Wolves 2-6 Chelsea: Verdict Thread

[Deutsch Wolf]

They aren’t as bad as they’re being made to look

Sa is
Doherty is
Toti is
On the basis of the first two games, RAN is defensively
Hwang is

 

[Alan]

Sá and Doc I’ll give you, Rayan I already thought was a poor defender generally.

 

[Tredman]

Hwang actively hid for his entire time on the pitch. RAN was terrible, but the set up of the midfield and defence meant him and Toti were fucked whatever they did.

Not sure we have played well as a defence since GON took over, certainly haven’t without Dawson.

 

[jd1981]

This is the PL and things move fast, ie you can be in deep shit or cut adrift by October so by that GON needs something from Saturday.
Another jolly good effort with no return puts him already under pressure.
It’s not all on him players were mentally hopeless second half and having minimal funds to bolster the defence doesn’t help.

 

[Squeak]

Hwang actively hid for his entire time on the pitch. RAN was terrible, but the set up of the midfield and defence meant him and Toti were fucked whatever they did.

Not sure we have played well as a defence since GON took over, certainly haven’t without Dawson.

I'd like to know how many touches Hwang had and how many completed passes he made because it would be hard to believe it was double figures. Bottling two challenges just after half time set a tone.

 

[Deano]

Hwang was a disgrace 0/10

 

[NicholasG1973]

Sa is
Doherty is
Toti is
On the basis of the first two games, RAN is defensively
Hwang is

Agree with all this.

We need to get real and realise that these players aren’t fit for purpose.

I hope today puts a final end to the ridiculous Sa v Ramsdale debate. Well, if you understand about stopping the ball going in the net, it’s not a debate.

Toti can’t pass the ball more than 5 yards and Doc is limited in everything he does. We are being gaslit into thinking these are PL top half defenders. They are not. They are shite.

If Hwang doesn’t start as your central striker, don’t start him. And he won’t. So don’t. Please. Wide players can cross, go past players and cut inside. He can do none of those things. A goal poacher, I’ll give you.

RAN could well be a standard left back in a four. But not in this fucking four, that’s for definite. And I’m not advocating a five by the way - just a fucking four that can do basic defending.

Small positives in Cunha looking incredible and JSL at least looking competent. That’s probably it.

We need some more players. Preferably defenders. And good ones. And not ones from Burnley or Sheffield United.

 

[Loki]

Well the frailties are there for all to see. Lets see if the powers that be act upon it.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Incidentally that's now the first time we've lost 5 straight PL games since March/April 2012 under Terry Connor.

Our record across those five games: P5 W0 D0 L5 F4 A18 Pts 0.

 

[Loki]

Agree with all this.

We need to get real and realise that these players aren’t fit for purpose.

I hope today puts a final end to the ridiculous Sa v Ramsdale debate. Well, if you understand about stopping the ball going in the net, it’s not a debate.

Toti can’t pass the ball more than 5 yards and Doc is limited in everything he does. We are being gaslit into thinking these are PL top half defenders. They are not. They are shite.

If Hwang doesn’t start as your central striker, don’t start him. And he won’t. So don’t. Please. Wide players can cross, go past players and cut inside. He can do none of those things. A goal poacher, I’ll give you.

RAN could well be a standard left back in a four. But not in this fucking four, that’s for definite. And I’m not advocating a five by the way - just a fucking four that can do basic defending.

Small positives in Cunha looking incredible and JSL at least looking competent. That’s probably it.

We need some more players. Preferably defenders. And good ones. And not ones from Burnley or Sheffield United.

I agree with you regards Hwang. I don`t think RAN is a good enough defender in a back four.

 

[jd1981]

Incidentally that's now the first time we've lost 5 straight PL games since March/April 2012 under Terry Connor.

Our record across those five games: P5 W0 D0 L5 F4 A18 Pts 0.

Easy habit to fall into at this level also and a shitter to get out of when you’ve got such a pourus back line. Not as if we be pragmatic and grind stuff out.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Easy habit to fall into at this level also and a shitter to get out of when you’ve got such a pourus back line. Not as if we be pragmatic and grind stuff out.

Forest aren't great but we could easily lose there, in fact we'll lose to anyone defending like that.

