League Cup

Ipswich 3 Wolves 2

When you’re two up against a Championship side playing their reserves, you’ve got to win.

Another goal for Hwang in another defeat

Ipswich are flying and credit to them for fighting back to deservedly progress. I was envious of the urgency, fluidity and purpose to their play.

But make no mistake, the Tractor Boys were out to pasture after 15 minutes with Wolves looking tidy in their 343 shape – two goals in the bag and impudently stroking the ball around Portman Road.

I was already half plotting this very report, purring over the Doyle and Traore centre mid partnership and the welcome aerial dominance of Santi Bueno.

But then it all just fell apart.

Sloppy possession, loose defending and questionable goalkeeping saw us all the way back to square one before the interval.

Some might say it’s harsh to criticise Dan Bentley but I think Sa would have kept out at least one of those efforts.

I’d hoped for a half time reset but it was Ipswich who came out hungrier and got their reward with a wonder goal.

Wolves couldn’t respond and the inevitable changes that came did little to aid any sort of fightback.

Fraser barely got a kick, Cunha ran around without testing the keeper and Fabio spent more time hugging defenders than he did getting himself in the box. There was no shape or structure to the side at this point meaning an equaliser was fanciful at best.

Santi Bueno should have done better with a glorious headed chance, having already got on the end of one for Toti’s goal. But overall, I thought he showed encouraging signs in what turned out to be a difficult night for the team.

I’d hoped for more from Kalajdzik at the other end but after he setup the opening goal for Hwang, he didn’t have a significant say on the game, albeit with increasingly limited service.

That Doyle and Boubacar partnership in the middle became more strained as Ipswich seized control but I think both of them can feel reasonably good about their efforts, with the latter using those long legs to glide forward on several occasions.

The team as a collective remains a massive worry. Whatever the combination, we’re just not quite good enough in any game when faced with meaningful resistance.

Where are the results coming from?

It already feels like Gary O’Neil is under pressure and it most certainly feels like Saturday is going to be a long old afternoon.

Wolves 5 Blackpool 0

Blackpool, Blog, League Cup

When the weatherman says it’s rainin’, you’ll never hear me complainin‘.

Yes, the forecast called for a dry, cloudy evening but it was pouring goals at Molineux tonight with Wolves making a splash.

Our second string side lacked any pace or width so it was all about picking Blackpool off with fluid passing through the lines. One paced at times but ultimately very effective.

It suited the likes of Doherty, Sarabia and Jonny to a tee. They luxuriated in stroking it around and waiting for the right moments.

Pablo showed how effective he can be – albeit against meagre opposition – with incisive runs in behind and lots of disguised through balls.

Fabio and Sasa both profited from his work, finishing calmly to all but settle the game inside 25 minutes.

Blackpool had their say, hitting the woodwork twice and blocking Wolves in their defensive third for extended periods. They were probably worth at least one goal on the balance of play, but were ultimately restricted to pot shots from distance before being soundly punished on the counter as the game developed.

Matt Doherty, playing at walking pace for much of the contest, picked his moments like the seasoned pro he’s become and showed the quality in front of goal we know he possesses. I think he should be in the team on Sunday.

It was great to see Nathan Fraser get what I believe is his first goal in professional football and several other youngsters get minutes under their belts.

Less pleasing was Joe Hodge pulling his hamstring, which almost certainly rules him out for a spell and further reduces Gary O’Neil’s ever shrinking options in midfield. Please do something about that Jeff.

Boubacar Traore did some good and not so good things but I can forgive him for being rusty with such limited game time in recent months.

Wolves were wasteful in possession at times and Traore, Toti and one or two others will have to sharpen up if they’re to force their way into first team contention.

But, we scored five, we didn’t concede and we’re through to the next round.

I ain’t complainin’.

Nottingham Forest 1 Wolves 1 (Forest win 4-3 on penalties)

Blog, League Cup, Nottingham Forest

Had we won the game in normal time, which we should have done, the predictable misery of the shootout would have been avoided.

That’s one positive to extract from another painful evening of cup football at least.

Some class in the performance but little afterwards

Wolves were the better side and showed a lot more quality in the game, even if, as we’ve seen so many times this season, we didn’t convert that superiority into a result.

Henderson was the hero, saving from Raul and Hwang in the first half and then keeping out two, albeit soft, spot kicks to take Forest into the last four.

They didn’t do a lot from open play, other than force a corner in and benefit from the mother of deflections for the shot that came back off the post in the second half.

But then again, for all our possession, we failed to really convert those give and goes into meaningful output, other than the fine goal that was finished off by Raul for the equaliser.

I felt Wolves should have pushed harder to get the win in the regulation 90 because the game was there for them with the right decision making in the final third.

Lopetegui was ringing the changes throughout and it’s hard to know if they benefitted the team or hindered progress.

Traore was erratic and poor overall but by contrast, Cunha did a lot of good things, including the cross for Raul’s goal and scoring his penalty in the shootout.

I like the look of our new forward and was surprised he wasn’t handed a start in this game. The manager has a big call to make on Saturday.

With Nunes starting to find his feet and plenty of others enhancing their reputations in the last week there are options everywhere for Julen to consider.

