Wolves 2-1 Everton: Verdict Thread

[Wilf Wolf]

I thought we looked much more balanced with RAN playing as it meant we had a threat going forward down both wings. Everyone played well and we could have been out of sight by the time Everton realised that sitting back and defending with 10 players was only going to result in a conclusive defeat.

Special mention for Saiss who seemed to be challenging for a header every minute in the last half hour and he won most of them.

 

[Tredman]

We set up well and good energy across the pitch. Moutinho and Neves looked really good - can we still keep relying on Moutinho playing every game though? If Donk is just not going to get back to where he was we have a big issue in that we only look good with Moutinho + Neves and that surely can’t go on forever.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Or Bruno just simply doesn't rate him? Played him until we had other options and then dropped him.

Yeah the messsge being… “you’ve been shit, you need to be better”.

Adama can't keep the ball, that's why he didn't come on.

Podence was pretty rubbish instead but there's no agenda. There are just situations where Adama is useful and others where he isn't. He was also crap at Leeds, don't play like that if you want to keep the shirt.

I agree with the last bit. But I think we needed him to just carry the ball up the field once and we’d have been much more comfortable. They were pushing up so high that we couldn’t hold onto it but didn’t have the pace/strength/energy to get past them from the players on the pitch.

You don’t get that first half performance with him on the pitch though, and surely that’s Bruno’s long term aim? So with Neto coming back and him still not signing a contract, probably just accept an offer that hopefully comes in.

 

[prawnking]

Think there's some grudging praise on the thread for what was our best performance in a while.

Things to work on (killing a game off when you're as dominant as we were!), and in the PL you don't often have it your way all game, but some really strong individual performances and we looked like a team tonight.

Neves, RAN, Trincao and Raul all very good, that front three looks very balanced. I agree with Bruno that the four wide players all have a part to play, maybe in different games, but I was very impressed with Trincao's close control and how he found space last night.

Bruno outlasting Nuno, higher than Spurs, 6 points clear of Villa, top of the form table and into 7th place. That's with mostly the same players as last season. We'll have inevitable dips, but a very, very impressive points haul after the opening three games

 

[Throbber3]

Think there's some grudging praise on the thread for what was our best performance in a while.


Bruno outlasting Nuno, higher than Spurs, 6 points clear of Villa, top of the form table and into 7th place. That's with mostly the same players as last season. We'll have inevitable dips, but a very, very impressive points haul after the opening three games

They (Everton) took 6 points off that Wolves team last season pretty much and quite easily. They were outclassed in the first half and even in the second when they were much improved we were not hanging on. Any real ,chances were of our own making. I still dont get the thinking on here re Sa. He is a bonkers GK so he is going to make some ricks but he also has the where-with-all to get out of them. Kilman Coady and Saiss were all collectively great last night and RAN was good at both ends and on corners! Gets himself an assist?

 

[WsWolf]

Happy to be proven wrong by Kilman who looks geniunely top class. Barely a foot wrong this season so far and probably the front runner for POTY. I know Trincao flits in and out by when we get him on the ball with players running off him he is an absolute magician. Some of his touches last night were worth the entrance fee alone, once he is fully acclimatised to the speed of the game and physicality he is going to be an absolute force. Less said about the finish the better though, on his wrong foot but got to hit the target minimum there. Ait Nouri superb and Raul back to his best, but the most pleasing is Neves who absolutely ran the show.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I think "bring Adama on to stretch the game and run at a tired defence" is becoming a bit like ye olde "play both Wayne Bridge and Ashley Cole for England as we don't have a left winger" solution from 2002 or so, the idea is very different to the reality. Rarely have I ever seen him do that when we bring him on, he tends to be pretty anonymous as a sub if anything and certainly doesn't perform that role.

It's a difficult one as when he's on his game he's definitely our most exciting player and he does create a lot (even if his assist stats don't bear that out). But we frequently look a better team without him, he can't do what Trincao did last night. Well, apart from the miss maybe, he has that in his locker.

