Wolves v Braga - Verdict Thread

[Deleted Cyber]

Poor result rather than performance.
We were lacking quality in the final third
I don't think mgw does the simple things well enough. Pass and move
Doc still isn't right
Cutrones finishing needs to sharpen up, but then so did Raul's last year at the same sort of stage with competitive games.
We need to cut out defensive errors. We have already gifted more goals than we did in pretty much most of last season. And by gifts I mean howlers like Coady and Rui v Everton, Coady and Jesus v Chelsea, Bennett tonight
Decent team Braga if theatrical time wasters. We are always capable of a goal or two away. I am still in the not panicking camp. I always had us as over performing last season and I felt that the better teams could and would work us out more. That is probably the case so far and, actually, its a compliment. Chelsea changed their formation to combat our threat so that's respect. It worked. We gifted Everton a win. Last night was a combination off poor finishing, which can and will improve, and a defensive brain fart which can and should be over come. Just look at it in Cyber land terms. We have already played thirteen or fourteen competitive games so far this season. In any other season that would have taken us to November. And we are shit in November right? :clap:

 

[Johnny75]

I have no idea why Nuno has changed his system from last season. It's clear the players don't like it and they can't do it. Sometimes you've got to admit defeat with a system that nobody wants and can't do. He tried the same thing last season and at the back end of the championship where we vacated the middle of the pitch to get players deeper or wider and attack the opposition from there. The full backs should come inside and the central players go wide. It's supposed to pull the opposition apart.

It doesn't.
It hasn't worked once.
I wish Nuno would stop this nonsense.

When we actually changed shape to a 3-4-3 with Jota floating around from the left to the middle we looked miles better. Our movement was more fluid and Neves and Moutinho actually got a foothold in central midfield and Braga played on the back foot. We were still too slow with our passing and our tempo in general is not high enough on the ball.

As has been said above we are letting the opposition get back behind the ball and set themselves defensively whilst we probe unsuccessfully and pass it across the back line. This is not what we do best and not what works for us. You can see it in the players, they clearly do not like this system and it isn't working for them.

Having said that MGW and Jonny combined very well down the left and MGW played some lovely balls into feet. Doc is still not right, I have no idea what it is but he looks tired, not unfit, but tired. His ball for Cutrone was superb and some of his link play with Raul was very good too. Cutrone worked hard but should be finishing at least one of those chances in the first half and Raul should be doing better with his two chances in the second. Donck is shockingly poor at the moment, not winning second ball, not getting in the right positions and not covering back well enough. He needs dropping.

I'm not sure if everything is right behind the scenes and if it isn't then it needs sorting out quickly or our best manager in my lifetime will be gone and we'll be left with Rob fucking Edwards in charge again and that chills me to the bone.

 

[Del Woppio]

This tactical change is doing my absolute swede in. It basically turns into a 424 on the ball, but it wastes Neves having him so deep in possession, and then you’ve got the black hole of Bennet on the right of defence which basically makes the move of Bennet to Coady/Neves, long to Doc so easy to defend against because it’s so bloody obvious and slow. Our switches of play worked last season because we’d stretched teams before the switch and then executed it quickly rather than allowing them to set; the ball’s not getting in front of Doc into space now, it’s putting him into an areal duel and we hope to win the second ball.



When you think back to some of the one touch combination play that Doc/Raul/Joao/Jota got up to last season looks a million miles away because of the ponderous tempo in which we’re shifting the ball now. Donk is covering some serious miles and his work out of possession is brilliant, but his touch and his vision is seriously lacking this season, he’s looked really poor technically. We’ve got some really good footballers here capable of excellent movement off the ball, but we’re not playing to that strength anymore, and I really don’t get it. There was talk from fans other Nuno’s other clubs that he’s a negative coach, and we’ve seen a definite shift in mentality this season.



We need to go:



Rui

Jesus – Coady – Boly

Doc – Neves – Moutinho – Jonny

MGW/Neto/Jota

Raul/Cutrone – Jota/Neto



We need Neves to stop dropping so deep, so Coady has got more forward options, both long and short, rather than just the long diagonal to Doc. Doing so will give more space wide, as Neves will be covered by a CM, meaning one less player able to cut out the longer ball. We need to give Jesus a run of games and trust that the shape will do the defending, and allow Neves that little further up the pitch knowing the back three can all play the ball well enough. That’s changing the central midfield areas to be 2CM – 1AM rather than 1DM and 2CM. If he’s going to insist on playing a DM then he needs Vinagre on the left, as while Jonny recycles the ball well enough, he never really threatens. Those are our only options for me given the depth of the squad, and that’s even with serious reservations on the ability of MGW/Neto/Jota to be anything like an effective #10.



