It’s best to take the positives in life right now, never mind a game of football.
A point against an upwardly mobile Southampton side, who should really have won but for typical Walcott wastage, is one to take from this game, not to mention an impressive reaction to falling a goal behind.
We fashioned 20 attempts on goal, more than in any game since returning to the Premier League, and a four-at-the-back formation feels like a wholly unexpected break from the norm – and a welcome one at that.
But while Aït-Nouri and Semedo continue to look so kamikaze in their defensive duties, it’d be a surprise if Nuno continues with the experiment for very much longer once Coady and Saiss return.
Necessity was the mother of invention in this case and it made for an entertaining game, which is something we’ve all been crying out for of late.
But while Diogo Jota remains the daddy up at Anfield with almost as many goals as our entire team put together, talk of this unprecedented change in formation won’t completely erase one unfortunate juxta-position that refuses to go away. Best not to dwell on this negative though, for the sake of our sanity.
What we’ve lost in Diogo (and Doherty for that matter), we’ve gained in potential. We’re potentially very good, with enough technical dexterity to switch to a 4-3-3 and more potential solutions to affect games off the bench.
But our decision-making is befitting of an inexperienced side; squandering possession needlessly when pegging our opponents back or giving away soft fouls in maddening fashion when the Saints were gasping for air. In another positive to take from all this, we can presume that we’ll improve in this aspect as the season continues. Ergo, we’ll look a better side.
At present, Aït-Nouri cuts an uncanny resemblance to a ‘90s Jamie Smith, offering similar excitement going forward and a general air of worry in the other direction. Nelson Semedo is also concerning in a back five, never mind a four.
That this back four featured Max Kilman in another unflustered performance is another plus point from the game, which was largely entertaining featuring two largely capable sides without one or two proven performers.
In a Covid-19 environment minus Captain Coady-16, this could have been an evening to add to the general malaise of lockdown.
A handy point and a handful of positives is no bad thing.
I’m not sure I agree saints should have won this one. Their goalkeeper made some great saves and despite the usual possession anomaly the stats say we had the chances.
Ait Nouri looks good going forward but I still think he’ll be a liability in a 5. Otherwise given it was a bit of an experiment I don’t think we were too bad at all.definitely a glass half full performance.
Hi Prawny. My point was more that Walcott should really have made it 2-0 and had he done, we’d have lost. Thankfully he missed and the press all fawned over him anyway. I agree, a glass half full performance. Important to take the positives.
I actually thought Rui had it just about covered but as we know better than most, close isn’t close enough.
I don’t know if I’d have felt the same if we’d have been pinned back to 1-1 but coming back from 1-0 I feel reasonably satisfied with this result
You’re right mate. Nobody mentioned on the commentary last night but the angle from behind the goal showed that Rui had indeed got the shot covered.
But, having said that, Walcott should have buried it.
I thought we rose quite well to the challenge of life without Coads, especially as Saiss being unavailable meant there was no obvious replacement. Sure, there were holes ata the back at times, but Rui didn’t really need to be at his best to keep the Saints at bay. Their goal came after a borderline foul on the young left back which rendered us short of numbers and forced the backline to shuffle across to cover. Sure, Semedo was slow to react but Walcott found a space which wouldn’t normally be there.
But we definitely showed more urgency and, despite not actually scoring, we went toe to toe in the first half and their keeper was far the busier, especially from Daniel’s terrific glancing header.
Overall, I’m a happy bunny this morning and I feel Nuno will be too. He will, however, have some decisions to make in the upcoming games as we proved that 3@the back isn’t the only show in town.
In my opinion that was a great improvement on previous performances. If the Southampton keeper had not produced a great mom performance we could have been out of site by half time. Walcot’s goal would have been a consolation for them.
Must admit I was as suprised as anyone else to see 4 at the back but thought the lads gave a reasonable performance with Kilman once again showing he will be around for a long time. Like others I am concerned about the seeming lack defensive ability in Samedo and Ait Nouri but we cannot expect 100% perfection in every position.
All in all quite happy with a point without Coady. Bring on Arsenal at the weekend, hopefully 3 points and a step towards the top.
I still think Semedo is adjusting to the pace of the game here Tipton. I wouldn’t be too worried long term. His reaction to the goal said everything you need to know about his character. He knew he’d messed up. The team may not be as skilful as the one he’s left but the game is faster.
And Ait Nouri is still a baby. He’s a year younger than my boy who is still under instruction in how to wash dishes!
Great summation mate. I was nodding along with it all the way through.
Some sporadic thoughts…
– The formation took a giant bite out of our organisation and control of the game. It was the most erratic I’ve seen us under Nuno. That said, you can’t argue with 20 shots on goal. Although I would have bitten your arm off for the point at 1-0, on balance we probably should have won.
– The goal conceded would have been prevented had Coady been patrolling the penalty box. Similarly, when Walcott got in a second time, the back four were sleeping and not communicating. If we stick with this shape I think the personnel needs changing, but I can’t see Nuno allowing us to be this open at the Emirates.
– In the first half Southampton looked like a team that knew what they were doing and Wolves a team that were trying to figure it out. We didn’t seem to know when to press and when to standoff, which opened up pockets of space all over the pitch. In the second half we smothered them, especially in that nice spell either side of the equaliser, which could have brought a few more goals.
– The only point I’d disagree with you on Ben was Semedo who I thought had a good game, save for possibly being to blame for not picking up Walcott. Ait-Nouri was erratic and I think needs a bit more polish before becoming a regular. I don’t think Marcel would have got muscled out in the lead up to their goal and he would be back in at Arsenal if I was picking the side.
– Traore has to play. Although I like Podence and Neto they’re much easier for the opposition to marginalise. Even when Adama was on the periphery of the game he was still being chopped down and winning free-kicks in good areas. He forces teams to adjust and attackers to defend. We can’t afford the luxury of keeping him in reserve. In the first half, he frustrated me because he was too passive, but threw his weight around more in the second and gave us what we needed. Maybe it was just a case of shaking off the rust having sat out the last month?
