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Wolves 0-1 Norwich (FA Cup 4th Rd): Verdict Thread

The 18/19 and 19/20 team had more goals in it.

For example, even if doc did nothing else he scored 4 goals and got 5 assists. Boly got 4 in 18/19.
 
But it let a lot more in. As I say, we need to find a balance where we increase our scoring potential without suddenly leaking more at the back.
 
But it let a lot more in. As I say, we need to find a balance where we increase our scoring potential without suddenly leaking more at the back.
We were also the best team in the league at winning points from a deficit. Now we are nailed on to lose if we concede first . We have always been decent if we score first .
 
Tbf I don't think anybody is saying that Nuno had Brazil 70 and Bruno had Brazil 18.

But I think you also have to consider that Nuno's squad was expensively built specifically for him, whereas Bruno has asked for players and been given fuck all
 
The 18/19 and 19/20 team had more goals in it.

For example, even if doc did nothing else he scored 4 goals and got 5 assists. Boly got 4 in 18/19.
For me Sa is the missing link. He allows us to play ten yards further up and it has made a difference. Not that he is a hugely better keeper than Rui, just more suited to how we play. Sweeping and box command are essential for us now. Rui gave us neither of those( I concede that I was never as keen on him as many of you on here so appreciate there may be bias in this )
 
Tbf I don't think anybody is saying that Nuno had Brazil 70 and Bruno had Brazil 18.

But I think you also have to consider that Nuno's squad was expensively built specifically for him, whereas Bruno has asked for players and been given fuck all
I would really love to see Lage with. A 100m war chest and told build your own with that. It’s not happening though
 
I would really love to see Lage with. A 100m war chest and told build your own with that. It’s not happening though
I'd like to see him with some regular goal scorers. But that is me...
Anyway, my verdict on the game is they were still in Dubai obviously....
 
We were also the best team in the league at winning points from a deficit. Now we are nailed on to lose if we concede first . We have always been decent if we score first
It's not that I don't get your wider point, simply that I don't agree with it. Not to say I'm right! There are improvements in the squad since 18/19 as well as areas we might be struggling in more. Some of the competition in the league have gone backwards, some improved. League position and cup accomplishments will remain the benchmark unless our team is incomparable, and it's not.

This is far from an anti-Bruno sentiment. I was wrong about him, which I find quite easy to say BTW. The fact is that if we finish 7th he's matched our accomplishments, above and he's bettered it, and so on... pretty straightforward for me. Granted, he hasn't had the luxury of Ryan Bennett and Matt Doherty shoring up the right side - no coaching expertise needed to get that combo up to 7th ;) You'll forgive me though if I think guiding this team to 8th is somehow unprecedented, or matches a demonstrably better season. I DO think he has the chance to push on now and get us in that top 7, with the ability he's shown to date and the players at his disposal (and, yes, despite not being supported as we'd all like with transfers, something I suspect we all agree on). No need to be taking our ball home just yet.
 
I’m happy with what Lage is doing. He’s doing a good job with limited resources, but he’s not working wonders either.

I agree with what has been said from both sides. But my main issue is that we aren’t scoring goals (or genuinely look like scoring). Yes we got 3 against Saints (set peice, penalty and late goal when they pushed forward and Lyanco decided to stop playing giving Adama the space) and 2 against Brentford which were our only 2 shots on target. And then a terrible run of goals before that.

We still aren’t getting enough out of the WBs. We keep saying Semedo and RAN are playing really well, but they aren’t creating anything (we aren’t getting people in the box) and their attacking stats (excluding RANs set pieces) are not good enough.

The same goes for all the forwards. Podence, Trincao and Adama’s stats are horrific, Hwangs 4 goals paper over huge cracks (bottom 1 percentile for SCA, basically means he’s done fuck all outside 4 goals), and Raul is in the bottom 10% for xG/90 so it’s not like he’s missing chances, he’s not getting any (helps getting in the box).

Now it could be that all these players are terrible, they aren’t doing what they’re told, the attacking set up isn’t very good or a combination. But we all keep saying how good all of them are…

It’s obviously more entertaining than post lockdown Nuno but it’s hard to compare earlier on. The low block counter was entertaining and got results. I prefer that we are on the front foot more now but it still isn’t translating to shots on goal. Different styles, Similar end product, but hopefully A higher ceiling with Bruno’s style.

As for the who had the best squad debate, there probably isn’t much in it. Obviously the deeper set up protected weaker players and Jota, Raul and then later peak Adama was much better what we have now, and goal threat is the hardest most important part of football.

I also think the top end of the league is much better now than it has been, but of course that is subjective.

I doubt he will walk but he might just do it out of principle if Fosun really take the piss. He could get another job in the PL or abroad with his agent and current record I’m sure, but not at a top 6 club, which I think is where the conversation started before I got carried away.

Hoefully Fosun give him some Money and we won’t find out.
 
I’m happy with what Lage is doing. He’s doing a good job with limited resources, but he’s not working wonders either.

I agree with what has been said from both sides. But my main issue is that we aren’t scoring goals (or genuinely look like scoring). Yes we got 3 against Saints (set peice, penalty and late goal when they pushed forward and Lyanco decided to stop playing giving Adama the space) and 2 against Brentford which were our only 2 shots on target. And then a terrible run of goals before that.

We still aren’t getting enough out of the WBs. We keep saying Semedo and RAN are playing really well, but they aren’t creating anything (we aren’t getting people in the box) and their attacking stats (excluding RANs set pieces) are not good enough.

The same goes for all the forwards. Podence, Trincao and Adama’s stats are horrific, Hwangs 4 goals paper over huge cracks (bottom 1 percentile for SCA, basically means he’s done fuck all outside 4 goals), and Raul is in the bottom 10% for xG/90 so it’s not like he’s missing chances, he’s not getting any (helps getting in the box).

