Now that Bruno Lage’s Barmy Army has stopped ringing in my ear, it’s time to collect my thoughts.
The record book will say Wolves lost this fixture, but we certainly created enough chances for that not to be the case.
Adama Traore, so often the cause of our ecstasy and agony, should be going home the match winner.
How the Spaniard contrived to miss twice when through on goal is sure to be the cause of a few sleepless nights among the Wolves coaching staff.
But all in all, they can be satisfied with an impressive outing against one of the league’s standout teams.
It was great to be back amongst a raucous away following, especially one that was so fervently behind our new manager.
Handbrake football looks to be a thing of the past under Lage, with the gaffer evidently keen for his side to play on the front foot.
One beneficiary of the change in style is sure to be Ruben Neves, who looked every inch the midfield schemer we know he can be.
Finding a partner for him surely must be a key focus as the transfer window nears its end. Dendoncker and Moutinho didn’t do much wrong, but I’m not convinced either are the answer.
And, though I’m stating the obvious in saying so, the defence remains in need of major surgery.
Leicester targeted our high line from the off and, though we sprung the offside trap well, it was ultimately our undoing. Again, Marcal and Saiss didn’t perform poorly but neither fill me with confidence.
Indeed, you can’t help but glance enviously at today’s opponents. They had an embarrassment of riches on their bench, whereas ours was made up of kids.
Still, I’m sure Fosun know this. It’s hard to imagine Bruno accepting the job without receiving assurances he’d be backed in the transfer market.
On today’s evidence, two or three quality signings could be the difference between a season of progress or more of the same.
Expected Goals (xG)
Leicester 0.67 Wolves 1.33
xG is a statistical measurement of the quality of goalscoring chances in a game and the likelihood of them being scored.
On the 2nd half showing we showed promise. Vardy 1 chance, took it. Adama 2 and,……. well.
Overall, given most, including me, thought we would lose by a margin, was encouraging. Raul looked rusty, but made some good runs. Hoever was our weaker link, but Bruno must be pleased and we are not bottom. Biggest shout out, the fans who out sang the home library. Bring on Nuno.
– If Traore starts to score, clubs will come in and buy him. I’ll hold my breath until the window closes.
Did better than expected
Need Boly and Mosquera back
Get the feeling the lads will be up fit Nuno
First half could have been a Nuno masterclass from the back end of last season.
2nd half we at least saw the ideas that Bruno is trying to bring in. We also saw that Saiss and Moutinho need, if not instantly replacing, then competition for places. Coady didn’t have his best game for the Wolves, but not many did. Adama kept trying and Raul put himself about. Mild optimism for the future, but I think we’re still a couple of players light to be hoping to better last season at the moment.
Tim Steele on the wing Lage seems to have the same problems as Nuno had first half performances. Whitch was Nunos fault to defensively minded he has got to get there heads turned so they play for ninety minutes not 45 like Nuno had them doing.
100% Dek, we need to be ripping into teams from the off, flooding the box with goal scoring potential and hitting them hard. We seemed to try to do this a bit in the second half, but as you state, we were too slow to get going. Again.
Better than i thought Traore has to score but to only get beat 1-0 was a good result. But there lies the problem 17 attempts at goal only three on target we still need 3 or 4 new recruits so Lage can implement his way he wants us to play . A striker an attacking midfielder and at least 1 or 2 CD who can play In a back 4.
Missing 2 or 3 starters and no bench to speak of, that was a respectable performance, especially the 2nd half. Not sure why neither wing back were changed when we were chasing the game, but definitely some positive signs. Trincao has a beautiful touch but needs to do more, Raul looked a bit timid (understandably), Adama has to do better and we clearly need options whilst we wait for Neto n Podence. All said, I feared worse and a defeat is never good, but we certainly deserved something from a top 6 team who beat City last week, so let’s look on the positive side
The overall performance was reasonably good. What I worry about is our inability to strike in the key moments.
For all the positives after we went behind, the bottom line is we went behind – again. We’ve got to kick and scratch for that opening goal as it’s so important.
It was a great bit of play from their full-back and a top finish from Vardy, but Adama should have already put us ahead and that’s the difference.