Otherwise in terms of subs Lage clearly doesn't particularly like many of the options he has there. I mean really by this stage that final half hour should be where we're using Moutinho - bring him on as an extra man in midfield to give us control and see the game out. But we're having to play him for virtually every minute of every game because Donck isn't particularly good and we have absolutely no-one else. That's on the club though.

 

[AndyWolves]

Shoot me down for being a Muppet but maybe situations like last night are where someone like Kieffer Moore could have a role. A big target man who can hold the ball up to allow us to relieve some pressure.

I agree about the Adama point on reflection. Even if he does go on a run, he won't have any support and is unlikely to score, it just wastes a few more seconds before the other team have the ball back. Plus were then reliant on Adama defensively

 

[Jabbawolf]

Shoot me down for being a Muppet but maybe situations like last night are where someone like Kieffer Moore could have a role. A big target man who can hold the ball up to allow us to relieve some pressure.

Sounds like Raul to me.

 

[prawnking]

I think (early days admittedly) Bruno's judgement on players looks pretty sound, and I don't think he hangs around making it (unlike with his subs).

Wherever we are in the league come January, I think he'll know exactly what the squad needs (Kieffer?). Whether he gets it or not...

Re: Adama, I don't think he would necessarily have relieved that much pressure, maybe would have given Everton something else to think about, but he could hardly have done less than Podence?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Re: Adama, I don't think he would necessarily have relieved that much pressure, maybe would have given Everton something else to think about, but he could hardly have done less than Podence?

Sure, but you don't know that when you make the change. We're only a couple of weeks out from Podence coming on as sub with us losing and going nowhere, and we won with him at the heart of a lot of the recovery.

Genuinely struggling to remember many occasions of Adama having an impact off the bench. You'd think he'd be a great sub to have, but it rarely happens. Of course quite a lot of games where he's started and been very good.

 

[lemonjelly]

we totally deserved to win last night. Throughout the whole team everyone played well. Neves and Kilman in particular for me, but no one was even close to an off day imo. First half we battered them - think they got into our half about twice.

2nd half they reacted. Delph came on and we struggled a bit with their pressing. In the first half we won pretty much every single 2nd ball. everton improved on that in the 2nd half, and pinned us back a little, but they didn't really create that much. however, when we conceded, it created worry.

my feeling on adama is he wasn't brought on, because the way we were playing involved a lot of interplay. There were numerous occasions where the front 3 in particular had some great interchanges and bits of passing. adama doesn't work well with that.

The other thing that stood out for me was the variety of passing. We move the ball around quicker than under Nuno, and this creates options for us to pass more directly forwards. so it meant trincao/raul/hwang were able to find pockets of space, and when everton reacted to this, moutinho and neves were able to find space as alternatives.

we were really good imo, and I felt I could see some of bruno's ideas coming through.

also, trincao. I really like what he brings. man has some skillz. and his movement last night was first class. was amazed he didn't score with his chance, and though a shame, everything else he did really well.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Shoot me down for being a Muppet but maybe situations like last night are where someone like Kieffer Moore could have a role. A big target man who can hold the ball up to allow us to relieve some pressure.

I agree about the Adama point on reflection. Even if he does go on a run, he won't have any support and is unlikely to score, it just wastes a few more seconds before the other team have the ball back. Plus were then reliant on Adama defensively

I'm shooting you down for being a muppet.

 

[WsWolf]

Sounds like Raul to me.

Bingo. If Raul isn't making it stick, a genuine world class 9 then that bit lump has got no chance.

 

[prawnking]

Sure, but you don't know that when you make the change. We're only a couple of weeks out from Podence coming on as sub with us losing and going nowhere, and we won with him at the heart of a lot of the recovery.

