Leeds 1-1 Wolves: Verdict Thread

[Carsy]

I think we need to get Hwang closer to Jimenez for the benefit of both. 352 with Pod in behind. I appreciate that will trigger some of Adama's biggest fans, but I see that as our best option with the players available

I think the 3412 rather than the 343 would suit better currently as well - with the players you’ve mentioned.

Trincao could also play in the 10 if pod not performing, also Adama could play in the 2, especially with rauls touch like a trampoline currently. Amazing that we’re struggling for fluency but have options in the front 3. Shows how vital the right balance in central midfield/wing backs is

 

[SSB]

Strange atmosphere yesterday. Felt as if Wolves fans were still suffering a hangover from Villa. The only song that seems to get sung with any gusto is “albion get battered” which is a god awful song.

Must say I do enjoy a trip to Elland Road. There’s still an edge about the place that you don’t get at most sanitised Premier League grounds these days.

 

[YoungWolf]

Podence has been horrendous each time he’s played in a central position

Disagree! Think has just affected how the team is able to defend as he's not brilliant in that sense. So when we played 4231, we were so much more fluid because of how well he can receive under pressure but he was non existent defensively

 

[Alan]

Disagree! Think has just affected how the team is able to defend as he's not brilliant in that sense. So when we played 4231, we were so much more fluid because of how well he can receive under pressure but he was non existent defensively

I'll admit that "horrendous" was probably a slight exaggeration. But I definitely don't think it's his best position. Although given how inconsistent he's been, it's always possible we stick him there next match and he has a worldie.

 

[YoungWolf]

Yeah I think he's inconsistent regardless. I think how we stared the season with the wide forwards playing inside and close to the striker is the best way to use him tbh

 

[Alan]

Yep, agree with that. In fact, I think all of our wingers/wide forwards/whatever are best utilized that way. Give them a bit of leeway to swap positions underneath Raul and give him a hand when he's getting, er, beaten like he was by Cooper/Llorente yesterday.

I think yesterday Lage wanted to exploit their wide areas so tried to keep Hwang and Adama wide, but as we saw that ended up isolating Raul and leaving him without a hope on Sundays of keeping the ball when his first touch was good.

 

[prawnking]

We were pretty rubbish yesterday but Lage and his subs let us down in my opinion.

We desperately needed another body in midfield during the 2nd half. Instead we allowed ourselves to be overrun and that meant we couldn't hold the ball or play useful passes to the forwards.

Who was he supposed to bring on though to bolster the midfield, if we're taking his line that Neves had a knock and presumably needed his time managing? He's not going to bring on Cundle, and our other two midfielders are on the pitch

 

[Aikiwolf]

Who was he supposed to bring on though to bolster the midfield, if we're taking his line that Neves had a knock and presumably needed his time managing? He's not going to bring on Cundle, and our other two midfielders are on the pitch

Yet Neves came on? So he can't have been so injured he couldn't play.

 

[prawnking]

Yet Neves came on? So he can't have been so injured he couldn't play.

But clearly not able to play a significant part

 

[Amanda]

People who went say it was an amazing atmosphere from the Leeds lot. Better than Molinuex though ?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

We weren't quite as bad as people have made out. We didn't create much, but nor did Leeds, Sa has only made one serious save (and as has happened frequently this season, that was from a situation of our own making - those short goal kicks can fuck off, so pointless as we generally give away possession with the added bonus of Coady or whoever it is now playing everyone 20 yards onside). We generally defended pretty well, all the back three were fine. A point was about right, Leeds didn't do enough to win the game either, as much ground as we ceded to them.

We were undoubtedly poor in possession throughout and I don't quite know why we've regressed in that respect. It's not so much a change of approach from the first three games as I think we do still try to play a lot higher than we did under Nuno, and I don't think we're actively looking to sit on leads as such. We've just somehow lapsed into the sloppy ways of 2020/21 where we can't make five yard passes or go backwards for no reason. Strange one. Subs were crap too.

We'll more than likely muddle through November with a reasonable (on paper) haul, then there are clearly games in December that we're highly likely to lose, so the overall return will dwindle to what we pretty much are, which is a fairly unremarkable mid-table team. As we've had a net spend that's been hovering around £0 for two years or so and we have an inexperienced manager who is learning the league on the job (who also didn't get what he wanted in the summer), I'm not surprised that that's the state of affairs. In fact I'm pleased that it's as good as that, aided by the current bottom three looking absolutely bereft of any quality whatsoever.

 

[SSB]

People who went say it was an amazing atmosphere from the Leeds lot. Better than Molinuex though ?

A closed in ground always creates a better atmosphere. When they started the “watccoe” song towards the end of the game you just had a feeling they were going to score. It really felt like they was getting behind their team.

 

[jd1981]

First 3 games I was ripping my hair out with playing nice stuff but getting nothing. The points haul since the Brentford game is a lot higher than I expected. Picked up 10 when I was expecting about 5-6 points.
DW is right need to pick up as many points as we can until we meet Liverpool in Early December.

 

[Jinky]

Well, Monday morning and I have to say that "performance" isn't looking any better after a day off the forum yesterday.

I lost count of the number of times our defenders just hoofed the ball forward in to the channels, but we had no advanced players, so it just came back at us time and time again. I appreciate we're 1-0 up, but why are we TACTICALLY choosing to sit on the edge of our box, with no interest in having the ball other than to give it straight back to Leeds? For over an hour? I'm not having it. Appalling stuff.

