Wolves 1 Newcastle 1 verdict thread

[Langers]

A separate one to the 'dull' thread which should probably run on its own...

 

[Tony Towner]

I thought we played quite well today, but and this is not a new thing we are a very wasteful side. We create good positions and sometimes great ones, but don't work the keeper often enough. Darlow didn't have to make anything other than an ok save, including the goal.

Subs were wrong, Saiss off and Traore on were correct, but Ait Nouri on and Neto off were obvious. Really not sure what Nuno was thinking.

Their goal was a mess, not a free kick, but after that Rui screws up, sets the wall up badly and even then should save it

 

[Norman Deeley]

Someone has just posted on Twitter - that was the 10th goal we've conceded after the 86th minute in the last 15 games

 

[jdrodrigues]

Turned app on, we're winning on 85 min. Alright. Kept working and heard the whistle notification for end of game. After a while went to check and saw they scored.

Ffs. We keep losing points against crap sides, somethings don't change

 

[Jabbawolf]

Two keeper errors for the 2 goals.

Semedo was much improved today - a similar threat down the left may well have led to more opportunities and a win.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Both goals should've been saved, keepers on both sides will be disappointed that having got across to the efforts they didn't get enough on them to do anything to stop them. Darlow seemed to get himself in a mess whereas Patricio just didn't seem fully commit to it, perhaps worried of colliding with the post.

Wolves looked a lot sharper on the ball than they have for a while I thought, some nice one touch interplay at times with a new flicks and tricks thrown in but it still didn't really open up Newcastle all that often. Improvement but still some way to go yet.

It's been a common approach under Nuno to generally be pretty conservative and pick the moments to be a bit more expansive but there are games where it's just not required, Newcastle offered very little in that game and you'd imagine going in a couple of goals ahead at half time would've lead to a procession after the break.

 

[malta mick]

our play is still far too ponderous most of the time - Boly Kilman and Coady recreating the chuckle brothers - to you, to me - ad nauseam. we need to inject more pace into our attacks.
sorry but i think one trick pony Adama is a plan to discard - far too predictable.

 

[The Bion]

Tbf if you'd offered 4 points from the last 2 I probably would've taken it. But having had some good fortune on Monday it went against us today.

Having said that, we probably could and should have done more. I can forgive retaining the same XI (Neves for Moutinho aside, which is basically like for like) - but after the first half, there was no need for Saiss to be out there. None. He neutered us down the left and we were crying out for more attacking balance - waited far too long for that change, and even then it was Marcal, who didn't offer a whole lot himself but is at least used to playing the position.

Tbh first half we seemed to start in a similar vein to Sheff Utd in that Donck was getting forward quite a lot, we created a couple decent opportunities but final ball was wrong/off - Raul had a couple awful efforts, in particular one where Podence was open in the area for a square.

Semedo did pretty well and looked a decent option going forwards, encouraged by the improvement he's showing over a relatively short span of time. But, when Adama came on, it took away any room he had - doesn't seem we've done any work on him underlapping yet, hopefully that will come.

Neto MotM, worked hard again and did decently well on both flanks.

Very, very frustrating to drop those points, unfortunately not the first time something like this has happened. Should not have conceded that goal - don't know if it was lapse in concentration or what, but that should not be going in, someone needs a kick up the ass for it. But, such is life.

 

[Jinky]

If anything happens to Raul, we have serious issues. Even if he’s struggling to get involved in games this season, he can produce something out of nothing and get us a goal - no one else looks remotely close to scoring.

Attempting to win 1-0 every game is a dangerous tactic, but because we are trying to do this it’s no surprise we’re being labelled “boring” from multiple outlets.

On today’s game, the increase in possession was nice, but Newcastle are absolutely terrible so it’s only natural we would see more of the ball. We didn’t work Darlow anywhere near enough and Nuno has to work out a way of us getting more men in the box and working the opposition keeper more often.

Far too predictable at times (we all knew Adama would come on around an hour in and we all knew when he eventually did come on, our main tactic would be to pass the ball to him and hope he does something special).

The less said about their goal, the better.

Two points dropped.

 

[The Saturday Boy]

Nothing wrong with the back three. Probably should have been better on the free kick, that shouldn’t have gone in.

Wing backs didn’t do enough, too predictable and not effective enough with the opportunities that came their way.

Midfield was fine, kept the ball well enough and moved it around with purpose.

The front three had good games individually, although wasteful with their chances, but didn’t play well together. It was three individuals doing their own thing and this cost us. Our goal threat was almost entirely down to individual efforts. We should have won that game comfortably.

Marcal was a slight improvement on Saiss. Adama offered little.

The first 15 minutes were very good and there seemed to be no good reason why we dropped off from that.

Next.

 

[Deleted Cyber]

Someone has just posted on Twitter - that was the 10th goal we've conceded after the 86th minute in the last 15 games

But Cybers a doom twat don’t ya know!

 

[White Wolf]

Someone has just posted on Twitter - that was the 10th goal we've conceded after the 86th minute in the last 15 games

Not sure that is correct. Newcastle, Stoke, Man City, West Ham, Sevilla, Sheff U, Arsenal, Burnley - 8 by my count (could be wrong). Still a lot though, hadn't realised.

I don't care about the League Cup, but in the league this season 2/3 have not actually mattered in fairness. Man City we were one behind and needed to attack anyway, the West Ham game was completely gone. To be seen if that is going to be the issue of our season.

