wolves 2 Chelsea 5 verdict

[jd1981]

Big month coming up, but that was a bit shambolic. Back 3 looked thrown together and the midfield was just very passive.
Neves very anonymous again, Dendocker needs a rest or time out I think. Back to basics Sunday with the back 5, reality I’d concentrate far more on next Sunday than Thursday. Absolute priority to get points on the board before a bad start becomes a major issue.
Not see to many OTT reactions people have just called it the shambles it was. No side is ever to good to get dragged into a relegation battle and that certainly applies to us.

 

[playtheace]

No word on how nervous Patricio is?
Worries the life out of me when the balls played back and ive said it before BUT he is way to slow to come off his line.
Cant help but think that his "figgityness" (c) doesnt get picked up on by the defence.
Strangely he seems to exude confidence and is way more self assured for Portugal
Regardless, i trust in nuno to get us through this barren point period.

 

[Dire Wolf]

Not sure where I’ll start but I’ll say we are in real trouble.

For the match day thread... just read through while I walk home. Not sure where the “we haven’t been that bad” comes from. We were great for the first 10 mins. We finally started a game where we took the game to the opposition, and looked like we were trying to score with Traore up the pitch. After 10 mins we reverted back to the norm. Park the bus in our third and then lump it forward hoping Raul and Jota will take on 5 on their own. No effort to hold the ball up and get players up the pitch. Had the same result, they lost the Ball and it came straight back.

The first goal is a freak goal, but if we constantly give teams a free pass into our third then freak goals can happen. Vallejo is woeful, we’ve somehow managed to sign a player who is no better on the Ball than Bennett and fucking woeful on the ground and small and weak aerially.

Not sure what our tactics are at the minute. The switch of play is non existent. Our only ball is the lump upfront and play for second balls (which we don’t win).

Neves is playing his way out of a move and Jota is playing worse than he did the start of last season. Needs dropping (although we only have a 19 yr old to replace him in the current system).

We’ve left ourselves massively short in the window. There’s no way Vallejo was our first choice. He was bought In as a squad player and now he’s having to start games in the PL. I’m not having the Donk comparison. Donk has good pedigree before the move and hadn’t actually been given a sniff so we couldn’t assess. Valejo ain’t going to grow 2 inches and put on 3 stone this year so I can already see he’s going to struggle. Particularly in a back 3 that has Coady in it.

We’ve stood still and some of our better players have regressed. We couldn’t attract players in the summer so how are we going to get people to come in Jan when we’re languishing in the bottom half (last 32 of Europa league though...). Going to have to throw the cheque book at people, but you could argue we should have done that in the first place.

At least Cutrone got a goal. If we’re going to persist with route one then go 442 and play him and Raul. Instead we’re playing long ball football with possession players. Baffling

You will be told you are exaggerating and over reacting. You're not, today's performance was that bad. I am usually positive when I have something to hang my hat on in terms of feeling some optimism, but today has left me feeling deeply concerned that we are in for a really long hard relegation battle. We are not playing well at all.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I won't say any of your first sentence.

Can't get any enthusiasm for arguing one way or the other at the moment. I love depression.

 

[Andre]

I'm sure it will all get better and we'll finish mid-table.

 

[The Bion]

It was notable after Doc came on the movement and interplay he brings that Traore just doesn't. That isn't a knock on Adama, as such, he's just a different player. And if we're not going to feed him the ball in the attacking 3rd, which *again* we stopped doing after a bright start, then it becomes difficult. Donck looks like he has no idea how to play next to him, he doesn't make over or underlapping runs (unless he's dribbling with the ball) and just doesn't fit with how we play. He's improved, a lot, and it seems weird to say this after some of his play this season, but we play better *as a team* with Doc. So if Doc's fit (and he looked more lively today than he has previously, for sure) then it should make a big difference. It gives us the switch of play back, it gives us a better defender down that side, and, hopefully, in an odd way it should make us more threatening going forwards.

In a way I hope it isn't that simple, because that would mean we're far, far too reliant on one player. But it might be. Get the first choice defence back together, and things should improve. Some winnable games coming up before the end of November. It's harsh on Adama, as he has certainly not been anywhere near our worst performer, but needs of the many, etc etc.

Jota didn't look too bad playing behind the front 2 second half. Part of that will be down to Chelsea being ridiculously open, but it's a potential option. Maybe a bit too attacking for some games and I wouldn't expect to see it away from home, but maybe against Watford, say. Few times they were making similar runs to each other and getting in each other's way a bit but familiarity will come with time. Pleased for Cutrone as he's worked hard and been a bit unlucky so far to not have scored, good instincts to go looking for the loose ball.

There's a happy medium somewhere between refusing to even contemplate anything being wrong and having already consigned us to the Championship after 5 games that I think most people will accept. Really wish people wouldn't veer so hard one way or the other (and I'm not referring to anyone specifically on here - it happens throughout the fanbase and the worst offenders are certainly elsewhere)

 

[Tredman]

Thought MGW player very well when he came on, gave us more energy and pace in midfield.