– Oh yeah, and why the hell did the ref not book Romeu for pulling back Podence in our first attack? Or any of their defenders for sything down Traore? And yet, the first tackles from our guys are yellows. It’s not being pedantic, it changes the whole course of the game. If you’re marking Podence or Traore and you’re on a yellow card you won’t make the same tackles. It would have given us a big advantage to free them up a bit.
– Raul was terrible but all is forgiven for getting that shot off. Unlucky with the bullet header given offside too. Much like Traore, he only needs to come alive for a moment to turn a game. It would just be nice if he did it a bit more often. There was a lot of loose touches and bad decisions on a night that should have given him the opportunity to have a greater say.
– Don’t know why Nuno decided to take Podence off for Vitinha. We had them well and truly rattled with constant overloads down the left. I would have kept at it to the end.
– What’s happened to our set-pieces? Moutinho and Neves don’t look like they can hit a barn door. And all our corners are short. Of course we miss the Jota/Doc contributions but we’re also long overdue a Neves scorcher and a towering Boly header. They’re normally good for four or five goals between them and we need those contributions.
This is spot on Thomas.
For me , Semedo played well and considering a) he’s new to the club, b) new to the League and c) will have missed Coady ‘s presence, his enthusiasm and willingness to maraud forward is encouraging. The chip over Bertrand for Traore to chase will be a useful tool when it’s honed.
Ait-Nouri is a lot less polished but as a first team player will need to learn quickly. His challenge prior to Walcott’s goal was lightweight and from the wrong angle, He needs to sharpen up and bulk up a bit, our old friend Elokobi would have wiped the guy out with or without the ball, Jonny would have dropped off and nicked it as it bounced. As the play progressed with Ait Nouri on the floor, Semedo was drawn out of shape and didn’t recover to pick up Walcott. Kilman was impressive, however the cross should have been blocked.
Coady would have dealt with the situation with his voice.
A point gained from a losing position is a positive but should not become a habit.
If Rui had been as busy as McCarthy I would be more worried.
Possession Wolves 45% Southampton 55%
Shots on goal Wolves 20 Southampton 7
On target Wolves 9 Southampton 2
Corners Wolves 7 Southampton 4
But for a performance of the season from the Southampton MOTM according to their fans we would have buried this out of sight.
Have to disagree on both Traore and Semedo.
Traore was very subdued the whole game and looked a shadow of the Traore we know.
Semedo this guy is class, he will grow and grow and become better and better as he gets used to PL football.
Looks like Mr & Mrs Lowves, Jen de Wolf and I are heading back to the Golden Palace. If they’re letting the fans back in depending on the Tier level we’re in, we should be set to qualify on our Gold away points.
Ait-Nouri tends to pass backwards most of the time. Lacks confidence as does the team methinks. Adama is a one-trick pony and has been sussed by oppo0nents. Raul is only a shadow of his former self..missing Jota? The one bright factor is the increasingly fine performance of Max Kilman and Neto. However, I`m sure we`ll improve when the crowds return.
There were several times when Ait-Nouri could have attacked oceans of space in front of him in the first half. Perhaps he was instructed not to venture forward.
Unpopular question.
Is Ait-Noor better than Vinaigre or are we just cashing in and not trading up?
Ait Nouri is younger and possibly has more potential therefore. I think most of us would agree that Vinaigre wasn’t really going to reach the standard that might have been anticipated when he joined. That’s always the risk with youngsters. Not sure what you mean by cashing in because Olympiacos aren’t obliged to buy.
You said you were not going to any more matches ever. You little liar lol.
Stevie boy.
Sitting in my tent on the A449 for 8 months has changed my mind somewhat. When I get my Clive vaccine (just a little prick they say) we should be brimming with confidence of surviving past the North bank toilet break.
If we’re in Tier 1 there will be 4000 fans allowed in, if we all space out it will still look empty.
In Tier 2 only 2000 fans allowed in, it will be almost as bad as pay per view,
I have say, you guys on this blog have restored my faith in human nature, after reading some of those entry’s on last nights blog I was suicidal Sid. I was up at 3-30am this morning fretting that it must be me having bought those Wolves coloured glasses at Christmas. Then bugga me, the theme slowly changed in the first part of this new blog. I thought I was going crazy, I love this blog, I respect almost everyone’s point of view so I am delighted that almost to a man/woman you all saw some hope last night and so a modicum of progress.
I also believe, a back four would not be that bad with Coady in there marshalling it all with his usual passion.
Onwards and upwards, I’m delighted to be sitting 9th in the league after only 9 games. Arsenal are ripe pickings at the moment, but it’s a brave man that would bet on any result in this crazy, crazy season.
Have you been having more conversations with Mrs. CFH?
Taix’s
You know we love you really.
Mrs CFH sends you her love.
With regard to your final paragraph, Stu, you’ve got no chance…….just yet. Wolvo will be nowhere near a tier that lets in fans. Anyway, my seat is in the upper tier so I’ll have to miss out anyway!
Sea Pigeon.
I do believe you will be proven right buddy.
I’m hoping we stay in 3 until we get our vaccines, Selfish attitude I know, but it protects all of us not just those getting it.
I’m in the upper Tier too.
A welcome change forced by Cody’s absence, although we were a bit disjointed at times. A lot more shots on target was a plus, and some areas of effort in the first half was an improvement on the past games, but still a very long way to go! A lot of work yet to be done but a very small step in the right direction. The next game against Arsenal will be very telling on our progress. Important that we win that game. Definitely observing the glass full!
From what I have seen recently, Saints are playing much better football than Arsenal. Three points on Sunday.
Quite happy with a point against a good side with a defence that’s still in development. Boly being the only survivor from the back five that completed the last game of last season and playing in a new formation.
Word of praise for Kilman, solid performance in a new position and playing with the emotional trauma of losing his Dad just a few days ago.