Genuinely struggling to remember many occasions of Adama having an impact off the bench. You'd think he'd be a great sub to have, but it rarely happens. Of course quite a lot of games where he's started and been very good.

I think Pod is just an inconsistent player. Good to have in the squad though.

I've always defended Adama, last night was the first time I've really been convinced by a front three that doesn't include him, and seen what a few posters on here have meant about him holding us back and over-using him when he's on the pitch.

Like Podence, I still think Adama has a part to play this season, and I'd want to see Trincao have a run of games to see if he can keep this up with Raul and Hwang too.

But I have a gut feeling that Bruno won't persist with trying to solve the Adama puzzle in the way his predecessor did, especially with return of Pedro

 

[The Bear]

Wolves captain Conor Coady, speaking to BBC Sport after the game:

"I thought we were outstanding in the first half. We were aggressive from the first whistle. A fantastic night, something we can improve on but fantastic for everyone.

"An incredible atmosphere under the lights. We are improving, we are getting better and we just have to keep doing it.

"We give Max [Kilman] stick for not scoring enough but what a header, I couldn't be happier for him. He is a brilliant lad and works so hard.

"We are a close-knit team and whoever comes in knows their role and what they have to do.

"Amazing. I thought Raul [Jimenez] was going to take it around the keeper but he dinks it in. A world-class player and a world class finish.

"You don't want to see it, he did fantastic at this club and when he goes to other clubs you want to see him do well but we focus on ourselves."

I wondered what the hell that last sentence was about for a minute, until I realised he'd probably been asked about Nuno's sacking.

 

[WsWolf]

Re: Adama, I don't think he would necessarily have relieved that much pressure, maybe would have given Everton something else to think about, but he could hardly have done less than Podence?

On the ball certainly, however Podence did keep shape off the ball and continued to press in the same way Trincao and Hwang did off the ball. Adama just doesn't do this, he's not really build physically to do so even if he did have the discipline to, which imo he doesn't. The last thing you need when under pressure is a weak link in the chain.

 

[Quirkafleeg]

Shoot me down for being a Muppet but maybe situations like last night are where someone like Kieffer Moore could have a role. A big target man who can hold the ball up to allow us to relieve some pressure.

And thats what Raul does and more, Moore I bet cant collect a ball on his chest and then move it in one motion to attack the defence. Raul is 5 million times better so we dont need a big so called lump up front that does nothing more then flick headers on.

 

[Tom Hark]

That first half was one of the most enjoyable to watch from a Wolves side for a long, long time; perhaps since we were in the Championship. The last half hour was one of the most uncomfortable. I don't know whether Bruno acticely wants us to hold on to what we have, or whether it's just apprehension on the players' part, but it's not good for the nerves. I was convinced we were going to chuck away two points like we did at Leeds.

As others have said, though, it wasn't exactly the Alamo, and no one had a bad game. Everton could have scored again, yes, but so could we (and more often). And Everton are no mugs – they would have been 7th this morning if they'd won – but at their best they only matched our worst. I suppose the difference between the very top sides when they're dominating a game and the rest of us is that they can often just choose whether to keep their foot on the gas and perhaps go on to score 4 or 5.

I get a bit frustrated with the 'patient' approach sometimes – there was one great opportunity in particular for a one-two between Semedo and Trincao last night down the right when Trincao just passed it infield instead – but in general we seem to be doing things the right way and building a system to improve on. Of course, new and better signings will always be welcome, but we showed tonight that when those we have play well, we're a very good side indeed.

 

[AndyWolves]

And thats what Raul does and more, Moore I bet cant collect a ball on his chest and then move it in one motion to attack the defence. Raul is 5 million times better so we dont need a big so called lump up front that does nothing more then flick headers on.

I bet he can't either.

I was more thinking of having Moore alongside Raul so we've got two targets so to speak. Have Moore as the target and Raul playing off him.

If we're going to play like that we know that the tricky wingers don't really hold the ball up.