Leicester sat back and waited to break after the interval and although we caused them plenty of grief, again, we couldn’t strike a dagger into their heart despite several huge chances.
I think Boly and Mosquera would both immediately make us more physically imposing at the back so I’m not as desperate as others for a centre half, but I do think a midfield partner for Ruben and another forward player are essential. If we’d had Neto and Podence fit, less so, but we can’t wait for them.
A reasonable beginning. Few would argue that we deserved at least a draw, and in the scond half there were encouraging signs of the pressing and attacking emphasis that Bruno boasts of.
But why do we continue to play so negatively in the first half ? Why, game after game, do we give ourselves a mountain to climb ?
However, what surely stands out is our inabilty to turn decent chances into goals. Today, several golden opportunities were abysmally spurned. Hopefully Raoul will continue his recovery, and goals will come from him, but surely the signing of another striker of proven ablity must be a main priority.
A word about Max Kilman. Today he was outstanding. Great positional sense, excellent well timed challenges ,and good on the ball. In short, he showed himself to be an excellent central defender. It must be right that he be given a run of games to establish himself and thus allow his self confidence to grow. My take is that we could have on our hands a defender who has been considerably under-rated, and who`s time may now be about to begin if he`s given the opportunities
Seventeen shots to nine, but only three on target.
Deja Vu all over again.
Groundhog Day.
Bruno says that Adama must improve his finishing.
That sounds familiar as well.
A spirited performance, but unless we start to put these chances away, we WILL struggle this season.
Good maybe but not quite good enough, same hard luck story as many times last year. Signings are needed that mean we are less likely to concede, how come Vestergaard was signed in less than a week, didn’t our recruitment team know his situation? If we are to become a front foot team we need players who can create but also savvy enough to keep the back door closed. It would be nice to actually take the lead and play with freedom , the stattos will tell us the last time that happened (and I don’t count Fulham away)and it might take an astrologer to forecast when it might happen in the future. Come on Jeff, give Bruno a fighting chance.
1 half= Nuno
2 half= Bruno, I hope.
But then speed at the back is a must. Coady…
Traore is an enigma.
He scares the shit out of opponents with his pace and trickery, and then misses a sitter.
But, and I will hold up my hand here as one of his biggest critics of late, I thought he was brilliant today, except obviously for his one on one miss.
I also thought Trincao was superb, and will be a great addition and foil to Raul.
We had one defensive lapse, one nil to them, which should have been their equalizer, not the winner.
For long periods second half we had them on the ropes, should have scored, and reduced them to time wasting whenever they could.
The ref was his usual uselessness, denying at least a var check when their new hulk bundled over Traore in the box. No mean feat, that.
Really looking forward to the season, that performance was better than most of last season.
And hats off to our fans, completely blanketed their pathetic library renderings all through the game.
Roll on next weekend, full Molineux, supposed top six team as opponents, and a huge welcome back for Nuno…………… before kick off.
Then laughing all the way home for the easy three points!
It’s already looking good, coz we will have our walking wounded back, and I’m sure a couple of new faces before the window shuts.
Hi Ho Woleramptun.
Bloody hell Clive ,have you been drinking or just had a spliff.
A new perspective on life.
You know me, shoot from the hippo.
I was expecting a thrashing, but we could have won, and made them look average.
A good game to watch and very encouraged for the future.
Agree entirely with the comments Clive (hello again, it’s been a long time), I agree, Traore is what he is, if he had the end product we all hope for he would be at City/PSG/Bayern. It’s just a matter of hoping he gets closer to it.
Trincao looked like a really good fit. He looked off the pace at the beginning and grew into the game, which is a great sign and shows he has the capacity to play in the Prem. Between (once all fit) Podence, Adama, MGW and Neto we have really good variety & directness and craft in our attacking midfield.
But where are the crosses to Jimenez? That’s for me the biggest difference from Nuno to Bruno.
Just got back . Wolves were good . We need a goal scorer . Should have got someone like Danny ings . Never mind . I really enjoyed watching the new aggressive version of Adama …excellent, think well do OK this season .
