacks (semedo andRAN preferably) to get crosses in, if the opportunity presents itself

 

[PuntsWolf]

It was a terrible idea because Ajer, Jansson and Pinnock are 6ft 6, 6ft 4 and 6ft 5. So crossing from the byline was just stupid, particularly when we can’t cross and we have one player who can/could head and our crossing from our whole team is largely terrible

 

[The Bear]

Theoretically speaking:

Podence replaces Adama.
Trincao keeps his place for now.
Hwang backs up Jimenez and Trincao.

 

[Alan]

I don't really understand the move from inverted wide forwards to more conventional wide ones against Brentford. I hope it's something Lage thought he could take advantage of in that game rather than something more permanent. Both Adama and Trincao looked more effective coming from the other side

That's not the only game we've done it in, though, I'm sure we did the same against Spurs and Watford. Started with Trincao right and Adama left, then flipped them at halftime.

 

[Tony Towner]

That's not the only game we've done it in, though, I'm sure we did the same against Spurs and Watford. Started with Trincao right and Adama left, then flipped them at halftime.

We didn't flip them against Brentford though started there and stayed there until Bruno went all Keagan in the last 15 mins and Trincao played wherever he was supposed to be on the left

 

[Alan]

Shit man, things are blending together in my memory. I'm too young to be old!

 

[Tony Towner]

Shit man, things are blending together in my memory. I'm too young to be old!

More likely me...I'm older

 

[Johnny75]

We didn't flip them against Brentford though started there and stayed there until Bruno went all Keagan in the last 15 mins and Trincao played wherever he was supposed to be on the left

Must be my memory as I thought we started with Trincao on the right.

Then changed at HT.

 

[slink]

Trincao definitely started on the right. Traore beat their right back several times early on but nothing came of it.

 

[Tony Towner]

...me then. And I was even driving

 

[Alan]

Not today, senility. Not today.

 

[Lycan]

Another question would be, why are Nuno and now Bruno so obsessed with crossing as our primary mode of attack? (at least the latter has more bodies in danger areas generally). It's not just Adama, I'm not sure we have a decent crosser of the ball in the whole squad

I'm not sure they're obsessed with crossing, just that they're both struggling to create the overloads in wide areas needed to work the ball into a shooting opportunity so we revert to crossing when our options run out.

 

[Carsy]

Theoretically speaking:

Podence replaces Adama.
Trincao keeps his place for now.
Hwang backs up Jimenez and Trincao.

When everyone’s fit we will have

wide left traore/Podence/hwang

centre Raul, hwang, Silva (at a push couldn’t not include him)

wide right trincao/Podence

all based on Playing inverted wingers. That’s not a bad set of options IMO

Ofcourse you could play a fluid front 3 still. Point being, we should have a front line capable of scoring and creating goals

 

[Quirkafleeg]

When everyone’s fit we will have

wide left traore/Podence/hwang

centre Raul, hwang, Silva (at a push couldn’t not include him)

wide right trincao/Podence

all based on Playing inverted wingers. That’s not a bad set of options IMO

Ofcourse you could play a fluid front 3 still. Point being, we should have a front line capable of scoring and creating goals

Missed Neto out for the left side....

 

[WsWolf]

Theoretically speaking:

Podence replaces Adama.
Trincao keeps his place for now.
Hwang backs up Jimenez and Trincao.

This would be my choice aswell, Adama on in the second half when the game stretches and legs are tired.

 

[Carsy]

Missed Neto out for the left side....

Sorry, meant to include him on the right as he’s left footed, but yes.

 

[Lycan]

I think with everyone fit I'd go with this:

Sá

Semedo Boly Kilman Aït-Nouri

Neves Moutinho

Trincão Podence Neto

Raúl

There's no reason why a squad with that strongest XI as a base couldn't finish top half. The obvious weaknesses are the Neves/Moutinho double pivot and the mess at centre half.