Liverpool 4-0 Wolves: Verdict Thread

[sycophantia]

I know its heresy but don't think Boly has been at his best for while, not writing him off at all but maybe needs a rest if we're playing 4 at the back, I know Coady was poor also but hopefully a one off

 

[jd1981]

As for the coverage of the game Clive Tyldsley gave everyone a clear reason why ITV binned him off. Unequivocally bias, patronising at times and genuine case of flippancy towards ourselves this when it was only 1-0

 

[Deano]

The back 4 is good because it gives us more attacking options but we definitely did our Summer recruitment with 5 at the back in mind as both Ait Nouri and Semedo look very much wing backs and not full backs.

 

[PuntsWolf]

The back 4 is good because it gives us more attacking options but we definitely did our Summer recruitment with 5 at the back in mind as both Ait Nouri and Semedo look very much wing backs and not full backs.

RAN is what? 19? We can mould him in to whatever we want. Not sure Semedo is a bonafide WB. He’s susceptible defensively and he’s near and tidy going forward without having any stand out skills. Poor mans Kyle Walker.

 

[sycophantia]

RAN is what? 19? We can mould him in to whatever we want. Not sure Semedo is a bonafide WB. He’s susceptible defensively and he’s near and tidy going forward without having any stand out skills. Poor mans Kyle Walker.

I agree about RAN but a bit early to be writing Semedo off, he hasn't been brilliant defensively so far and I deffo want to see more from him in an attacking sense but got to give him a bit of time....we gave Doc about 7 seasons

 

[PuntsWolf]

I agree about RAN but a bit early to be writing Semedo off, he hasn't been brilliant defensively so far and I deffo want to see more from him in an attacking sense but got to give him a bit of time....we gave Doc about 7 seasons

Haven’t written him off?

 

[The Bion]

These are selected quotes from Nuno so please read the entire article for yourselves if you're curious, just to avoid any accusations of things being taken out of context

“Now we have to look and ask many questions of ourselves because we made mistakes and there was a moment where we abandoned the game, and this cannot happen"

“Not having Raul is a blow. We were trying to occupy the same position with different players, but we were not able to do it. We didn’t have enough of the ball, so we couldn’t unbalance Liverpool and create by putting our players in the offensive part of the game."

“We started the game well and we were organised but, even in the first-half when we had a couple of moments, we were never comfortable in the game.

“We didn’t produce too much; we were organised until the goal, but we were not well enough with possession of the ball and we created half chances, not real chances. We didn’t perform as well as we could and we should.

“Everybody expected a better second-half and we were not able. The second goal, we were unbalanced and we didn’t run back to cover the spaces. It is not mentality [that was missing], I think we were not able to deal with the pressing of Liverpool.

“Every time we had a couple of passes we couldn’t keep hold of the ball and lost possession too soon, even in the moment of recovery, we weren’t able to counter attack and have possession. We were not able to deal with the pressing of Liverpool.”

----

An acknowledgement we stopped playing, which is oddly positive (as in, to not acknowledge or deny it would be worse)

Not being able to deal with the press is somewhat understandable, as they're excellent at it - but ironically I think 3 at the back would have helped a lot with that as it means you always have the spare man to work around

 

[Jinky]

Semedo looks exactly like the kind of player the Barca fans said we were signing - alright going forward but struggles defensively when he’s up against real quality. Mane had him on toast a few times this evening. I accept that, defensively, he needs time with the coaching staff & Nuno to improve - but we’re not really seeing much from him in an attacking sense either. Zero assists this season, off the top of my head.

On tonight, Nuno got a couple of calls wrong for me. Fabio should have started. We played 4 at the back anyway, so why lose the extra body going forwards? Especially when they had so many changes in personal at the back. It’s not like we controlled the midfield with three in there. I said before a ball was kicked, we have handed them the initiative (which we did) and our only tactic was to try and hit them on the break (which it was). Very predictable, despite the constant switching of system. And on that front, I didn’t really get why Adama & Neto swapped sides at half time? We looked toothless after that.

Tough place to go, obviously - but I felt all day that we could have really troubled them. For about half hour we did alright, but once they scored the game was only going to go one way. Worst of all, like YW has said, we didn’t seem to have any fight in us and the players looked beat at 2-0. Nuno won’t be happy with their reaction.

The Villa game is huge for us now. We need a reaction and to bounce back. I’d get Silva up top and the three attacking players behind. Would like to see a lot more of Vitinha too - he looks like he wants to be positive with the ball whenever he gets it.

 

[malta mick]

Don't think we have good enough defenders to play 4 at the back against top half teams. Can't see how Donk improves our attacking threat with any likelihood of goals. A bad day at the office and need to bounce back for next week.