Bruno has his hands tied, to a degree. If Neves truly did "have a knock", why's he fit enough to be on the bench and eventually, fit enough to come on? I don't buy it, really. But we knew full well that we were going in to the season with three senior midfielders. I still don't feel enough has been made of that abject failure in the transfer window with Jeff Shi, but what can we do? Particularly when the deluded fool came out and actually said "I think it's a good window". And the "injured until Christmas" Renato Sanches has now played three games on the spin for Lille. He'd have made a massive difference on Saturday. Why is Bruno naming two goalkeepers on the bench? Surely there has to be a under 23 outfield player that is capable of stepping up to the senior squad to sit on the bench, which would be of more use? That whole situation is weird.

Kilman/Saiss seemed to stop doing what they've done in previous games, in bringing the ball out of defence and in to advanced positions. Not quite sure why. RAN is going to be inconsistent, whether he gets a run of games or not. That's probably why he's preferred Marcal, because at least you know what you're getting with him. Moutinho couldn't really get a grip of their midfield after he received the early booking. Adama/Hwang were both terrible and no where near close enough to Raul. Raul worked hard and they gave him the physical treatment, but I feel like he faded badly - didn't hold the ball up well and didn't look like getting in scoring positions.

So yeah, Bruno has his hands tied to a degree, but we seem to have no plan. Holding shape defensively is not a plan. Showing no interest in attacking the opposition or keeping possession of the ball is not a plan. Bruno is completely within his rights to be pissed off at Jeff Shi, but he also needs to show that he is capable of working with what's here, because we're never going to completely overhaul the squad. The players have shown they're capable of playing attacking & possession based football in the first few games of the season, so I've no idea why they now look like 11 strangers meeting for the first time come 3pm on a Saturday.

Massive improvements required all over, from everyone.

(and yes, I'm aware we *could* be sitting 5th in the table today if we'd held on. Football is weird. But I can also comment on performances that I've watched with my own eyes to say something needs to improve or isn't right).

edit: I'm also a bit concerned about the Everton game. They'll want an immediate reaction after the gubbing they were on the end of against Watford and I don't see us getting anything from that match now.

 

[Tony Towner]

I get your point re Everton, but as likely as they are to be motivated to give a positive reaction their confidence will also be fragile from getting thrashed by a poor team.

My biggest criticism of the previous manager was he never went for teams who were vulnerable from the kick off, allowing them time to work their way into the game and gain confidence. I hope we see a different approach from Bruno

 

[Jinky]

I get your point re Everton, but as likely as they are to be motivated to give a positive reaction their confidence will also be fragile from getting thrashed by a poor team.

My biggest criticism of the previous manager was he never went for teams who were vulnerable from the kick off, allowing them time to work their way into the game and gain confidence. I hope we see a different approach from Bruno

It's so frustrating to watch teams that basically give up every intention of attacking, or seeking a second goal when they go 1-0 up. We were like it under Nuno and now we're like it under Bruno (smaller sample size, obvs). I would rather watch us attack and attempt to get a second but end up losing 2-1, then watch us defend on the edge of our box for over an hour, only to concede an equaliser in the last few minutes.

Bruno can surely find some sort of balance?!

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Can I just counter that with the earth shattering revelation that I'd rather see us draw than lose

I don't think we were defending particularly deep on Saturday. We let Leeds have the ball in nothing areas and they created next to nothing along the way. I don't advocate the "no attacking" approach at all but I also didn't really feel we were hanging on as such. We gave them one chance which the keeper saved well, and they got a very soft penalty right at the death from a weak referee.

Other than the Brentford game where we legitimately could and probably should have conceded 4 or 5, that's been the pattern of the season defensively. We give up very few big chances. This is a good thing given how appalling we looked at the back all the way through pre-season and that we had 8 games last season where we conceded either 3 or 4. Defending matters just as much as attacking, as one Mr O Solskjaer might care to think about today.

 

[Tony Towner]

If you don't have any attacking intent you open yourself up to that one moment of brilliance/mistake/poor refereeing decision costing you though. Fwiw I thought it was a nailed on penalty

 

[prawnking]

Can I just counter that with the earth shattering revelation that I'd rather see us draw than lose

I don't think we were defending particularly deep on Saturday. We let Leeds have the ball in nothing areas and they created next to nothing along the way. I don't advocate the "no attacking" approach at all but I also didn't really feel we were hanging on as such. We gave them one chance which the keeper saved well, and they got a very soft penalty right at the death from a weak referee.

Other than the Brentford game where we legitimately could and probably should have conceded 4 or 5, that's been the pattern of the season defensively. We give up very few big chances. This is a good thing given how appalling we looked at the back all the way through pre-season and that we had 8 games last season where we conceded either 3 or 4. Defending matters just as much as attacking, as one Mr O Solskjaer might care to think about today.

Spot on.

Of course it's fine to highlight improvements that need making, and I do hope Bruno can find a balance (we have to surely be patient with this) soon, but results are important too and it's bloody not easy to win or even draw sometimes in the PL if you're not a big club. Ask most of the clubs below us who are scrabbling for points.

I just can't buy this line I keep hearing about how people wouldn't mind losing if we were playing fancy dan football. It's so easy to say

 

[19th Holer]

I thought it was a horrid performance by us. I didn't enjoy it one bit.
It was crying out for Neves to help us retain possession yet we leave him until Moutinho is nearing pulling a muscle before he appears.
Performances are regressing.