The performances are coming under his leadership, but we’ve got to start collecting results.

Wolves 2 Gillingham 0

Blog, League Cup

If it wasn’t for a world class coach now leading the Wolves ship, I’d struggle to make a case for surviving the drop.

We’re a team leaking goals at one end and allergic to scoring at the other. The latter reached absurd levels, though, against a Gillingham side sitting bottom of the Football League (though if I was online betting, I don’t think they’ll go down based on this stoic performance).

For too long the passing and movement was painfully slow and in front of a Gillingham defence that sat deeper than the Titanic. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Wolves were crying out for someone to take a risk and play a ball through the lines or make a run into space. But that’s the problem with this team – they want to do it the easy way. They expected Gillingham to roll over and panic at the first sign of some pretty but ultimately risk-averse passing.

And when better outfits need to be pressed, Wolves can’t be bothered and expect the opposition to give the ball back. We’re predictably picked off.

On his day, Podence is Wolves’ most creative outlet, but tonight he was infuriating. Rather than producing a killer pass or making a clever run, we were treated to aimless flicks. As for Guedes, he didn’t look interested, neither did Costa.

It was pleasing to see Lopetegui take a proactive approach with his substitutions but Adama should have been busting a gut to show Guedes and Podence how it’s done. Frankly, he couldn’t summon the energy to take on his man.

One positive was Hwang continuing his World Cup form. There’s an air of confidence about him, and I wouldn’t hesitate to start him at Everton.

But make no mistake, if Julen wasn’t already aware, he has a massive task on his hands keeping Wolves up when we look so toothless going forward.

Lopetegui and the promise of a host of January signings is our last hope.

Wolves 1 Leeds United 0

Blog, League Cup, Leeds, Uncategorized

In a game already lacking quality it was even more difficult than usual to see where the always elusive Wolves goal was coming from in those final moments.

Neves, Guedes and Traore were withdrawn and the team looked too disjointed to conjure anything meaningful.

Credit to Collins for stepping forward, winning possession in their half and setting Podence away. It was a lovely reverse pass to find Boubacar and a sweet finish to send us through.

Let’s not forget Traore also assisted Guedes for his goal against Brighton at the weekend. He probably wasn’t brought in for attacking returns but they’re welcome all the same. He’s been a positive in a season that’s so far given us few.

It might have been nothing more than a 10 minute cameo but I also liked the look of Dexter Lembikisa. He’s only just turned 19 but like Bueno seems to have the physical attributes and the intensity to play at first team level.

That’s another youth product Steve Davis has blooded on a night when Hodge and Ronan were both handed starts and performed admirably in the midfield. The latter unlucky not to find the net himself in the second half with the keeper producing a fine save.

It was far from smooth sailing though and as Leeds fans have been at great pains to point out, they deployed an entirely second string side and could easily have snatched the tie themselves with momentum constantly shifting from one end to the other.

Sarkic made some important early saves in a panic stations five minutes and surviving that storm allowed Wolves to work their way into the game.

Considering it was a first choice back four we looked more vulnerable than we perhaps should have done but restricted Leeds to little after that initial onslaught.

Wolves didn’t produce much themselves prior to the goal but Guedes again looked sharp and Hwang did well enough in a thankless lone forward role that doesn’t suit his game.

It wasn’t a performance to give us belief we can take the game to the league leaders on Saturday but the result in isolation will be a handy boost to morale.

In the current climate that will do for me.

Wolves 2 Preston North End 1

Blog, League Cup, Preston North End

The victory and two wonderful goals mean I’ll blunt my criticism over some of the less pleasing aspects of this performance.

It couldn’t have started much better with Raul lurking at the back post to convert a devastating move that saw Ait-Nouri register a long overdue assist from all that incisive running.

Deserved adulation for a wonderful strike

With Traore blasting in a Goal of The Season contender on the half hour and Nunes teasing moments of quality that show what he could deliver in a gold shirt, it was all going splendidly well.

Then the failure to convert the penalty (which Raul clearly should have taken) and a sloppy sequence of play that saw Preston pull a goal back changed the game.

Wolves were still largely in control through sustained spells of possession but the visitors tightened up defensively and on the occasions they did get forward threatened to complete the comeback.

Well done to them for taking it all the way. For Wolves, holding on and making it through at least gives them some sort of foothold in this jittery start to the season.

Nunes was the main positive with those incredible slaloming runs through tackles combined with the physicality to be as effective without the ball and dominate opposition. He certainly has qualities we’ve been lacking, as if we didn’t know that already.

I think Traore deserves a hearty pat on the back too for diversifying his game, looking for those inside passes and not just running down the line to cross.

There were murmurs of discontent in the crowd for his reluctance to continually attack his full back but you can’t criticise him for lack of end product and then also moan when he attempts (successfully) to alter that narrative.

There’s probably a strong chance he leaves in the next week but I hope he stays and I’m certain it would be to Wolves benefit.

The strength of the starting XI combined with the quality of the substitutions Lage was able to introduce show that the squad is shaping up nicely. With some luck we could go far in this competition so I hope he continues to take it seriously.