Then it's Newcastle, Villa and Liverpool. Followed by Brentford and Brighton away (tough trips) and City at home.

It's how you end up on a road to losing your job. Although I wouldn't say it isn't his fault, some of it is. He should know by now that we don't keep the ball well enough and when we lose it we invariably end up in a world of trouble, this isn't new. Nor is the goalkeeper being a hologram on any given day. Nor is someone who couldn't defend 11 years ago in League One being a completely unacceptable option.

 

[Loki]

We have no suitable replacements for Sa or Doc. We do not know if GON has requested replacements. We are just totally short in all departments at the back. As for Forest, MGW, you just know it.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

We have no suitable replacements for Sa or Doc. We do not know if GON has requested replacements. We are just totally short in all departments at the back. As for Forest, MGW, you just know it.

If Pedro Lima - even at the age of 18 - isn't better than whatever the fuck the 2024 version of Matt Doherty is supposed to be, then he has no business being at the club. I refuse to believe he's worse than that.

 

[jd1981]

Yep some very fundamental basic errors today from the highlight of watched I can’t comment on the stuff I’ve not seen but it’s really not hard to understand that a back for containing Doherty and Toti with little protection will leek a lot of goals. Admittedly more issues came down our left today.
Dawson has to start to at least offer some leadership and Nelson will offer some balance my concern is how easy we look to pass through in our own half. Very concerning unfortunately.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

Reality check for some, what many of us feared. Utterly clueless at the back. Tony Towner posted in the week that we’d go down if we don’t buy a dominant CH and why that is correct was illustrated perfectly today. Huge week ahead in the transfer market. Over to you Shi and Hobbs, if you want to stay in the PL spend some of the £90m you’ve got in the bank.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I don't think it even is that simple, fundamentally we are a very flawed team tactically. We lose the ball absolutely anywhere on the pitch and we're liable to be in trouble inside five seconds. We aren't compact, we're ridiculously loose in possession and we aren't well organised.

If you'd given Glenn Hoddle the peak version of Steve Bull we'd still have been very dull to watch and ineffective. If you gave Gary O'Neil Mats Hummels right now then I don't suspect too much would change.

 

[Tony Towner]

Welcome to Gazball, up the road from Ardiles Alley and in the same vicinity as Keegan Corner. Comments about going 5 at the back are a little simplistic after watching that - although they may be correct. Parking your centre halves that high up the pitch requires dominating possession, we aren't going to do that against a team with better players like Chelsea, that ball over the top will do for us, as it did against Palace in preseason. Mosquera is no better on the ball than Toti so you are essentially hoping you don't give the ball away and if you do, gambling on pace. That's not a plausible strategy.

Equally, RAN as a wing back would have been as susceptible. Madueke largely hugged the touchline, the left centre half isn't or at least shouldn't get sucked out that far. That still would have been RAN's man and he still would have destroyed him, although granted you may have had cover behind. His defensive performance today was unacceptable, on top of a naive goal against Arsenal. Does he want to be here? I don't know, but he's not getting a move elsewhere playing like that.

Special shout out to Jeff who has opened an extra area for away fans. Financially it worked today, it won't against ¾ of the league. As for the stand itself it's not too bad, view isn't terrible, facilities are crap a portaloo and a small snack area where the cells once were. You wouldn't want to be there in the cold or wet though.

 

[pagey]

Realised today how much Palmer is a whingey little cunt, in the refs face every time he blew up.

Enjoyable 1st half but crap defending, took the point at half time and moved on.

Thought Cunha and Larson showed the making of very good partnership at this level.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

I don't think it even is that simple, fundamentally we are a very flawed team tactically. We lose the ball absolutely anywhere on the pitch and we're liable to be in trouble inside five seconds. We aren't compact, we're ridiculously loose in possession and we aren't well organised.

If you'd given Glenn Hoddle the peak version of Steve Bull we'd still have been very dull to watch and ineffective. If you gave Gary O'Neil Mats Hummels right now then I don't suspect too much would change.

Agreed, but an experienced CH is required irrespective of the formation. We also need to ensure Lemina and Gomes aren’t pushing forwards too much as time after time we get walked through like they’re not there, because they often aren’t!