Utw
One major plus from the Bruno era that is already apparent, is the transformation of Nevez.
For the past couple of seasons under Nuno he went backwards. Now quite clearly he is enjoying his football again as the intensive defensive shackles have been lifted. Already we are seeing the brilliant midfielder of yore. And what a blessing this will be during this season
What we now urgently need is an all action warrior to play midfield alongside him. The sad thing is we may well have the ideal candidate already at the Club, but he`s endlessly been overlooked.
Owen Ottasowie.
This guy is really gifted. A huge engine and no little skill. Given a fair chance he could develop into a real player. Nuno didn`t fancy him, and it seems that Bruno is not prepared to give him any real opportunity either. In my view, selling him now for next to nothing in today`s terms, will prove to be a big error.
Agree Owen O is a big talent, but he only has one year left on his contract and he is refusing to sign a new one. So there lies the issue! We can keep him and develop him and then he leaves on an free in a year’s time or sell him now for 5M! Easy decision I think!
Maybe so. But surely there`s another potential outcome.
He wants to leave becasue he`s been given so few oportuinities relative to others of far less ability. The guy`s clearly frustrated. But what if he is given a decent chance to prrove himself, and he comes good ? Is it not likely that at that point he could respond positively and sign a new contract ?
My take is that given today`s inflated valuations, to sell him for around six million represents a huge undervaluation. What could we get as a replacement for that money ? Think of all the unprovens we keep on wasting for a few million here and there and promptly send out on loan, but who then prove to be inadequate. It might well be a better financical bet to gamble on Owen.
I wouldn’t disagree with anything you have said, but it begs the question, why has he not been given more opportunities to prove his ability ?
Is there something we are not privy to that his previous and current manager are ?
Could it be that he`s not Portuguese ? !!
As someone of Portuguese descent, I need to correct you. “Neves” is a Spanish name. He’s “Neves”. And, it’s pronounced Nevs.
I apology for the sanctimony.
The new style of play might suit a player like Rafa Mir better, because the wingers don’t produce a lot of crosses. Instead they run inwards towards the middle and produces shots on goal. Traore was really good at it against Leeds and was perhaps our biggest threat.Exciting to see how Mir fits into Lage’s philosophy – if he rejoins the pack. I would really like to see players like Ings and Origi in a Wolves shirt though.
I thought he was our biggest threat today but his finishing let him down.
Also felt Dendonker gave us impetus going forward.
Thought we deserved something and had the chances to get all three points.
If you can’t score the rest doesn’t matter.
Hopefully some positive signs for the weeks to come against lesser sides.
Haven’t seen the game yet as I have been out
Will comment when seen. But ……. You can only ever win if you score. Still, 1-0 is better than 3.
Kilman was superb and should be a fixture in the team, he just needs a decent centre back alongside him. Trincao looks good for someone with one leg. Overall, pleased with performance against a topnotch outfit. Our fans were superb and got to be best in the Prem.
Not that it counts for much but that’s the end of my patience with Traore. If he doesn’t want to sign a new contract, he can go. Sell him now and make a bit of money back from him.
He’s not changed from the player I watched tear Barry Douglas apart 4 years ago playing for Middlesbrough. He’ll beat you every time but 9 out of 10 times it doesn’t matter because his final ball is absolute dross time and again.
I don’t want to be negative because it’s actually a really creditable performance and after the first game against a really good team, there’s no point pressing the panic button. But I feel like today was a case of “what might have been” and Traore is also a case of that. Time for him to go IMO.
– What a hash verdict, and after only one match :=0
It’s not after one match though, is it? It’s after watching the same thing game after game for 3 years bar one purple patch he went through at the beginning of the 19-20 season.
I’ve not watched him once and said “This player is rubbish, get rid of him.” I’ve watched him flatter to deceive season after season. First game back and he’s doing the same thing yet again. You can’t afford to miss those chances against sides like Leicester and it would have completely changed the game.
He won’t sign a contract, he’s in his last season and so it’s time to make some money back from him while we still can before we’re letting him go for free in the summer and breaking FFP again.
Wholeheartedly agree.