[Hope the above doesn't constitute 'gaslighting' again [emoji2368]]

 

[Deleted Cyber]

I was putting this on the cybertosis thread but it can go here. For me this year I only expect a point against the big six either home or away. So it's a shit day at the office but I would take a home defeat to a big six team rather than Huddersfield Brighton or similar ilk.
I think we should target mid table in the league and win a cup plus have a decent uefa run. Don't lose to shit and we are fine, basically. Doc is actually quite key to our play. We are better with him in. I like the switch to 3 4 3 today. That may be a good plan b especially away. Still don't think mgw is up to speed though

 

[jd1981]

If we come 15th and have a cup run I’ll take it big time. Reality is we have quality in the side which see us ok, but you can’t rest on your laurels and just assume it’ll all be ok because we were good last season. Really annoys me when people get accused of over reacting when we perform like that. It can’t be denied that things just aren’t working at the moment.
Whilst it’s not a crisis now if goes on for another 5 games it will be.

 

[Jack Regan]

The only crumb of comfort from today is that I'm sure we'll probably play for the rest of the season and not see a team have their first 4 shots all end in goals. Saying that it doesn't paper over another horrific defensive display especially on the back of the Everton débâcle.

We could have also paid £60million for a goalkeeper who has wrists like Andy Lonergan. Every cloud and all that.

 

[Tony Towner]

It's easy to over react, equally it's easy to shrug your shoulders and say it's one of those days. I'll try not to do the former, but it's not the latter either. I didn't see the Leicester game, but we've been poor in and deserved to lose the other 4.

Someone used the word passive earlier it's a good description of the way we are approaching games, lack of urgency would be another.

I wonder if 3 at the back has run it's course? Nuno was out thought by Lampard today, he set up to not only nullify Traore, but also expose him defensively which they did. Going all superfan, you won't see this on tele, but his positioning today was all over the shop, not really his fault, he didn't expect to be playing against a wing back and just didn't know what to do.
That said his run which lead to Jota's chance, which he wasted by taking a touch shows his benefit to the team, you do want him on the pitch if possible.

Linked to the above Coady has been really poor so far. Suckered into a penalty by Pogba, bullied by Wood, indecisive at Everton costing us goal, destroyed today by Abraham. The 4th today when Abraham shifted the ball and he fell for it was awful. His passing out of defence has become hoofing and with Neves being told to/choosing to play so deep the centre halves can split in possession and he can do that job.

This won't happen, but I'd got 433 with Boly and Bennett centre halves, Doc at RB would be a worry, but he's a stone lighter and a ton more confident than when he last played there. Troare right, Jota left of Raul. Donck has to get in the box more though.

Jota's diving is becoming an embarrassment, the one where he threw himself on the floor at 0-2 was awful to watch. He's such a good player, he doesn't need to do it.

We needed an upgrade on Bennett, at the moment that's not going to be Vallejo and his lack of physicality means it won't ever be this season in the league.

 

[The Bear]

No injury for Bennett. It was a "decision" not to even have him on the bench.

Yeah, a really bad one.

So there you have it.

RCB:
Bennett, Jesus, Dendoncker

LCB:
Boly, Saiss, Kilman


Not sure who takes over from Coady.

 

[The Bion]

You play Doc behind Traore you nullify Doc's attacking threat, can't see it working personally.

 

[Jack Regan]

It turned out that way, but the back 3 were all equally bad against Everton too.

 

[PuntsWolf]

What’s Bennett done then. No one in their right mind thinks it’s a good idea to play a CM, a converted CM and an U17 in a back 3 up against Abraham.

 

[Tredman]

Bennet was shit against Everton (as were the other 2), guess Nuno wanted to change it.

 

[Tony Towner]

What’s Bennett done then. No one in their right mind thinks it’s a good idea to play a CM, a converted CM and an U17 in a back 3 up against Abraham.

Gone and visited Tommy Morrison in prison...?

 

[slink]

There's a lot that can be said after todays game including the performances of a fair few players which we could have mentioned in previous games too but a lot of the problems come from Nuno and how he's setting us up. We're far too deep and can't get out during games which is leading to the hoofs and long ball tactics as players aren't close enough to combine. After 10 minutes today i thought that was over and we were back to being Wolves from last season but then bang we reverted to type from every game this season and struggled. Nuno has to sort this out or we're going to struggle big time in the league.

In saying that if we continue to concede the goals we have today and against Everton then the tactics aren't going to matter. Rui could have stepped across and caught Tomori's floated shot, Coady has to stop rushing at players when 1 vs 1 and Dendoncker cant let centre halves run 40 yards with the ball past him.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Bennet was shit against Everton (as were the other 2), guess Nuno wanted to change it.

Wasn’t great but by no way was he anything like the worst. Fair enough drop him if you have an able replacement but with Boly already missing taking out your next best defender is bonkers. Not only were they individually awful, they unsurprisingly looked like they’d never played together before too.

At best it’s untimely disciplinary decision. At worst it’s an awful managerial decision.

 

[Deleted Cyber]

I can't get the sour taste out of my throat that Abraham and Barnes has not only scored against us they have looked excellent in doing so.

Bastards.