Further words of praise for Neves, playing the role of engine stoker in the midst of muck nettles and bullets when the opposition were in full flow in the first half. Not much chance for pinging the cross-field balls when you are protecting a nervous occasionally exposed back four. Then sacrificed (understandably) in pursuit of the equaliser. He is such a quality played with many admirers, but just gets on with the job that MacDonald turned his nose up at many moons ago. (Bet that’s opened a few old wounds).
Definite options up front now (except for Raul). Challenge is keeping all the support acts happy.
Great summary mate, fully agree with your assessment of proceedings. Walcott’s second-half miss was a huge let-off but seemed to stir us into life as we pretty much dominated the last quarter. I agree with Thom that Adama needs to start, you can see that teams are far more intimidated by us when he plays.
As for the formation, it was a novelty befitting of this oddest of seasons to see us play with a back four but it’s not something I’d be in a rush to entertain again. We looked far too ramshackle in defence and could have easily been put to a sword by a more clinical side. I think Semedo and Ait-Nouri will get better with time but they’ve got a lot to learn if they’re going to be as effective as the Doc and Jonny.
Like you say though, we have bags of potential and should only get better as the season goes on. Think Nuno will be relieved that international fixtures are redundant until March!
UTW x
Isn’t following the Wolves an awesome experience. So many different views and people seeing different things. I love it.
Agree with all points of view on the blog, plus the guys who posted last night.
My thoughts. We asked for a plan C, we got it… Thought given the lads have not had much game time to gel, we didn’t do too bad. Lapse of concentration let them in and their keeper played a blinder. Raul, Adama still frustrate, but that 1 second of genius can and does turn games. We, like the team are missing the Mol atmosphere it can really turn games.
Two teams rather cautiously nulled each other for most of the game, on another day we would have scored at least 3. Agree that we do not appear to be the team of last year. Maybe we are expecting too much each week. I know PaulAd67 says don’t look back (great song by Boston) but recall our games under Sammy Chapman, Paul Lambert, Glen Hoddle… We are a better and more resilient team. Just my opinion. Oh, one final thing, Nelson, give him a chance, he is jusy trying to get his eye in on the way English football is played ?
Did anyone view Nuno’s pre match interview at Molineux ( not the Sky one).
He was really down, depressed and generally in a poor place. He actually said very little. However, those interviewers at Molineux are totally inept. Their questioning skills are pathetic and yielded nothing.
Fast forward to the Sky interview after the match. I have never seen him smile so much. He was gushing.
One question to Nuno:-
A back four, I can understand given the lack of centre backs available, but….
Why on earth in the first half was Max, a natural left hooker, played on the right side, and Willy on the left?
A lot of our problems in the first period came because we had no out ball. Whenever Kilman received the ball in defence, he had to stop and turn inside before he could get a pass away.
And how much were Conor Coady’s long diagonal balls to the wing backs missed?
In the second half, common sense prevailed and Kilman and Boly were switched to their natural sides and we looked much the better for it.
I have to admit that, after the game, I am in the glass half full brigade.
Southampton could have gone top with a win but, on another day, given the chances we created, we would have won by a couple of goals at least.
Sure, there were some dodgy moments in defence and attack.
Sure, four at the back doesn’t come naturally and the sooner Conor is back in the side the better.
But we created a stack of goal scoring opportunities.
A step in the right direction I’d say.
Fake news hits the Blog!
Southampton could have gone third with a win, not top.
(But I think some of the points that Spurs and Liverpool have been given, shouldn’t have been counted).
Are you saying Boly’ s natural position is on the right? I thought his better games were when he played on the left like he used to when he first arrived.
No mate. If you read what I was saying, it was that Kilman’s natural position is on the left. He would not be used to playing on the right.
Boly, being right footed can, and has, played on the right.
I agree that his better games for us have been on the left but he is vastly more experienced than Max and more able to adapt.
Well said Doog. Your thoughts mirror mine.
So in your mirror hind sight, does it look like the left footer is on the right but should be on the left,or the right footer is on the left but should be on the right or do they appear just as doogooder said they should have , but then after half time ,,, oh forget it I’m getting a headache
‘Why on earth in the first half was Max, a natural left hooker, played on the right side, and Willy on the left?’
My thinking was that as RAN is relatively inexperienced and we were playing a new defensive formation, Boly was put behind him to talk him through the match (as both are native French speakers and RAN has only just started learning English). Once he looked a bit more settled they switched Boly and Kilman to their more natural positions.
Interesting take, Jacques.
Merci. C’est très gentil.
I can only think Doog that Boly was pushed over to support Ait Nouri. When it became obvious it wasn’t working they were switched back.
Other than that it remains a mystery similar to the question of how did Peter Crouch pull a blonde supermodel!
I agree with some of what has been said although I can’t help but think that Ait Nouri is going to be another level . Yes he may have made a mistake on that challenge last night but this very young guy , who apparently has had very little senior football so far in his career, absolutely no experience in English football or even in living and working abroad . Has been placed in the first team of a now established Premier league club, the fastest and hardest league in the world , in a position that will be a target for any experienced opposition forward if any weakness is showing . He scores his debut and looks better and better with every minute he’s on the pitch. He’s a great signing. Doherty was a good player but he s only got a season or two left at this level . I think his knees are or will be an issue . Good luck to him . We had the best out of him . They ll all be after Nouri soon .
People forget how long it takes to bed in at this level . I remember in the early days of our revival the chap that sits next to me slating Raul , saying he wasnt going enough.
Same with Semado .. looks good a fine defender , sometimes going forward it looks like his decision making with the pass is out but again he’s played a certain way in a different shaped team for along time . He’s another good player.
The only thing that’s stopping us kissing the top of that league is that Raul is a little off the boil lately and I for one am not going to moan about jota and his fabulous start at Liverpool because he wasnt doing it for us and hadn’t been for some time .
Good ..not going
I’m loath to say it but I agree 100% London.