So obvious we were worth a point and being more cynical we should of won..our new Goalie should of saved from Vardy and Traore as brilliant as he was all match should of had 2
Kiliman a goal too..
I just hope that Bruno has the ability to train Traore to finish.. he would be one of the best in the world ..Great to see Jimenez back
we need 3 points big time to get off the mark..That should be in our nxt game against Nuno …must be about evens..
– The Fifa shooting exercise with bullseyes within the goal mouth is really effective ;=)
If Traore finishing was better then he would be worth 50/60 million and he certainly wouldn’t be playing for the Wolves
This was my first game as a Wolves fan (I’m an American inspired to get into football as I am living abroad). It was a disappointing result, but to my beginner’s eye Adama looked as talented as anyone on the pitch.
Welcome Dylan. Enjoy the roller-coaster that is following Wolverhampton Wanderers FC!
Welcome to Wolves, Dylan. It’s great to have a ‘new’ fan. Enjoy.
Not as bad as I expected but still not good enough.
We still need reinforcements at the back. Arguably our defence is worse now than when we got promoted.
Don’t even start me on Traore, sell for a profit and move on.
Hopefully some new signongs in the next two weeks and we can then move forward.
Some promising signs but I find it hard to accept that a 1-0 loss to any team is a “good result”.
Is it time to let Traore go, cash in, and buy a couple of attacking players who may lack his pace but can actually score goals?
As exciting as he is, his runs end in disappointment too often; I wouldn’t mind him going if the funds were spent well.
Still hopeful for a good season but I’m afraid it all depends on what happens in the next few weeks of the transfer window on whether we finish in the top half or not.
Firstly, a big shout out to the travelling fans, who did a fair bit of shouting out themselves and completely drowned out the home contingent throughout the game. Bruno and the players must have loved it.
Leicester are the Cup holders and recently beat the PL champs, so they’re no mugs. We are in ‘transition’ and would hope to improve over the coming weeks and months. So we had no right to win this and we didn’t, but we put on a reet good show in that second half and despite his disappointment at the result, Bruno will have been pleased with many aspects of this outing.
Kilman was superb and I fear Nuno, having seen this, may come in for him. He obviously never realised how good he is. Marcal played another 90 without getting injured (a record?), though I would have liked to see Ait Nouri given a run when we were chasing the game. Similarly Semedo on the other side.
Ruben Neves was back to his peerless best and Trincao grows each game he plays. The less said about Adama’s miss(es) the better, but I just love it when he gets on the ball and that excitement is hard to replace.
Raul is back. No goals today, but they will come and he brings so much more to the team. So sorely missed last season, but so good to see him return as the pivot on which all we do well revolves.
Altogether very encouraging and the team, and the fans, seem to enjoy our new, more adventurous, style.
COYW
Encouraging display, I like what Lage is trying to do and we were unlucky not to get a point.
Leicester are probably the best team outside of the big boys and they had to bring on an extra centre half and run the ball into the corner to see out time. We’re still a work in progress but some good signs.
In terms of Traore, he has had one good season out of three and now only has two years left on his contract. We should have sold him last summer for £50m, we’ll do well to get £35m now and next summer might get back the £18m we paid for him. Time to cash in.
Of course, with the return of Raul and the partnership they had previously, he could be back up to £60mill or better still, he could sign a new contract.
I enjoy your posts, you are always a balanced voice of reason.
If Lage can persuade Traore to sign a new contract I would gladly keep him as a wildcard, but if not then now is the prudent time to sell and it wouldn’t surprise me if he did go before the end of the window with Liverpool still sniffing around.
Traore, Mir and Otasowie could give us a transfer pot of £50m to refresh the squad.
Very difficult to pass judgment after only seeing MOTD highlights. But was a lot better than I was expecting. And, tbh, I did not really know what to expect. My prediction was based on our past encounters and recent recruitment and how I felt Leicester would come out the stronger side. Well it has proved that I was correct, they scored and we failed to score. In my opinion though, when you have a couple of glorious opportunities to score, you must score. So, even though Traore had a very good game, his failings cost us points.
