Burnley (A) 30.03.2019

[YoungWolf]

Poor performance. The first goal for them kinda sums up the day I guess. We had a 15 minute spell at the start of the second half where had we scored I think we would have gone on to win. Cav should have scored.

They defend the box so well but without Traore on the pitch we looked very unlikely to create. Sometimes Moutinho got on the ball and combined with a forward but that was about it. Neves has a pretty poor game I thought. Costa is so lacking in confidence. Never really takes any kind of risk or tried to dribble with the ball anymore.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Think id have started Vinagre rather than Jonny, his energy would have pinned them back and he'd have been the better option especially when we conceded so early. Very surprised he didn't get any minutes with how the game panned out.

Thought Traore did fine mostly. Beat his man and got it in but didn't have much to aim at with Jota and Cav up front and no focal point. Think we threatened more but can't legislate for a smash and grab performance like that.

Costa offered less than fuck all when he came on. A couple of times he got the ball and only had one man but didn't even look to take him on. I've no idea whats wrong him but he just looks bereft. Don't expect him to be here next season.

Frustrating day but it wasn't a no show like Huddersfield or Cardiff away. Really poor start and then a suckerpunch in the second. I'm more concerned we get through the games with no injuries to be honest.

If we were going to play Vinagre then this is the game I would have used. Would he have been better, who knows, as despite our possesesion we didn't really perform up front anyway.

Ultimately (& whatever Nuno's mantra is) then the S/F is a more significant game

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Beat United. Win the Semi Final. Then this becomes yesterday's chip paper.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Poor performance. The first goal for them kinda sums up the day I guess. We had a 15 minute spell at the start of the second half where had we scored I think we would have gone on to win. Cav should have scored.

They defend the box so well but without Traore on the pitch we looked very unlikely to create. Sometimes Moutinho got on the ball and combined with a forward but that was about it. Neves has a pretty poor game I thought. Costa is so lacking in confidence. Never really takes any kind of risk or tried to dribble with the ball anymore.

Sums it up well. I don’t understand Costa. Every time he gets the ball he takes it outside onto his right foot (which is terrible), then just cuts back and passes it backwards. No effort to beat a man, no effort to combine for a 1-2, no effort to get a ball in.

He picked the ball up in the inside right channel and could have drove inside on his left and got a shot away or combined to create something but instead takes it outside onto his week foot away from danger and passes it backwards. He is literally zero threat ever and it’s frustrating.

 

[MobNet Wolf]

Really bizarre how people seek to deny there’s an issue against a certain side towards the bottom of the table. There clearly is.

You can argue about how the statistics change v 4 from the bottom or 5 from the bottom but take it in pure isolation, from:

Burnley away
Cardiff away
Fulham away
Huddersfield home and away...

We’ve taken 1 point. That’s undeniably a poor return from those 5 games.

No one is denying it’s not been a brilliant season, but the idea that we don’t discuss how we could’ve done better is just North Korean.

 

[MobNet Wolf]

Really bizarre how people seek to deny there’s an issue against a certain side towards the bottom of the table. There clearly is.

You can argue about how the statistics change v 4 from the bottom or 5 from the bottom but take it in pure isolation, from:

Burnley away
Cardiff away
Fulham away
Huddersfield home and away...

We’ve taken 1 point. That’s undeniably a poor return from those 5 games.

No one is denying it’s not been a brilliant season, but the idea that we don’t discuss how we could’ve done better is just North Korean.

To quote (translated) a Norwegian journalist:

Wolves in 7th place, is likely to be "best of the rest". In matches against Brighton (b), Burnley (b), Cardiff (b), Fulham (b) and Huddersfield (h AND b) taken a total of 1 point. Wtf? Okay, they thrive better on an opponent who controls the fight, etc., but jeez.

Another point here is that if Wolves had won all these, they had as many points as United and Spurs. Say a little about how close they actually are to challenging the top 6 teams. And this in its first season after the promotion.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

So leaving out the six points from home games against two of those sides.

Only one poster looking like he types for Pravda.

 

[AndyWolves]

This probably should have finished 0-0.

A spawny goal to start with which we should have done better with which puts you on the back foot straight away.

Strengthen again in the summer and I'm confident these kind of games will turn into wins

 

[MobNet Wolf]

So leaving out the six points from home games against two of those sides.