Spot on London, what I like about him was that after his odd mistake, he doesn’t hide, in fact he looks for the ball more and just moves on, he will continue to make mistakes but I really like the energy he brings and is a level above vinagre for his age as far as I’m concerned.
Utw
Yep .. he’s going to be a fabulous player and hopefully by Easter we can start to return to the palace and help these new signings feel at home
Cheers boys .. up the Wolves
Well said Matt. Absolutely bang on.
Agree with all that Matt. The lads got real pace and shows great self confidence for a young ‘un.
It will get very interesting when Jonny’s back in the picture ’cause it will take a good player to keep him out of the first eleven.
I like the fact that he wears black boots. Not lime green, yellow, red, and all that nonsense.
Sorry Ben,
I have to completely disagree. Your own recitation of the stats alone says that we should have won. “Typical Walcott wastage”? No striker puts away every chance! Yes, he had a golden chance to score again but look at the chances we missed. This was a game we deserved to, and should have won. My man of the match? The Southampton keeper. That says it all. Two points lost but I will take the one against a very good Southampton team.
Yes, Semado looked a liability in the back four but he would have been a liability in a back ten. He’s obviously better suited to his day job of wing back. Adama looked rusty to me and no wonder, but he looked like he was getting back to his lethal self. Jimenez desperately deserved a goal, but his effort against the post and converted by Neto counts as a great assist. The sublime headed goal, ruled out for offside, was pure Jimenez magic. Full credit to young Neto for a cool rebound conversion immediately after coming on. That’s the sort of chance that others might have blazed over the bar. I think even Walcott might have conceivably missed that one Ben!
Finally Nuno seemed to concede to criticism over tactics and it really paid off last night, albeit one point instead of three. We looked decent in the first half and stepped up the pace in the second. Bodes well for Arsenal away. I want revenge for them beating Chelsea in the FA Cup and in doing so depriving is of Europe this season. That may have contributed to the departures of Jota and Doc. We have replaced serious proven ability with young potential but in the short term that is damaging us.
Typical Walcott wastage is a fact isn’t it? That’s why he never reached the heights expected of him. He had a few injuries yes but not being able to hit a barn door is a big downside for someone of his ability.
Missing out on Europe may well prove to be a blessing this season, Dances.
Well done to Nuno for cobbling together a makeshift back four with very limited resources at his disposal. Agree with the concerns over defensive limitations of Semedo and Ait’Noor but Semedo is a proven class act and Ait-Noor is young and has clear potential. The comparison with Jamie Smith is a bit harsh, maybe more Andy Thompson.
The good news is that we can switch to a back 4 when needed, but I don’t have many worries about our defence.
It seems that Nuno is using the Brian Clough philosophy of building a team from the back, but the problem is our “attack” is firing on two cylinders. Nuno really does need to come out of his bunker and stop the idea of keeping the game so tight for 40 minutes – no wonder we score so few goals. The last 20 minutes proved yet again, even with the limited attacking resources we do have after Jota’s crazy sale, that we could score more freely with a change of attitude.
Too many players struggling for form though; Neves looks ordinary, Traore I don’t think wants to be here and I’m not sure Podence is up to it.
But please Nuno – come out of your bunker, it’s 3 points for a win and one for a draw.
Can’t wait for the Arsenal game. Soton are better so we should take three points. I see Podence is settling, as is Semedo, and expect both to be in top form on Saturday.
Happy with a point against a side playing well and as I said I am looking foward to our next game.
I think it’s a bit early in the season to state that Southampton are better than Arsenal. Fancy a wager on who will be higher in the table at season end? Hopefully arse will be shite this weekend though.
Currently they are better. Look at the table. But where they both sit in May I cannot say.
We were lucky to get away with that had ings been playing they would have murdered us.
They were lucky they had that keeper between the sticks and he was on top form or we would have murdered them.
A tale of two teams both with a few staff problems.
What can you say except that no one won but no one lost either and the scoreline reflected that the two sides are pretty much on a par.
What was more interesting from a wolves point of view were the individual performances and there was definitely a lot of light at the end of the tunnel for more than a few players.
The new boys are bedding in very nicely . Semedo is class and the bollock he dropped letting walcot go was noted by him and will be put right.
Ait nouri is still a tad young and lightweight but his confidence and enthusiasm and not inconsiderable skill will prove him to be a top player by the end of this season. Kilman looks like he has been there forever ..cool as a cucumber brilliant defender.
Oh and that new bloke traore is starting to get a smile back on his mush at last which will now keep him in the side i would think.
Not a bad nights work considering the upheaval with the squad and the new tactics so overall i would also be a glass half full member as there were definite signs of improvement and i look forward to the arsenal on sunday with relish
And if Conor had been playing, Ings wouldn’t have got a touch.
Agreed. If we were lucky Ings was not playing, then so were Saints fortunate that Coady was absent.
Nobody has yet mentioned the player who for me was MOM, our own Jao Moutinho.
He ran that midfield superbly, played the full 94 minutes, and looked like he could play another thirty.
Brilliant.
I have to disagree with most on here who have praised Southampton.
I thought they were bang average, were there to be taken apart, and we missed a golden opportunity to put our goal difference column thingy into positive.
Can somebody please explain how we can look so shit for 60 minutes, even if we did shoot a lot, and then up the ante for the last part of the match, nearly win, and tear them to shreds?
Why oh why can’t we do it from the off?
Far too many long balls, hoofs up the field from Rui, and misplaced passes, sideways and backwards passes, and bad ball control all contributed to a very poor first hour.
And where is the pushing into the box at every chance?
Why don’t we do as the rest of the league do, and try to get penalty decisions, by hook or by crook?
That’s the way the “modern” game is played, and even though abhorrent, if you wanna eat at the big tables you gotta run with the big dogs.
Or something.
Two points thrown away through over caution.
But worth watching just for the pure class and genius of Moutinho.