It’s important to highlight Max Kilman’s performance from yesterday’s game. He is one of our most underrated players, but rarely makes mistakes, is solid and goes about his business with quiet confidence. He was our second highest rated player yesterday with 7.27. He made 5 clearances, 3 tackles, 2 interceptions, and won 2 offsides. He made 63 passes, second only to Saiss (64) with 82.5% accuracy. It was a good game for him, again.
Which begs the question, who was our player of the match ? With a score of 8.27, it was, yes you guessed it, Adama Traore. Despite some of the comments against him ( which after over 2 years of constant criticism, no longer surprises ), he was our best player. For his critics, who, quite rightly point out he could and should have scored yesterday, I would point out that it was he who created most of our chances and was by far our biggest threat.
I would also suggest that of all the Wolves players, it was Traore who suffered most from Raul’s absence last season. Why ? Because in 2019/20, the most lethal partnership bar none in the Premier League was …… you guessed it, Jimenez and Traore. The next best partnership – De Bruyne and Aguero. They had developed their relationship and were really that good.
With Raul back and Traore back to creating chances, there are real reasons for optimism and more reasons to be cheerful.
And so, back to Max Kilman. I for one hope he keeps his place. I think over the last year or so he’s more than earnt it !
UTW
I don’t think much about stats Muttleigh. I just love to watch him play.
A good start to the season, hopefully we can only go upwards from here. We certainly held our own, and looked like we were going to take all the marbles in the second half. Yes Traore missed a sitter (or two), but the excitement when he had the ball gave me the goosebumps i needed.
One easy improvement i would like see, is removing some of those off-side errors. We saw quite a few of those that could have lead to good chances.
Kilman – i always liked him and he showed just what he is capable of. Calm and assured in defense, not afraid to travel the ball up, and in the right place when the crosses come for corner kicks. He needs some work on his headers (he was close to putting one away in the friendlies too), but i want to see more of him. Under-sung talent.
Was disappointed not to see Ait-Nouri play, particularly in the second half when we were chasing – he is another player i would like to see more of.
Looking forward to the next game to see what Bruno is working on. Win or lose, i want to be entertained, and i was. Wins will come, and soon i feel.
A bit mystified as to why, when chasing the game from the 41st minute, we have a £35 million striker sitting on the bench until the final minute by which time he was too late to even get on to the pitch. In the intervening 48 minutes no one actually on the pitch appeared to be able to hit a barn door despite us being right on top.
No mystery there PJB. He was left sitting on the bench because Bruno has already recognised what most of us have accepted for a long time.
He`s useless.
The massive payment we made was a dreadful mistake. Silva is nowhere near ready for the Premiership. He`d struggle to get a game in most Division 1 teams. For now we should send him off to plod around at Grasshoppers and concentrate on guys who can actually play
Or maybe it’s because Bruno is training him to be a second striker and we were all over them in a 343 and the formation didn’t have to change?
And still didn’t score and returned with null points.
Spent a good part of yesterday waiting in the ER for x-rays after a bicycle accident. Fortunately no broken bones. Just a lot of swelling and bruising from tissue damage. My forearms look like Popeye’s. Could have been much worse, so grateful I actually walked away.
Perhaps this gave me a bit more perspective when watching the replay of the game. Or perhaps I bumped my head a little harder than I remember. 🙂 But I thought almost everyone had a good game, and honestly exceeded my expectations compared to what I had observed and read about in pre-season.
I mean, yes, we lost, just 1-0, away to one of the best teams in the league. No huge shame there and no need for anyone to fall on their sword. Yes, we missed chances, but so did Leicester to be fair. I agree we possibly deserved a point. Main difference between the teams really was the clinical finish from Vardy who reminds me of our Bully in his day. Just give him half a chance and he’d bury it.
If this team can grow in confidence and match fitness over the next few games, I think we’ll do ok. Not going to win the league but shouldn’t be scrapping it either. You could tell players are still getting used to each other. Raul is still a few matches away from being his 100% self. Adama and Trincao will come good. And roll on Neto and Podence when they recover … I think we’re ok. If Mir comes back better still. But we can’t be far off up front.