Now it could be that all these players are terrible, they aren’t doing what they’re told, the attacking set up isn’t very good or a combination. But we all keep saying how good all of them are…

It’s obviously more entertaining than post lockdown Nuno but it’s hard to compare earlier on. The low block counter was entertaining and got results. I prefer that we are on the front foot more now but it still isn’t translating to shots on goal. Different styles, Similar end product, but hopefully A higher ceiling with Bruno’s style.

As for the who had the best squad debate, there probably isn’t much in it. Obviously the deeper set up protected weaker players and Jota, Raul and then later peak Adama was much better what we have now, and goal threat is the hardest most important part of football.

I also think the top end of the league is much better now than it has been, but of course that is subjective.

I doubt he will walk but he might just do it out of principle if Fosun really take the piss. He could get another job in the PL or abroad with his agent and current record I’m sure, but not at a top 6 club, which I think is where the conversation started before I got carried away.

Hoefully Fosun give him some Money and we won’t find out.
Good balance.
 
I'd like to see him with some regular goal scorers. But that is me...
Anyway, my verdict on the game is they were still in Dubai obviously....
I think if he went 4-3-3 with a couple of additions we would score more even with our strikers. It needs a more attacking minded midfielder in there for me. I am not averse to trying it when jonny comes back on the left, but I dont think we have the midfield for it at the moment.
 
We made an FA Cup semi-final, a Europa League quarter final and twice finished higher than we currently are in the table.

You're crazy.

Also Raul is basically the same now as he was pre-injury, I wish people wouldn't peddle that. We create less for him so he scores fewer goals. He always had shit games before, loads of them.
I wasn't suggesting we have been as successful. Lage hasn't been here long enough or had a team built for him.

But I stick by the opinion we look a better, more balanced team.

And Raul is nowhere near the same player at the minute. He rarely picks the ball up from deep, he doesn't make as many runs into the channels or get in the right places around the box, and he's had very few chances that I can remember since his brief spell of looking somewhat back to normal a couple of months ago when Hwang had his purple patch.
 
We're far less successful but better?

And we aren't anyway. Compare the performances vs Liverpool in January 2020 and December 2021. Worlds apart, even though the result was the same. It's recency bias because we weren't very good after Raul got injured (we were 6th when that happened and on merit too).

We were superb at Old Trafford last month, had a good (but wasteful) second half at Brighton, beat a mid table Championship team in the cup and er...that's about it through late November, December, January and early February. Bit lucky to beat Southampton and scored with our only two shots on target at Brentford (one of which was a rick by the keeper). The rest of the games were shit without exception, dreadful to watch.
 
I thought, defensively, we were pretty good against Chelsea and Liverpool
 
Well, we hung on grimly for a 0-0 in one (against a team who've been in indifferent form for months) and nearly did in the other. It's OK to a point and I'd rather us do that than do what Leeds do against similar opposition, but we have a good keeper and good defenders, it's not that impressive. We had less than 30% possession in both games I think.

We deservedly beat Chelsea twice at home under Nuno.

Is this better than most of what we saw in 2020/21, yes (but not to the extent that people are making out). Is it better than our best under Nuno, not even on the same page.
 
Well, we hung on grimly for a 0-0 in one (against a team who've been in indifferent form for months) and nearly did in the other. It's OK to a point and I'd rather us do that than do what Leeds do against similar opposition, but we have a good keeper and good defenders, it's not that impressive. We had less than 30% possession in both games I think.

We deservedly beat Chelsea twice at home under Nuno.

Is this better than most of what we saw in 2020/21, yes (but not to the extent that people are making out). Is it better than our best under Nuno, not even on the same page.
Mainly because Moutinho is older , Jota and Traore have gone and we are playing a different style. Nuno overperformed in the first two seasons and underperformed last season. Lage and this squad are overperforming now. Yet still some think that this squad is capable of a Europe challenge. It isn't. The quality of football is still not great often against teams where it should be better. Norwich , Brentford, Burnley.

This week is a benchmark. Jota inspired an Arsenal annihilations a couple of seasons back. Rauls injury sparked a comeback win last season. Lets see what happens this week.
 
How are we overperforming? I think we're about where we should be in the table, we are still poor at both creating and taking chances and we got knocked out early in both cups.

And Moutinho has been brilliant all season. And Adama has been gone for one game!
 
Mainly because Moutinho is older , Jota and Traore have gone and we are playing a different style. Nuno overperformed in the first two seasons and underperformed last season. Lage and this squad are overperforming now. Yet still some think that this squad is capable of a Europe challenge. It isn't. The quality of football is still not great often against teams where it should be better. Norwich , Brentford, Burnley.

This week is a benchmark. Jota inspired an Arsenal annihilations a couple of seasons back. Rauls injury sparked a comeback win last season. Lets see what happens this week.
Moutinho seems better than ever, Jota was sat on our bench before he left and Traore only left 2 weeks ago so cant really blame that for the performances. You can blame Traore for being inconsistent before he left though.
Where does Dan say he believes we should be challenging for Europe?
He has said that we will be and are a "midtable team and that is where we'll finish"
 
How are we overperforming? I think we're about where we should be in the table, we are still poor at both creating and taking chances and we got knocked out early in both cups.

And Moutinho has been brilliant all season. And Adama has been gone for one game!
To be clear, Adama's contribution has been gone since before lockdown. His effectiveness and partnership with Raul was the key. The change of style, the reduction of counter attacking football style is where I was heading. Moutinho has been brilliant- overperforming for a 35 year old whose legs looked shot last year. Still not to 2018 levels for me. We may be where we are just about on merit but I think its as good as it gets. We dont score enough and cant rely on such a small squad. Its all I have been saying.
 
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