Agreed Clive
Joao’s Tenacity in the tackle and general controlling of the game was superb MOTM for me as well.
last 20 minutes with attacking options on the pitch was great to watch definitely a positive
Clive
For once I think we agree on just about everything about last night.
Yes, Southampton were bang average and if we are to progress we have to put these teams away more frequently.
Yes, Moutinho was head and shoulders the best player on the field; begs the question though – where are all these expensive “ones for the future” when we have to rely on a 34 yo for the full 90 minutes.
Yes, why do we only start attacking 5 minute before half time.
Yes, lots of hoofball a la McCarthy, even from Patricio.
Yes, lots of “crabbing” Osborne / Wilkins style.
Yes, too many attacks breaking down well short of the final quarter.
Truthfully I think Nuno has lost hi nerve. I know you can’t replicate it in the PL but long gone are the days of watching Costa, Cav, Jota and Leo Bonatini sweeping forward in waves; we have rather gone to the other extreme.
Let’s hope he soon reverts to type.
Clive, I agree fully with your MOM assessment, but it seems to me that we really started to play only after Neto came on.
In my opinion, this guy is real class. He makes a difference, not only by his own performance, but also by the improvement that emanates from those around him, as was demonstrated last night.
Forecast. This guy will go right to the top. Period. In a very short time it`s likely that the mighty Anfield mob will be wishing the`d bought Pedro rather than Jota.
Mautino was indeed running the show , in fact I think someone on the previous thread predicted just that after watching him play for Portugal midweek?
Oh that’s right, ‘‘twas me
I’d pat myself on the back but my shoulders playing me up atm
Utw
It has all been said so eloquently above. Just a couple of observations – whilst Saints’ attacking threat was severely impacted by the absence of Ings, our defensive organisation was similarly affected by Conor’s forced omission. Again, a fit Jonny would have tightened up a back four. Nuno clearly impressed by the teams ability to turn up the pressure as the game unfolds, this is a great attribute and one we should not underestimate. The Saints manager was fullsome in his praise of Wolves last night. Return to back 5 for the better teams but no problems with reverting to 4 when circumstances dictate. Accept we are a WIP and when we have ironed out individual errors, we will turn draws into wins. I believe we have dropped 7 points from the Newcastle/Leicester/Southampton games which were all winnable- this would have us top of the League. It maybe 5/6 more games before we hit some consistency so patience required.
Ww agree.
With a full complement of Semedo, Boly, Coady. Kilman, Saiss, Ait Noor and Jonny plus Dendonker if necessary I think we have-plenty of defensive depth. I also liked Marcal when he played. I’m afraid though we are currently sadly lacking in the desire or capability to sustain attacks for 90 minutes.
Over to you Nuno.
Much happier with our performance, more shots in target, more determination & a decent effort considering no Coady ordering from the back. Fair play to Kilman for playing after what must have been a dreadful week for him & his family.
At least now the team can actually get some time together on the training pitch. Plus if some fans are allowed in then they’ve someone to play for. I think that’ll make a big difference.
Plus let’s be fair this virus, lockdown, restrictions etc is getting to all of us now. It must be affecting the players as well, they’re only human.
Maybe we should have won except for a mistimed run by Raul. Maybes can go either way.
I would like to think that this could be a good lesson for Nuno – that we can play four at the back with a real attacking midfielder if we are down near the end of the game. But I’m not counting on it.
I thought Adama had a few good touches but nothing like last season. I refuse to question his integrity because he is supposed to be one of the good guys in the league – always going to hospitals and inviting special needs children to tour the stadium.
I also think Nuno could have played Coady – pretty sure he knows the system. It is, again, Nuno’s obsessive overcoaching nature that has cost Conor his chance to break the consecutive game record of Parkes.
I also thought that for the first 60 minutes we were below par definitely missing coady even just for vocal,I kept missing a beat every time we passed back to rui positive kicking but as no aim, we missed a lot of chances to go forward passing sideways and backwards, Nelson is just getting better every game and won’t forget his mistake, good to see traore play 90 minutes but referees have to protect him a lot better, netto for me as to start on Sunday and we need to see more of the last 30 minutes performance in the way driving forward with more men in the box, they were a good side but overall I thought we deserved 3 points, can’t wait for Sunday hopefully coady is back and hope we can fire on all cylinders from the start.
PC
Fully agree Neto has to start every time ahead of Podence or Traore’; In my eyes the only possible excuse for GIVING Jota to Liverpool is the blossoming potential of Pedro who will I hope become his natural successor
Will everyone on this blog PLEASE get off the “we shouldn’t have sold Diogo and Matt” bandwagon.
Diogo was not pulling up any flowers with his performances, and wanted away, and Matt was never a brilliant defender, see Burnley last season for example.
THEY ARE GONE.
Get over yourselves people, for dog’s sake.
Players move on, and also players move in.
Let’s get behind the guys we have, not whine and moan and bleat about ones departed and what could have been.
Move on, people, life is too short to live in the past.
Jota was sold for a very good price. Great business for us. He was no great shakes form much of last season. As Pedro continues to develop and fulfills his potential, the wisdom of selling Jota will be recognized far more widely
Mike
And Neto is now being linked with Juve, so do we allow him to have a strop and let Mendes also move him along on the cheap; I don’t agree that the Jota deal was a good one as in 12 months he will be worth a fortune and I believe he had 3 years left on his contract. And for around only £8 million less we have bought an 18 yo with literally a couple of senior games under his belt.
Throw into the pot Cuitrone who looks like being a £20 million write off and you have to ask what the hell is going on with Mendes and WWFC.
We are desperately short of goals.
Where are Campana, Dashidov, Mir and yes even maybe Leo Bonatini.
And before anyone lays into Bonatini we wouldn’t have been promoted without his goals.
We need to remember we don’t yet have the draw for players that a Manchester, chelsea, Liverpool or even Arsenal have.