EDIT: Just realised that they are probably counting the U23s conceding twice late on against Oldham in the EFL Trophy. Stats really can be used to prove anything.

 

[Aikiwolf]

The front three had good games individually, although wasteful with their chances, but didn’t play well together. It was three individuals doing their own thing and this cost us. Our goal threat was almost entirely down to individual efforts. We should have won that game comfortably.

I agree with this, there's no synergy between the front three currently. All three have quality but aren't quite working as an attacking trio, yet.

I do think they will gel and when that happens they will be a real handful.

 

[prawnking]

We played OK for the most part. I thought Semedo showed positive signs today, Pod and Neto huffed and puffed but never seriously looked like punishing Newcastle.

Traore looked poor again when he came on (confidence low after losing his place?)

Only the bottom four have scored less than us, not sure how that's going to change unless Raul starts scoring two or three a game. I don't see loads of goals in Neto or Pod (the former with time maybe) and no-one else in the team really contributes much in an attacking sense (Semedo can maybe grow into this). We need something more from the centre mids for sure.

It's a point. Our points haul is still good, but that's a crutch as we're not playing convincingly, and that concerns me because sooner or later it'll catch up with us.

 

[Jinky]

Also important to remember that before a ball was kicked this season, nearly everyone on here pointed out how kind our opening sequence of fixtures were. Yes, we are in 7th, but we’ve got some nasty looking fixtures on the horizon and at the moment we are still some way off clicking.

 

[Premier Quality]

There was quite a bit wrong with that today - Newcastle are shite, but Darlow barely made a save.

Saiss is an excellent player, but an attacking wing back he is not - almost everything came backwards meaning we lost any attacking impetus down that side.

Donk is an excellent defensive hard working midfielder but when we play a park the bus style team, he’s the wrong player - he has no creativity

We can’t just rely on the front three and semedo to do something against a team with nine across the back, it’s ridiculous.

even if Ait Noiri wasn’t completely fit, he had to come on tonight (or put semedo LWB and Traore on the right).

as for Rui’s wall - I love Rui, and he’s a fantastic keeper, but that was so obviously badly set up, I assume he was worried mason would allow the kick whilst he was still setting up the wall, so did half a job.

we are a good team - but we’re making it hard for ourselves.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Podence had some decent moves today, but it's as an individual more than linking with the others - it will come (Jota & Raul didn't click together first off either).

Reality is that in these sort of games we need to risk a bit more and get people in the box- from the start it was clear that Newcastle were going to rely on balls over the top & a quick break. They had the pace to do that, but not the composure. Centre mids were not the issue - Dendoncker was playing at CF at times, but the lack of threat on the left funneled everything down the other side which is easier to defend if you can ignore the other side.

Not going to criticise Saiss as he's not a LWB and he really shouldn't be asked to play there - that he does and is competent is useful, but only if there is no other option.

Still a better start than last year which ended up reasonably so all is not lost.

 

[BeaverWolf]

We played OK for the most part. I thought Semedo showed positive signs today, Pod and Neto huffed and puffed but never seriously looked like punishing Newcastle.

Traore looked poor again when he came on (confidence low after losing his place?)

Only the bottom four have scored less than us, not sure how that's going to change unless Raul starts scoring two or three a game. I don't see loads of goals in Neto or Pod (the former with time maybe) and no-one else in the team really contributes much in an attacking sense (Semedo can maybe grow into this). We need something more from the centre mids for sure.

It's a point. Our points haul is still good, but that's a crutch as we're not playing convincingly, and that concerns me because sooner or later it'll catch up with us.

Traore delivered 2 brilliant crosses but no one in the box. You cannot keep giving him just 25 minutes to shine.

 

[PuntsWolf]

There was quite a bit wrong with that today - Newcastle are shite, but Darlow barely made a save.

Saiss is an excellent player, but an attacking wing back he is not - almost everything came backwards meaning we lost any attacking impetus down that side.

Donk is an excellent defensive hard working midfielder but when we play a park the bus style team, he’s the wrong player - he has no creativity

We can’t just rely on the front three and semedo to do something against a team with nine across the back, it’s ridiculous.

even if Ait Noiri wasn’t completely fit, he had to come on tonight (or put semedo LWB and Traore on the right).

as for Rui’s wall - I love Rui, and he’s a fantastic keeper, but that was so obviously badly set up, I assume he was worried mason would allow the kick whilst he was still setting up the wall, so did half a job.

we are a good team - but we’re making it hard for ourselves.

I agree with this apart from the Donck bit. He doesn’t need to be particularly creative if Podence and Neto play narrow, the WBs play high and wide and Neves pushes up a little work one of the CBs stepping in. Unfortunately Podence/Neto are often wide, with the WB behind them leaving only 2 people in the box to aim for with Donck often being one of them.

 

[sycophantia]

I was livid after the equalizer, I'd just said going defensive after taking a one goal lead is dodgy, you only need one error or reffing mistake...and fuck me we had both. Never a free kick and then a clusterfuck from the wall/Rui. Its hard to be critical of Rui after his recent performances but I expect him to save that.
Getting that little rant out of the way, I was quite pleased with our progress overall today, passing and movement were excellent if a little pedestrian in the first half. Second half we bossed it and it felt it was just a matter of time till we scored, and so it proved.
There's still a lot of work to do but anyone expecting us to start playing like City this soon into trying to go from a counter attacking team to a possession based team are quite frankly deluded, we need to have a bit patience.