Midfield and defence, I agree, are the areas where a little strengthening could make a huge difference. Many of us have said for a long time now how we need that Alex Rae or Kenny Hibbit type of battling warrior, and we do. MGW is not the answer and if we keep pursuing trying to make that work, it will continue to lead nowhere. He’s a decent player but not good enough for what we need alongside Neves. We need someone a lot more tenacious, creative, and able to score a fair few himself. Not MGW.
At the back, I thought all were decent on the day. I agree Kilman was the best of the bunch and I hope he grows in strength and stature as the games go on. I didn’t think Coady had a particularly good game. I know he’s an international bench-warmer now, and many get excited about that, but I’m not sure he is what we need to change the system. I still think another classic solid CB a la Boly would go a long way to reinforce.
But I really think we’re not far off. It’s only one game, so let’s see going forward. A lot has to come together in training yet, but I’m feeling more optimistic than before the game.
Let’s give the players a break and give them some time to gel with a new manager, new system, and new or renewed partnerships.
Com on Wanderers!
Spot on assessment – hope you recover quickly !
Thank you Mutt1eigh. The anti-inflammatories seem to be doing their job. Training for a half-ironman atm, so that may have to be put on hold for a couple of weeks, but other than that, I was lucky to walk away with all my big bits and pieces still more or less where they belong. I’ll put my time to watching more of the Wolves instead. 😉
Great Post as ever GW, sensible and balanced. Hope you are not too damaged. Bicyclisting is a dangerous thing me thinks!
Quote on BBC website.
Phil Halfpenny: Makes you wonder what Wolves were thinking… Nuno has to be up there with one of the most solid managers.
Bruno and Co. That should fire us up for our first (of many) 3 points at the Mol.
Yeah but it was also said that Doherty did not start as Nuno wanted to start with a better defender. So why did he decide to put him on when they were hanging on to a 1-0 lead.
One result don’t a summer swallow make, or summat like that.
Let’s see the reception he gets at the Mol, when his lot are three down after fifteen minutes!!
I think you need to reassess MGW, he has developed recently and deserves another chance this season IMO.
Totally agree, Slider. I was one who questioned his ability to progress and said this wa the time to prove himself. He looks a real player now, stronger and confident enough to compete; he’s grown…
Nuno got his team to beat Man City. Brings back memories. Just saying.
Hearing Nuno being interviewed after the Spurs win, hugging the players and talking of ‘the fans’ just seems SOOOO wrong.
Do you think we ought to make him send his Doctorate back?
And, if he gets £150 million for Kane, should we be worried about him coming back on a shopping spree?
If you put yourself in his place, other than Neves or Neto, who might he actually want to buy? I don’t think we have to worry too much about hanging on to any of our other “stars”.
I know Mark, but he has gone now and I wish him all the best. Dreading Sunday though. Are you coming up for it? I am coming down. Will text you when I get to Wolverhampton.
We’ll be there.
Hope to see you.
I only saw the end of the 1st half & the 2nd half but I thought there were plenty of positives to take. Kilman was brilliant, Neves looking more himself & Traore looking threatening – I’m not one of the useless sell him gang!
Hopefully Fosun looked at our bench & have realised that signings badly needed sooner rather than later!
They’ve now got a week training to improve. Onwards to Spurs.
“I’m not one of the useless sell him gang! ”
I don’t think anyone is saying he’s “useless”, I certainly am not!, only that he has limitations which aren’t going to take us to a new level.
How many goals did he score last season? 3? And he couldn’t have made many assists given the number we scored.
I won’t argue that he’s not exciting. I love to watch him taking on defenders but being able to run defenders ragged doesn’t win matches, although usually it would help.
It seems we need to sell in order to buy and I’d prefer it to be Traore than Neto or Neves; the only other two who will command a big asking price.
Getting £40million for Traore would buy us 2-3 genuine goalscorers.
If we didn’t need to raise cash I’d love to keep him as an “impact” player but I don’t think that’s fair on Traore.