We’ve done a great job attracting young talent like Neves Jota Neto And Silva who frankly could have gone anywhere. We’ve given them the opportunity to play alongside their national sporting heroes in the form of Rui and especially Moutinho..
Nevertheless they’ll want to know there’s a pathway to “bigger clubs” and by selling Jota and perhaps to a lesser extent Doherty, we’ve proved to future acquisitions that a pipeline exists. In that context both departures look like great moves for our future team building
I like your positive slant to a negative situation and your post has a lot of merit. Up to now we have done a brilliant job of hanging on to the talented squad we have assembled . For that I am the first to admit that we owe a lot to Jorge Mendes. We can’t keep them all indefinitely and yes players come and go.
No problem with the sale of Doc who has been a revelation but was getting close to sell by anyway. I know I am obsessed with Jota and there are two reasons.
Firstly I believe that he is very special and will go all the way to the very top of the game; when I first saw him I thought he was the best young forward I have ever seen at Wolves and that includes Peter Knowles, John Richards and Robbie Keane, I would rather have seen anyone go than Diego.
Secondly I believe the timing was awful. At the very time we were on the verge of taking the next step forward and are short of goals we sell one of the best young strikers we have ever had.. No his form wasn’t great over the last few months but class remains permanent and while Neto has great potential he is not yet the finished article. There was room for both of them.
I am all for planning for the future, but sometimes the present needs to take precedence. With game in it’s current state of disarray and Fosun’s resources behind us now should be the time to step in and break the stranglehold of the dreaded “big 6”. Not the time to take a step back and tread water.
So, good though he has been for our club I would like to see a more open recruitment policy at Wolves with less reliance on Uncle Jorge, though I’m not suggesting we should sever the connection, just our eggs in more baskets please.
Sorry end of para 3 – read Diogo, Unfortunate typo in view of the news about Maradona
agreed Jota wanted to go 45 million for someone who has no desire to be part of this brilliant journey is a clever deal, and good old Matt is not exactly wowing at Tottenham Hotspur he is also nearing being over the hill.
l am sure Sheffield United and Chris Wilder wishes he was in our position and West Bromwich Albion who are green with envy.
No other manager for Wolves has achieved our position over the last three seasons since Mr Cullis.
Comparing Wolves with WBA and Sheff. Utd. with the resources behind the club is like comparing oak trees with apple trees. To be realistic you need to make current comparison with the likes of Everton, Arsenal and Villa.
Ok PJB but the teams you have mentioned are only a little bit above us in the league l will make my comparisons when Covid has gone Mr Nuno has has no international clashes to deal with and with a proper pre season behind us .
Best Wishes.
CW
I think we agree.
Unfortunately the self serving “big 6” is just about holding on and our immediate realistic objective has to be to hang on to their coat tails. In this we are competing directly with 4 or 5 similarly resourced clubs but I’ll be happy to see as many of us as possible break the mould.
I also agree we have to to wait until the end of the season to judge but I have to say scoring one goal a game is unlikely to see us finish in the top half.
Yes Jota’s gone and no one has come in to replace him; we are struggling to score a goal a game.
Well said Clive.. Onwards and upwards and all that. Our squad is darn good, we will only get better. No international breaks now, so lots of time as a team at Compton.
One question though, on your last sentence what if your job is a historian or a museum curator :-).
Or an archeologist or Egyptologist?
Or a Portuguesiologist??
Context is everything.
Shorn not only of our natural leader but also of his obvious replacement we were obliged to tear up the manual and start from scratch. Switching to a back 4 for the first time ever under Nuno, but with practically no time to work on it on the training ground and facing a hugely confident, in-form team this was a well-earned point. The changes meant that we couldn’t play out from the back as we usually do, hence Rui’s long punts,and likewise we missed Coady’s switches of play, but we still put together a decent, cohesive performance at short notice. Looking at how the Saints played such a narrow game, rarely drifting out to the touchlines, reminded me of the Palace game and I couldn’t help but think that if Coady or Saiss had been fit and we’d played 3-4-3 we may well have won this one. As it is, we came very close to taking all 3 points.
I grew up in the New Forest and first saw Wolves play in a 2.1 win at the old Dell in 1972! As a result I keep an eye on the Saints and have been intrigued by the narrowness of play they adopt. Perhaps 4 at the back was a deliberate move from Nuno to reinforce the centre of the pitch and to stop them playing their way through the middle of us as they have successfully done this season to other teams.
Felt we lacked Coady’s leadership for their goal and agree with others that the introduction of Neto transformed our intensity in attack. Hugh fan of Neto and think his emergence allowed the sale of Jota.
McCarthy was in inspired form in the Saints goal pulling off some outstanding reaction saves so I am certainly feeling more positive today after watching the whole game.
Now my first chance to watch Wolves was in November 1971 on MOTD – the fabulous 5.1 win – here’s hoping for a repeat scoreline at the Emirates
The sooner fans are back in grounds the better. A full vociferous Molineux is a driver for our team. That said Wolves are currently ticking along at 1.55 points per game. Remarkably over the last 2 seasons we average 1.53 per game ensuring two consecutive top 7 finishes. This is brilliant consistency in an unforgiving premier league. Key is now pushing on to 65 points plus territory which would require an uptick in points per game to about 1.7 . So with anorak on. It’s good evening from me !
So a win on Sunday and we are there then cheesy , simple
Come on you wolves
If you’re free. Cheesy I have a tax return that needs some attention.
I think we’re all suffering from overexpectationitis. There’s a new word to play with.
This is the first season of Nuno’s second phase, new signings and young inexperienced players need time to adapt , not criticism, Nuno has earned our respect and trust, Fosun have put money into the team, the club and the city. Keep calm, be thankfull we are where we are and (Gary Barlow moment) “Have a little patience!”
Great post BG- my first objective each season for us is to achieve 40 points and avoid the drop. If we can have a good cup run and attack the top6 positions, then this is a bonus. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
We should spare a thought to for Max- he tragically lost his father in the days before the game and under normal circumstances would have been given leave of absence. However, with 2 senior defenders unavailable he must have felt obligation and loyalty to the team and played- very well too. Very sad time for the young man and his family, pity we can’t show our appreciation at the Mol.