It was a poor window, and if we don’t change things it will be wasted opportunity. If we found it too hard to attract players this Summer, it’ll be even harder after a 12th place finish – and there would I presume be some itchy feet in the dressing room too.

 

[SLB]

We’ll be fine. It’s annoying at the mo. By the way, didn’t know there were two Hortas playing for them. My comment above wasn’t for their scorer but the little number 15 in central midfield. Proper player.

That's Andre "the MLS flop" Horta.

Like I said before the match, even though it was "a poor endorsement", Horta brothers are their best players. One was the MVP, and the other scores the winning goal.

Andre Horta should be playing for Benfica but Mendes didn't allow him to stay after refusing to sign with him.

Would be very useful on Wolves side too but he never sold out to Mendes so won't happen.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

He really impressed me. Thought he had an excellent game.

 

[Dublin Drummer Wolf]

DDW - I want Cutrone to succeed as much as the next man. But I wonder what the reaction would have been like if, say, Adama had missed the same chances as Pat, this evening?

I don’t get the love in, right now. Nothing more, nothing less.

Comparing Adama to Cutrone is hardly a fair comparison though. Cutrone has literally made 4 appearances for us!

The jury is very much out on him.

 

[SLB]

Cutrone is a very good player. Imo if Wolves have something to worry about are the CBs and the wing backs and not the attack.

Results show that too. The team scores goals. Just concedes too many.

 

[Langers]

Writing Cutrone off at this stage is absolutely ridiculous - sheer impatience. Fine, he should have scored last night but there's plenty he did right. Some of his build up play was excellent, he got into some great positions but the rushed finishing was uncharacteristic for him. I have no concerns about him whatsoever and I believe he'll come good. I'll start to worry when he offers no threat at all over a prolonged period of time and never creates any chances for himself or others a la Jake Cassidy and that certainly wasn't the case last night.

 

[Tredman]

I've been much more impressed with Cutrone's all round game that I though I would be - nice link play, very good running and getting back. Perhaps doesn't come through on tV though.

 

[The Bear]

Cutrone has a very good footballing brain in terms of movement and runs. He knows what he wants and needs to do, but as with all strikers the final touch is the most important.

I'm not worried, he'll score plenty for us. Look at how Jimenez took half a season of actually starting games to really get going properly.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Think some of the complaints about tempo last night are a bit misplaced. Yes it was noticeably slower than in recent appearances, I thought for the most part I thought they were better for it, too many times recently the play has looked rushed and lacking composure but last night it look a lot more settled and relaxed as they patiently played it around at the back much more like last season. That was perhaps aided by Braga's generally conservative approach to the game, every many back in their half generally out of possession, but was nice to see Wolves not just going long all the time trying to force it as has often seemed the case in recent league games. Problem being that we also saw some of the problems that arose at times last season when opponents set up in a conservative fashion, especially with Neves so ludicrously deep, that Wolves struggled to get enough players into positions ahead of the ball where they could threaten their opponents.

I think that level of composure and control with the ball has been sadly lacking so far this season, it was a welcome return but sadly at times it went too far the other way becoming overly safe and cautious, need to find the right balance.

Defensively it wasn't great though, the shape doesn't seem as effective at diverting teams into the areas where Wolves are comfortable anymore, central midfield players seem to get dragged very wide by opposition fullbacks allowing them to create an overload against the remaining central midfield two and massive amounts of space for the fullback on the opposite side to run into. Some sloppy bits of individual defending last night too that could've lead to bigger problems, Boly in the first minute with a poorly thought out lunge where he was easily beaten could've lead to a goal and Neves doing similar on the other side just before their first penalty claim, actually looked like Coady got a bit handsy with him on that occasion too after he'd been easily waltzed by in an all too familiar fashion this season.

The goal was so frustrating, a sloppy error from Bennett but it's pretty much on the half way line so conceding shouldn't have been the inevitability it seemed from that position. Neves towing his family home behind him got nowhere near any sort of covering job for Bennett which lead to Coady and Boly getting dragged across and the 3 on 2 in Braga's favour was so easy to take advantage of as a result.

Up until 0-0 I think Wolves looked much more in control of the game, if somewhat lacking in clear chances, but as soon as it went 1-0 they never looked like they had any chance of getting back into. It allowed Braga to be even more conservative in their approach, coupled with some well practiced shithousery, and Wolves just didn't appear to have enough in their locker to shake things up and really get amongst them at that point, pretty disappointing lack of fight back towards the end of the game.