Very good post, Jack. It’s true that Adama is our only likely source of goals until Raul’s understandable rustiness goes and AT’s record to date does not convince us that this aspect of his game is likely to improve. His partnership with Raul was impressive and could be again. However, I doubt it whilst we play more to feet until Raul’s confidence in heading is regained. We must trust Bruno to make the right decisions. Saturday’s game was typical of many last season, skilful and dominant at times but no end product. No need to worry yet and by October we should have a much better idea what the season holds for us.
Given the recent evidence of our recruitment policy, spending wisely any funds raised by sales must be very much in doubt. £40 million wouldn’t necessarily get us one genuine goalscorer never mind 2-3. I’d therefore much rather have the bird in the hand where Traore is concerned.
There’s something in what you say, but he’s one of those players that puts bums on seats .We and opposing fans go to games to see this type of player who does things others dream of; I just wish scoring was one of them.
To see him in full flow is worth the cost of a ticket alone; he draws players like a magnet and creates space for others to exploit.
As a squad we need to improve our shooting and heading skills or get in guys who will. Bruno’s approach is a work in hand and is showing some promise but, like you, i feel the finishing is letting us down…
Yeah don’t include “all of us” in your opinion.
I was actually referring to the response on social media about him rather than this blog!
Forgetting the first half (becoming a habit), how did we lose that game? We need some shooting practice learning how to get a good body shape, head over the ball, etc. It has always driven me mad as to how pro players cannot keep the ball low and on target.
Pleased with the performance apart from that and I thought Kilman was outstanding along with Traore. Seeing the old Neves back does my heart good and the new lads look very able. It’s good that Bruno is allowing him and others off the reins, which they seemed to enjoy in the second half.
Some of the lads need to remember how good Jimenez is at finishing as he was in better positions a couple of time for a chance on goal.
In my opinion we are still short of three players to give us a real chance of a go at the big boys, but most of us seem to appreciate that. Some good signs again but results mean everything. Hurry up Sunday for a rocking Molineux and a remembrance of those we have lost including, hopefully, my little brother; RIP, Steve…
What a brilliant start to the PL season! Wonderful start to see see Brentford stick it up the Gunners at their new stadium and then finish with Nuno diddling Pep, ….yet again.
In the middle a Newcastle collapse and …and well another Wolves performance that could have been a good point.
As Brighton demonstrate Xg doesn’t translate well to the real league table and we are still short of players who can shoot on target.
Its been said by others here that we may have to sell in order to buy,
If so we are not exactly stuffed with valuable and dispensable squad members
You may be interested to look at this link
https://www.transfermarkt.us/wolverhampton-wanderers/startseite/verein/543
The bad news is that Neves is our most valuable player at $49.5m
Dendoncker and Traore both at $33m….no, I’m not tempted either
The weird number is the Young Prince at $27.5m….take it!! But even Transfermarkt is only so accurate
I’m thinking that Fosun should not be selling but putting a solid $40-50m into a midfielder who will do what Fernandes does for Manure…create AND score.
this is urgent ….just saying
Then we have time to see how Mr Lage can develop the various talent we already have…from Kilman to Otasowie and hopefully MGW too. This could be a good team once Raul is fully recovered and Neto/Jonny return
But there is a missing link….just saying
It will be interesting to watch how Nuno aims to dismantle our (his old) defence…fast runs to embarrass Coady and Saiss perhaps? Oh ..go on then.. lets buy a quick central defender too in the next few weeks. Or is that Mosquera??
We’re not far off a really good PL side…but inaction could leave us floundering in the bottom half as there don’t appear to be any obvious candidates for the bottom 3 slots
Interesting times lie ahead
OODCL
Good performance. Should have left with a point. Difference was Vardy was able to finish. I always say look at where we are after 10 games. For me 10 points would be an absolute minimum. About 12 to 15 is acceptable. You have to give time for the new coach and his methods. They need time to kick in. I am convinced we will see at least 2 new faces of the quality Bruno requires. So that needs to be factored in as well. We should remember that we are actually a decent side any way. We wont be in any trouble. Look forward to Nuno back at the Temple. I will give him the respect he deserves before the game. But once the whistle goes I wish him nothing but despair. Wolves ay we!