RIP Maradonna
Every Englishman detested his hand of god goal, but he was a bloody great player nontheless.
Yes RIP Maradona. Everyone goes on about that second goal against England. But I remember a better one. Robbie Dennison v Stoke I think in about 1988 when he picked the ball up on the edge of his own box in front of the South Bank then went on a mazy run round about 93 defenders before curling a beauty in to the top right hand corner from 25 yards. He then fell over in a exhausted heap . Oh Robbie Robbie Robbie Robbie Robbie Robbie Dennison. But yeah Maradonna. World cup legend up there with the best.
He will be cremated apparently,
His ashes are expected to have a street value of around a 100 k
I remember the goal and I remember Robbie being interviewed about it. He was scrupulously honest – “I was absolutely knackered, so I just wellied it” he said.
“Picked the ball up on the edge of his own box”.
That’s real Hand of God stuff!
Just want to make a point. In all the epl games I’ve seen the lads play in the last three years (in the flesh, streamed, summarised on TV, whatever) I’ve seen only two dives, both by Jota; one he got booked for. Neto was wrongly booked for a dive on one occasion, I think. I hate watching Leicester, Liverpool, Man U because any chance they get they go to ground in agony. All use Tom Daley as a consultant.
It’s also true that we have been ‘clean’ for any number of Championship seasons, and well really, as far back as I can remember. There aren’t many like us in this league, Southampton are good guys too.
It’s something to be very proud of. Sadly, it’s cost us. Nice guys rarely win.
We must get clued up, not to cheat, but to be smart. Get into the box with the ball at your feet and there’s a good chance some clumsy defender will mistime a tackle. Those 50/50 fine margin decisions seem to be going to the attacking sides nowadays. Get Traore to charge into the box. If he’s stopped before he gets that far there are direct free kicks as an option. Take a leaf out of the Origi or Salah manual, kick the ball at some unfortunate defender’s arms or hands.
This is how others, more successful than us, play.
But most of all you can’t win these free kicks, penalties unless you attack! Nuno please note Manure have now stopped scoring from open play. They attack not with a view to scoring but to gain those killer dead ball kicks.
Hashtag.
You are spot on matey, we need to be more Savvy. There’s one Wolves player I think you’ve missed out.
No one more than me in the Wolves supporting group was more glad to see the back of Ravij Van La Parra. He made Harry Kane look honest.
You’re right StuWolf. I forgot about him.
First saw him live as a 19 year old when England beat Argentina 3 -1 at Wembley in May 1980. Great player, yes, Clive but the biggest cheat football has ever seen. Makes Sterling look like a complete novice.
In an alternative universe, on another planet Molineux, Raul’s header would not have been offside and Wolves would have won the game. Podence may have beaten the keeper with his square-on shot, or any of the other great chances saved by their keeper would have found the net, and all us bloggers would have been waxing lyrical about another great Wolves come back and win.
Back to this universe, the one we drew the match in, probably fairly in the end.
I rewatched just the second half of the game today to take another look at (the more exciting half of) it. Try it. Just don’t rewatch the first half … only the second. And you will see that Wolves actually played very well. I felt a lot more positive than when I watched the whole game live. I think the first half marred the overall experience, and left us disappointed about our play, but if only we could play like we did in the second half. I was quite entertained.
A few things to keep in mind:
1. Wolves play notoriously badly after an international break. This return from the break was not without a significant amount of issues for Nuno to work out, with both Coady and Saiss out, Donks recovering from a knock, etc.
2. Don’t for a minute underestimate the impact of missing Coady. He is colossal in defence, but more so in his leadership. The make-shift defence we had to put together without his influence probably did better than they might have if you really stop and think.
3. Apart from falling asleep for the goal, I don’t think Samedo did much wrong, actually. Like I said above, rewatch the second half, and you will see he didn’t do much wrong apart from his blunder. His link up play with Adama was actually quite good and I for one would like to see that develop further.
4. Once the decision was made to go with 4 at the back, it’s a shame Nuno didn’t go 4-4-2 from the off. I think we would have smoked them. I hear a lot of people talk about Neto and Jota being similar players. I totally disagree. To me, Neto is a heads-down, out-and-out winger (Jota more of a #10) with all the pace you need. Once he and Adama started charging down the wings, Southampton couldn’t cope. (Rewatch the second half!) 🙂 The forward line of Neto, Podence, Raul and Adama is killer for me.
5. Many are criticizing Adama. I know he didn’t score, and his assists weren’t all great, but he actually had a decent game in my opinion, and given more game time, he’ll find his best form again. He’s one hell of a player. Nuno needs to get the best of of him still.
Having said all this, here is where I think we need to improve:
1. Corners! If I see another f***ing short corner I’m going to put the sofa through the telly. What the hell is that about! Time after time, corner after corner, all wasted. All senseless. WTF! With players like Moutinho on the field, FFS! let him deliver killer balls into the box! Such a waste. EVERY-SINGLE-ONE! Enough already. Sort this out Nuno. It was embarrassing. Useless. (I’m sorry I’m a bit unclear on how I feel about this one. 🙂 )
2. Raul, why is this guy playing in the midfield and on the wing so much. How may times was he assisting other players from deep, rather than being the one being assisted? Something is wrong with this system when he is defending more than attacking.
3. Adama – no doubt he is miffed being torn down, time and again, by defenders as they only way they cope with him. So let him tear into the box at pace more, and let the defender knock themselves out taking him down then! Our boy Raul is pretty nifty from the spot, so bring it on. Let’s see Adama have a more direct run at the penalty box … defences will be pi$$ing themselves.
4. Set pieces. On a similar note, once we note Adama is gonna get hacked down before he gets to the box, let’s be better prepared with set pieces from those free-kick opportunities. With players like Moutinho and Neves we should be making so much more of the set piece opportunities. We start scoring more of those, and I bet they may start leaving Adama alone a bit more.