 

[Premier Quality]

Some of the stats from tonight

key passes - Traore 3, Neto 2 (no one else had any)
Tackles - semedo 5, boly 4
Interceptions - Marcal 3, moutinho, Neto, neves 2 each
Shots - Donk 4, no one else more than 1
Xg 1.59 Liverpool, 0.36 for us.

The main things I take from that is that pod didn’t do enough (although his one shot was a good effort), and that semedo and boly probably weren’t as bad as some people think.

id love to see the % passes forwards because some of the passing in midfield really irritated me - one example we were on a break but the midfielder passed the ball sideways to another midfielder but a bit behind him - by the time he had gathered the ball, he’d been closed down and had to pass it backwards to Boly. It’s simple stuff, we should be doing better.

 

[sycophantia]

Some of the stats from tonight

key passes - Traore 3, Neto 2 (no one else had any)
Tackles - semedo 5, boly 4
Interceptions - Marcal 3, moutinho, Neto, neves 2 each
Shots - Donk 4, no one else more than 1
Xg 1.59 Liverpool, 0.36 for us.

The main things I take from that is that pod didn’t do enough (although his one shot was a good effort), and that semedo and boly probably weren’t as bad as some people think.

I don't think they were very good, but also Liverpool shouldn't be getting so many overloads when we have 3 in midfield

 

[sycophantia]

Haven’t written him off?

Fair enough, apologies

 

[redvictor]

One thing is for sure. Defeats and setbacks for a team only make you 1/ stronger, and 2/ the ability to learn from the mistakes you make, because if you don't make them (mistakes) you will never learn any lessons. We, as a team spent 5 years chasing a goal (world record) and certainly had setbacks. But we learned from every one of them to get the record in the end. Obviously the time frame was different for us, but the end goal is relevant i believe. At least on here people realise this, where as on SM people seem to lose their minds over it.

 

[Paul]

Some of the stats from tonight

key passes - Traore 3, Neto 2 (no one else had any)
Tackles - semedo 5, boly 4
Interceptions - Marcal 3, moutinho, Neto, neves 2 each
Shots - Donk 4, no one else more than 1
Xg 1.59 Liverpool, 0.36 for us.

The main things I take from that is that pod didn’t do enough (although his one shot was a good effort), and that semedo and boly probably weren’t as bad as some people think.

id love to see the % passes forwards because some of the passing in midfield really irritated me - one example we were on a break but the midfielder passed the ball sideways to another midfielder but a bit behind him - by the time he had gathered the ball, he’d been closed down and had to pass it backwards to Boly. It’s simple stuff, we should be doing better.

It's a bit misleading, I mean at least five times Boly passed to a Liverpool player in our half, it's what he didn't do rather than what he did. and I think Podences chip was far more effective than all of Leanders tame headers, but numerically it is correct

 

[Tony Towner]

They scored from one in exactly the way we have been trying to. Just combination of a better delivery and also some bad defending by us!

So did Arsenal last week

 

[AndyWolves]

Am I right in thinking Boly tried to close down Salah 1/2 inside the Liverpool half in the build up to their second and took himself out of the game?

 

[Premier Quality]

It's a bit misleading, I mean at least five times Boly passed to a Liverpool player in our half, it's what he didn't do rather than what he did. and I think Podences chip was far more effective than all of Leanders tame headers, but numerically it is correct

Yeah of course - stats don’t tell the whole story (especially when you don’t have all the stats), but they do tell a bit of the story.

I found them interesting anyway.

the pod point is a good one, as it was a really good effort - but the only really effective contribution he made. Silva has to start the next game for me.

 

[Quirkafleeg]

Why on earth we didnt change the shirt at half time I'll never know.

 

[Derby Wolf]

Didn't mwatch it yet, but just want to say that against your City's and Liverpools we've got to be at our absolute best and they have to have a moment or mistake in them, last season it was Otamendi/Mendy been awful and Edersen getting sent off.

In both games this season we've gifted them both the first goal with Coady's fuck up and Saiss' daft penalty lunge. From there on in you're on a hiding to nowhere, and so it proved.

I'd take this on the chin, keep working on the evolution and go again. Losing heavily to the (probable) winners of the league won't define the system or our season.

 

[The Saturday Boy]

It doesnt define the season, but it does define the gulf we have to cross to be able to compete at that level. After the first goal Liverpool managed us out of the game with ease...and we have some really talented players. Our performance wasn’t bad, but it was not nearly good enough to trouble a Liverpool team that cruised through the game.

We need to do to Villa what Liverpool did to us.