Blues (A) build up

[Lycan]

Ruddy

Batth Coady Boly

Doherty Saiss Price Douglas

Cavaleiro Bonatini Jota

SUBS: Norris, Bennett, Miranda, Vinagre, Costa, N'Daiye, Enobakhare​

Price is the natural replacement for Neves IMO, harsh on Alfie though. Harsh on Bennett as well but he dropped an absolute clanger yesterday and there's so much competition for his place. Plus there's a part of me that would feel so much more comfortable with Danny Batth on the pitch away at Blues in midweek. Still no place for Helder which is ridiculous.

 

[Langers]

I don't disagree with any of that but it shows the standards are so high that a single mistake is grounds to replace them! But when you have Miranda, Batth and Hause waiting in the wings, this isn't a bad thing.

We'll miss Neves - I'm confident both Price and N'Diaye will do a good enough job in his absence though. Again, I wouldn't mind which one plays. The rest of the team picks itself.

 

[Siggy]

Agree with Lycan on this one I think Batth is perfect for this type of game although if Bennett stays in I wont be unhappy hes been pretty good other than that mistake yesterday. Alf could play alongside Saiss but I think Price will get the nod. Will be interesting to see how we are without Neves, massive boots to fill for Price but I have always liked him and he fits our new system perfectly.

I will go for a scrappy 2-1 win, goals from Cav & Jota who just both look unstoppable at the moment.

Great to see Cav so happy, no chance he gets dropped at the moment even though Helder is starting to look like he is close to full fitness. Blooming lovely problem to have!

 

[sycophantia]

Think it will depend how Nuno sees what tactics we need, Price is the obvious like for like replacement but N'Diaye gives you summat different...not better or worse just different, I'll leave that to Nuno, he knows whats best. I would swap Batth for Bennet too, Bennets done ok but prefer Danny, think he was a bit unlucky to get dropped. Whats happened to Miranda, got a knock or just dropped down the pecking order

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I'd rather play Ronan than Price, pretty sure Big Alf will get the nod anyway.

 

[Trips]

Think N'Diaye will be in the middle with Saiss. Miranda or Batth in place of Bennett for me too. Everything else remains the same. A measure of where we are that Costa can't get in this side at the minute, it must be so demoralising for the opposition seeing him coming on with half an hour to go.

Nice that Sky are picking up away games for live TV so I can catch more of us, long may it continue

 

[PuntsWolf]

Bennett made a mistake and people have been waiting for that to happen so they can drop him. Fair enough but I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Apart from needing to replace Neves not sure there is a need to change much else - over a week before the game

Having said that would not be unhappy with any combination Nuno decides on - we have more quality to bring on once the starters have run Blues into the ground and we are 2 up

 

[YoungWolf]

Bennett made a mistake and people have been waiting for that to happen so they can drop him. Fair enough but I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do.

Agree with that - although I rate Miranda and Batth over him (and Hauss in fact) if Nuno trusts him I can understand that. Equally if he does drop him I can understand as he has had a good run but I think that's what he is good for - coming into the side to do a job - rather than being a regular starter.

 

[lemonjelly]

Bennett did a lot of really good stuff saturday. His performance shouldn't be measured on 15 seconds of play.

 

[Kenny]

Bennett did a lot of really good stuff saturday. His performance shouldn't be measured on 15 seconds of play.

It shouldn't but that is where we are at this moment in time. We only have minor things to pick at and it comes across as being very harsh but rather that than trying to find a positive hidden behind a wall of shit.
Against Leeds all we had was Doherty spannering a cross far into Wolverhampton City Centre and Saturday it was Bennett making a poor pass (might have also been Coady after 30 seconds but he got away with it).

 

[east-coast-wolves]

I don't think Bennett is among our first choice CBs. He came in and did well, but he's now made an error costing a goal, so like Danny and Miranda, he is likely to now drop out. This will likely also improve the team as a whole. Don't see an issue here.

 

[Tony Towner]

I wouldn't drop Bennett BECAUSE he made a mistake. Jackett made our keepers play like rabbits in headlights for the first couple of months of his final season because he dropped them whenever they made an error. I don't think giving the impression that one mistake and your out is the way to go.

Same team except N'Diaye for Neves for me.

 

[The Bear]

He dropped Batth and Miranda after poor performances. Maybe Bennett did enough other than the one mistake he made to keep his place though. We'll soon find out.

 

[Siglap Wolf]

Wouldn't mind Hause being given at least a spot on the bench along with Ronan - whilst Bennett has a time out in the wilderness.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I wouldn't drop Bennett BECAUSE he made a mistake. Jackett made our keepers play like rabbits in headlights for the first couple of months of his final season because he dropped them whenever they made an error. I don't think giving the impression that one mistake and your out is the way to go.

Few things for me there:

1) As Bear has already said, Batth and Miranda were chucked after QPR, the former in particular had been absolutely fine before that (Rodders was seriously ropey at times vs PNE so that was probably fair enough)

2) I'm not sure that's quite true regarding Ken and the keepers. We signed Martinez, Ikeme made an error on the opening day and he put the new signing in. So far so normal, that happens all the time. Emi had a shocker vs QPR and that made his position fairly untenable in the short term especially as we'd lost from 2-0 up. So Ikeme back in, he fucked up vs Cardiff AND against Charlton and so had to go. Emi then kept his place until he got injured and never got back in after that, essentially because post-Morgan buggering off we couldn't ever hope to afford him. Basically Ikeme got put under some pressure from a better keeper and in none of his outings suggested he deserved to keep his place. It wasn't Ken's treatment of him that made him fumble a goal in vs Charlton. He was always a keeper who was prone to horrible errors, that's probably why we were trying to upgrade in the first place

3) I'd drop Bennett because I don't actually think he's particularly good and he's definitely a very odd fit for this team. Batth has looked way better on the ball than him this season and his penultimate game before being dropped was a colossal display at City. I think he's a better defender AND he's better in possession now than the incumbent. I don't want to wait for him to make another mistake to our detriment before we change it, be proactive if there's an issue (and there is, albeit we get away with it for now)

 

[The Bear]

Batth is certainly a better head/kick merchant than Bennett. And his distribution has improved to the point where it's not something to worry too much about. Whereas Bennett does still have a tendency to lump it, and also I noticed on Saturday, every time he gets a pass across to him when we play it out, he almost always just knocks it back to Coady.

Not sure what has happened to Miranda to not even make the squad on Saturday. Probably just a knock hopefully.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Miranda probabaly didn’t make the bench as there is no point having two CBs and no full backs, especially with Saiss in the side and no one else in the squad can cover WB. I like Bennett, yes he gave the ball away, yes he likes to lump it when there is the slightest danger, but I just think we look more solid since he’s come in the team, I don’t worry that we will concede. Whether that’s him, the team being better in general, or the quality of opposition we’ve been playing I don’t know. I’d leave him in.

 

[Jinky]

I think you need a muck & nettles defender in there amongst the 'flair'. I've got no issue with Bennett, and before this weekend he had a ridiculous run in the side without conceding a goal.

Personally I think Nuno will show faith in him and leave him in there. Me? I'd go with Batth. I just think he's a better defender and would be more suited for a local derby.

 

[playtheace]

Batth for Bennett and N'Diaye for Neves for me.
Would rather have someone a "bit" more mobile but solid against that Adams fella.
Miranda is prone to doing something daft.