Only one poster looking like he types for Pravda.

Not at all. You’re being willingly obtuse. Yes - we won two games.

But my post clearly stated: take those five games in isolation. It’s a poor return to take 1 point from 15.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

This probably should have finished 0-0.

A spawny goal to start with which we should have done better with which puts you on the back foot straight away.

Yep. Same as Palace at home and Huddersfield away for me. We weren't great and didn't offer nearly as much as we needed to, but the opposition also did next to bugger all.

Them scoring so early allowed them to go very much into two banks of four and just set up their stall to defend.

 

[big mean bunny]

Same as Andy for me. Just need that extra bit of invention for the sides that sit back.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Why in isolation though.

Lets leave out all the wins and then we look shit. It is bollocks as an argument.

 

[Dire Wolf]

Why are you adding Watford in for crying out fucking loud? They are in EIGHTH.

Bottom seven

Huddersfield P2 Pts 0
Fulham P1 Pts 1
Cardiff P2 Pts 3
Burnley P2 Pts 3
Southampton P1 Pts 3
Brighton P1 Pts 0
Newcastle P2 Pts 4

Huddersfield is the outlier as I say. Good returns elsewhere (assuming we do something against Brighton at home).

At the end of the day, it doesn't actually matter whom you garner the points off, the table is what is important. And we are best of the rest.

That's fair enough, but there have been some pretty poor performances in those fixtures, way below the level of which we are capable and I think that is what is frustrating. Better performances in those games and we would be chasing 5th not 7th, which shows how good we can still be. There have been a few games against shit teams where either our tactics or approach to the game haven't been quite right and while we are ALL happy with our season it does speak to our potential that those few performances leave a feeling of 'what if'...

 

[White Wolf]

Who we have still to play. I hope you pipe up if we lose that. You ignore it if you like. I think its something we need to sort and have done all season. So I am completely consistent.

But we've already played them once and won, why can't we include that? You never failed to include teams that we hadn't played twice when we lost to them in the first fixture as that is how you miscontrued the facts to fit your superstition. You're only consistent in the sense that you bang on about certain events happening because of magic rather than providing a footballing explanation.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Not at all. You’re being willingly obtuse. Yes - we won two games.

But my post clearly stated: take those five games in isolation. It’s a poor return to take 1 point from 15.

That's 5 games - the league is played over 38 and where you finish includes the results in all those games.

Could we have done better against some of the bottom feeders - clearly we could, but we have only just been promoted so not sure what anyone was expecting to be better than this.

We are still 7th with only the monied rich above us

 

[YoungWolf]

Promoted team has some inconsistent results shocker!

For me it is about quality. As we grow, we will sign better players who can break teams down better. Cav, Costa, Traore, up top are not going to do that. Doherty against a low block is not great either I would say. I was surprised we didn’t put Vinagre on as Jonny had a decent game but doesn’t take his man on around the outside usually.

 

[White Wolf]

Apart from the goal, how did we do defending set pieces? Was worried that would be how Burnley would trouble us even if we have looked a lot better defending them since Donck has come in (Leicester notwithstanding).

 

[Deleted Cyber]

Really bizarre how people seek to deny there’s an issue against a certain side towards the bottom of the table. There clearly is.

You can argue about how the statistics change v 4 from the bottom or 5 from the bottom but take it in pure isolation, from:

Burnley away
Cardiff away
Fulham away
Huddersfield home and away...

We’ve taken 1 point. That’s undeniably a poor return from those 5 games.

No one is denying it’s not been a brilliant season, but the idea that we don’t discuss how we could’ve done better is just North Korean.

Often I think because the person suggesting it is loopy Cyber!

 

[east-coast-wolves]

I don't think we were bad as such. Struggled to create yeah but we've been wayyyy worse this season.

0-0 would have been fair.

Not sure going 3-4-3 proved to be the right move though. Definitely bring Jimenez on but I thought we were looking okay and had less control after the shape change.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Apart from the goal, how did we do defending set pieces? Was worried that would be how Burnley would trouble us even if we have looked a lot better defending them since Donck has come in (Leicester notwithstanding).

Not even close to an issue, McNeil's goal was their only shot on target. We never looked in any danger although we did cede control a bit after Donck went off (I know why he did it, but we didn't need to change the formation at that point. We were already on top and looking like we were going to break through)