 

[Premier Quality]

I've been much more impressed with Cutrone's all round game that I though I would be - nice link play, very good running and getting back. Perhaps doesn't come through on tV though.

It does - I’m not sure how it wouldn’t, they show the same games...

 

[Premier Quality]

The Neves dropping into the back thing is clearly an intentional tactic though, as he keeps doing it - as someone said at one point it was a flat back four of Bennett - Coady - Neves - Boly. I don’t understand what we’re trying to achieve with it though, compared to a back 3 with Neves 15 yards further forwards.

 

[prawnking]

It certainly isn't helping our goals against column or protecting Rui, which are the only reasons you'd be doing it

 

[playtheace]

I do wonder what the "Deep Neves" is supposed to achieve...bar long range passing.
For instance if we lose the ball up the pitch Neves isnt the greatest tackler and he isnt paticular fast once past him either.

Last night, he notably pushed further forward in the 2nd half and both Raul / Pat dropped to pick up balls played into their feet.
But as i said earlier, that momentum was completely killed by their goalie getting "injured" for 5 minutes which completely
killed our 2nd half impetus.

 

[AndyWolves]

The Neves dropping into the back thing is clearly an intentional tactic though, as he keeps doing it - as someone said at one point it was a flat back four of Bennett - Coady - Neves - Boly. I don’t understand what we’re trying to achieve with it though, compared to a back 3 with Neves 15 yards further forwards.

I'm a firm believer in "do what your opponents would least like you to do"

Putting Neves into the back four when we're attacking is exactly what our opponents would like us to do.

He needs to play in that sweet spot just behind the midfield but in front of the defence. It's a god-awful term but in the "quarter-back" slot

The back-three can manage the ball well enough, we just need to make sure Bennett doesn't get isolated when we're being pressed

 

[MARKakaJIM]

The Neves dropping into the back thing is clearly an intentional tactic though, as he keeps doing it - as someone said at one point it was a flat back four of Bennett - Coady - Neves - Boly. I don’t understand what we’re trying to achieve with it though, compared to a back 3 with Neves 15 yards further forwards.

It certainly isn't helping our goals against column or protecting Rui, which are the only reasons you'd be doing it

It would make sense if you an opponent had tried to target him for some special attention, have him drop deep to find space and get time on the ball to do his thing, maybe draw an opposition player out with him leaving a gap in the middle of the park where Moutinho or someone can get into an cause some problems. I'm yet to see a game where that would apply though, opponents generally just let him go there and watch him play the ball around in front of them, he's not a player that's suddenly going to drive forward with the ball at his feet so why bother committing to closing him down? If you've got faith in the defenders behind you picking up their men and negating his long passing then he's got nothing to hurt you from inside his own half.

 

[Parkins left foot]

A really frustrating evening - back 3 performed better than they did in the last match barring the feck up which led to the goal. That & a less than clinical ability to finish cost us that.

Many valid points made on here - whether Neves position (which was behind Coady far more than I can remember in other games) is deliberate or not it needs to stop as it negates a lot of his passing range.

Agree that Doherty is not there again yet to last season's level - noticeable that when he was at his best he was looking towards to oppostion goal & receiving it going that way. Last night he received almost every ball facing our goal which meant that the ball inevitably went back again to get recycled. Just slowed it all down.

Cutrone was more than OK - should probably have taken 1 of his chances, but we know that Raul took more time than he has had so far to really get to grips with things and start firing. Don't think that he & Raul are a great fit if you play a front 2 though.

Have read on one or two other places that we should have been putting a minnow like this to bed easily - this is a club who have been in Europe for a number of years (& many more times than we have!) & were (losing) finalists in 2011 - they were always going to be difficult opponents.

Still a good evening thoug - met some of the Braga fans before the game & sort of had a conversation (not helped by none of them speaking english & me having no portuguese) though they seemed happy to be here (& were no doubt happier afterwards). Still we communicated to an extent aided by gestures ( I think most of them weren't offensive) & they were clearly enjoying themselves. Fortunately WMP didn't seem to treat them in as draconian way as they seemed to when Torino were here.

 

[Tony Towner]

I wonder is Dias was ever likely to come here if we'd have stumped up the £57m to get him? Probably not but he would have been ideal.

Spiers was the only person who ever linked us with him. I think someone was pulling his plonker

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Spiers was the only person who ever linked us with him. I think someone was pulling his plonker

It was a legitimate link.