I’ll leave it here … to me, an entertaining second half which should provide Nuno with reams of material on where to improve. It’s a game of fine margins. Tweak some of these opportunities for improvement and suddenly the team could be on fire.
We have so much talent. I don’t believe that’s the problem at all. It’s now about making the most of our talent.
Let’s go Wanderers. Let’s smoke the gunners!
Go Wolves!!!
GW
Good analysis of Monday + generally.
Your point about ignoring the first half is observationally true but the strategy is seriously flawed. I think Nuno’s mantra of don’t lose the match before half time has morphed into don’t attack until 40 mins. when we probably can’t go in to the break more than one down. Nuno the games play out over 95 mins. not just 50.
On your specifics –
1. Yes but it’s the same for everyone else.
2. Coady, spot on. Best leader we’ve had at Molineux since Mike Bailey.
3. With you on Semedo, serious upgrade on Doc. but probably better suited to 5 at the back (more cover). Also concentration therapy needed.
4.Neto and Traore should start every time ahead of Podence. After nearly 12 months I’m not convinced that Podence contributes enough on a consistent basis. Would go so far as to say I would prefer Costa or Cav.
Improvements-
!. Short corners – 100% correct, they should be an occasional variation not the norm, specially with Jiminez, Boly, Saiss, Dendonker and Kilman in our aerial battery.
2. Raul playing too deep because everyone else is. It’s down to Nuno’s over developed bunker mentality which now prevails.
3. Same as 2 really. Fully agree with you get Adama into danger areas sooner where he can do most damage.
4. Same as 2 and 3 really.
As many others have said it’s a time of transition and it’s a positive pointer that we are really not playing well at all and still in the top half alter a quarter of the season. However the underlying problem is plain for all to see – one goal a game won’t cut it. And until Nuno changes his mindset and goes back to the beautiful game I can’t see much changing.
Hi pjb
Iv been wondering about our first half v second half stats and I think there is a pull from the opposition too .
Imagine the team talk from opposing coaches , wolves score 75 percent of their goals in the second half so we need to get ahead ASAP , also wolves rarely lose when scoring first so let’s get into them from the off .
If both teams walk off at 0-0 at half time I’m confident of us getting a result, I’m just wondering if the opposite is true of the opposition?
I have a mate who is a Leeds fan who asked if I was confident the night before we played them, without thinking, I said if you get an early goal, you could win it but if it’s all squat at halftime, I fancy us ?
I would like us to start like a bat outa hell but I also like feeling confident as the game gets stretched late on too ! I guess we will see some interesting performances over the next month.
Utw
Marney
I take your point but don’t you think there’s a balance to be struck.
And I think that scoring an average of one per game we aren’t going to win that many, even with our defence,
Pjb
Yes of course I do, it’s just an observation, I think when teams analyse us they may want to get the job done early before our strong finish.
A few more early goals ( Sheffield utd) wouldn’t go amiss that’s for sure.
Utw
Can’t disagree with too much of that mate. Well said.
Well said go wolves just as stu has said we need to get more savvy.
We need to stop being so honest and start bending the rules to suit us and the set piece now seems the way forward as so many teams just sit in.
On that basis ruben had better start putting his shooting boots on the right feet because apart from the leicester shot he has been abysmal of late and as for the short corners and our crazy inability to take throw ins both of which are very poor we seem to miss the opportunity to put teams under pressure apart from in open play .
Charge into the box kick it at a defenders arm or dive over his leg seems to be the normal go to way of getting what you want with the rules the way they are at the moment so lets not say “we don’t do it that way ” lets do it that way before we are left behind.
Too nice we are !
Depends really on what you want from the game, I personally want to see us beating teams just on our ability not by bending the rules by unsporting behaviour, cheating and downright dirty play.
that type of play we will never see under Nuno thankfully he has too much dignity and integrity.
I want to see us win everything cups Europe and league, but I want to win it the right way , it would be a hollow victory if we did it all by cheating
Agree with you totally, particularly regarding Nuno’s integrity. I want to be associated with a club of high standards and ideals. Going back to Micks’ regime, I couldn’t condone his blatant targeting of Joey Barton several years ago despite disliking his character, we belittled ourselves in deliberately goading him. We are better than that.
I wasn’t suggesting bending the rules or diving. Not at all. I was just pointing out that since the only way for defenders to stop Adama is to foul him, then force them to do it in the box by getting Adama further forward. Either they foul him or he’s clear on goal with his pace. In the box, that’s either a penalty or he scores. All legit.
Oh the Wolves at night.
Howl loud and fight.
Deep in the heart of Teaxas.
As can see.
I’m bored with these gap’s in the league.
Totally changing the subject, I would like to wish all fellow bloggers, and every Wolves fan Worldwide a very Happy Thanksgiving Day.
Despite Covid, no crowds, no goals and Boris, most of us have something to be Thankful for, and I wish you all well.
And, please spare a special thought for our good mate Bedders.
Thanksgiving was in October.
Why are you such a dick, all of the time?
Why are you such a coward all of the tie? Why can’t you post under your real name.
Happy Thanksgiving indeed!
Yes Clive.. what a lovely sentiment. U t w and look forward to the next time we have a pint somewhere . Oh and happy Christmas to you and yours mate
Wolves U17’s 5
West Brum U17’s 1
Yes and we were 5-0 up at half time. I think the lads went Xmas shopping in the second half.
Must have been online.
Three of our games in December are on Amazon Prime, thank Dog for Hesgoal. 🙂 like PPV I won’t give a penny to Amazon.
Games are :-
Liverpool
Man U
Chelsea
Nor me Stu!
Hesgoal seems to have improved lately, and it will be English commentary.
Have to reboot it occasionally but see 99% of the game.
With you on that Stu. They’re trying to take over the world and we have to stop them.