We need to play for the whole 90 minutes not just 45 saying that what a 45 minutes.
I’m in Huntstanton Norfolk and bumped into a few Foxes fans who thought we should of won on our second half showing.
Still need those recruits if we get injuries to key players again we will be in trouble squad not good or big enough.it a long season.
With an instinctive flourish was the difference in the end. How the cluck he managed that is a mystery, even after replays. In fact if you watch the match over & over again, Wolves win 2-1 in the end.
10+ goals for Traore this season would be nice, just to shut the moaners up. Oh and a double over the Carrots.
Looking forward to Dr Nunos return, should be fun watching that play out, a proper test of character early doors.
1 lv & COYW.
I’m fascinated by the binary buy or sell comments regarding Adama.
Law of averages says if he keeps getting chances he will score goals and he’s certainly getting chances.
But the bottom line for me is football is all about entertainment and every time he gets the ball bums leave seats.
Agreed.
He did on Saturday what I’ve been advocating for ages, he ran at their defense, from different positions, and scared the crap out of them.
He just needs to keep going, into the box, where he will:
a. shoot and score/miss.
b. get tackled fairly.
c. get tackled unfairly and win a penalty.
d. Get tackled unfairly and the ref bottles it. VAR says it’s not a clear and obvious error.
Interesting quote from the Guardian/Observer review of the match:
“Adama Traoré is one of the most exciting players in the Premier League and also the subject of one of the most ridiculous statistics: his total top-flight goal tally, at the age of 25, is seven.”
Seems unlikely he’s going to get 10+ this season but, if he stays, I hope I’m wrong.
It’s a little like going out on the pull on a Saturday night: the chase is very exciting but, if you don’t get your leg over, it’s ultimately just frustrating.
…. a little like going out on the pull on a Saturday night: the chase is very exciting but, if you don’t get your leg over, it’s ultimately just frustrating…
Can’t say I can relate to that . Every time I went out on the pull I did get my leg over ?
After most nights out on the pull, I used to end up with both feet down one trouser leg and falling out the window, just before her husband came in.
Do you live in Borsall Heath though? In which case your boast is a bit hollow. Even Adama would score every Saturday playing for Scunthorpe or Charlton Athletic.
Adama can go tomorrow for me.. Too many times has Flatted to deceive Get what we can and move on.
tammy to roma 34 mill
would have been nice at the moll
The word from ITK contacts at my local club Chelsea is that he’s trouble. If that’s the case I’d rather have Tammy Wynette! Chelsea wanted a D-I-V-O-R-C-E from Tammy Abraham.
Very disappointing that Owen otasowie is on his way to Bruges for 3.5m . Ones for the future seems to be more about ones to be sold at a profit as soon as possible. I will reserve final judgement until the transfer window closes but I’ve seen no evidence yet of action consistent with a team striving to get into the champions league. Has anyone else?
Hopefully with a tasty sell-on clause
Otasowie refused to sign a new contract and would have been on free transfer by the end of this season so we got £3.5m for him instead of nothing.
Bruges will be competing in the Champions League and he’ll be on a nice little earner.
Players leaving isn’t always down to Fosun’s greed or lack of ambition; sometimes (often?) it’s down to the players.
3.5mil for someone who has played 202 minutes in the prem, with a huge Sell-on cause. Great business for a below average player
Why are people assuming there is a (huge) sell on clause? Where is the evidence of that?
Evidence?
Now THAT would be a novelty!
A sell-on clause is quite common, especially when selling younger players. Often it’s some huge ludicrous clause like €50mil just to cover all future eventualities, and XX percent to the original selling club. Wolves would have the upper hand with Otasowie. His contract has a year to run but with an option of a further year. If he wanted to move so badly, Wolves could play hardball with clauses, or simply exercise the option to extend his contract for the further year unless the clauses were accepted.
He was offered a contract but declined it.
It’s my birthday Saturday, 54 the wife asked me what I wanted I said two defenders, a midfielder and a striker.
I said if you can get them before Sunday 12:00 it would be the best present ever as I’ve got a ticket for the match…….. here’s hoping..!