Norwich 0-0 Wolves: Verdict Thread

[Elephant Pyjamas]

I don't think playing Adama as an inside forward is beneficial in any way. He's a winger who wants to stay wide and cross, it's literally the only position in our formation that vaguely suits what he's good at. Especially when he's on the right just moving into the space where semedo would receive it. So yes I believe it was.

Raul could play CM quite easily but he's better as a CF, which is where your analogy falls down.

Raul could play CM quite easily? Right.......

Playing Adama at RB or RWB has never been a good idea, yet Lage has done it a couple of times now and people moan at Adama rather than Lage. Baffling.

 

[Del Woppio]

I'd rather play donk in a 352 than have to watch Trincao or Traore set foot on the pitch again. They're both fucking useless at affecting play, despite their natural talents. Tbh if we're getting nothing in terms of creativity from the wingbacks then we may as well just play a 4 anyway.

Terrible window(s) coming home to roost. We looked fucking knackered, as well as clueless.

 

[Carsy]

Trincao has the physical presence of a wet wipe, awful.

You think moving Adama to RWB was good management? I think it was bloody awful, Raul wasn't getting on the ball, but you wouldn't put him CM would you?

You never know, we don’t have many options in CM after all…

 

[sycophantia]

Disappointing, guessing conditions had an effect on both teams, pretty even over the course of the game, although Norwich had the better chances.
We seem a bit more on the front foot this season but still revert to safety first too often when in good attacking positions.
I said last week that RAN had been good for 2 games but to expect inconsistency, we got the other side today, but he is improving overall.
Adama just didn't seem interested when he came on, had a few chances to do his 'thing' but went for a simple short pass instead, couple of runs when he got easily tackled....is he on his way?
We're still in the middle of a good run points wise, just need to up the consistancy.

 

[PuntsWolf]

4 games since Hwang scored, which in itself isn't an issue. The fact he's been pants in all of them is. Seems he offers workrate, finishing but little creativity

His general play is really bad, seems to have the brain and physicality but not the feet for it. Trincao the total opposite. Has the feet but no physicality and his brain is hit and miss.

Those two positions and the WBs have always been crucial to our attacking play. When they all have shockers you get performances like this. So the poor ball retention leads to the midfield two having to do more off the ball than with it, and their game suffers as a result.

 

[Tony Towner]

Disappointing, guessing conditions had an effect on both teams, pretty even over the course of the game, although Norwich had the better chances.
We seem a bit more on the front foot this season but still revert to safety first too often when in good attacking positions.
I said last week that RAN had been good for 2 games but to expect inconsistency, we got the other side today, but he is improving overall.
Adama just didn't seem interested when he came on, had a few chances to do his 'thing' but went for a simple short pass instead, couple of runs when he got easily tackled....is he on his way?
We're still in the middle of a good run points wise, just need to up the consistancy.

It looked like he's either checked out or is injured. I wouldn't discount the latter as the reason we've seen little of him though

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

There's too much over reaction to performances in isolation for my liking lately.

We beat Everton and we are amazing
We lost to Palace and everything is shit
We beat West Ham and we are amazing.
We draw with Norwich and everything is shit

We are what we are, an inconsistent mid table side who is going to swing from good to bad performances as a collective and individually week on week.

 

[Johnny75]

I'd rather play donk in a 352 than have to watch Trincao or Traore set foot on the pitch again. They're both fucking useless at affecting play, despite their natural talents. Tbh if we're getting nothing in terms of creativity from the wingbacks then we may as well just play a 4 anyway.

Terrible window(s) coming home to roost. We looked fucking knackered, as well as clueless.

That's the biggest issue. They're both pretty poor wing backs when compared to others in the division. And shows up the imbalance in the squad.

Defensively both are pretty solid and I imagine as overlapping fullbacks they'd be pretty decent.

Our biggest problem today want them though, it was Hwang and Trincao were so poor. Didn't win a second ball, didn't run off the ball well or link with Raul.

We need a creative outlet as one of those two players. I don't think Neto is that player either, Pod certainly is but not always consistent.

Really need to sort the squad out, we can't continue like this.

A point is not to be sniffed at and Norwich looked pretty solid. Onto the next.

 

[WsWolf]

Raul could play CM quite easily? Right.......

Playing Adama at RB or RWB has never been a good idea, yet Lage has done it a couple of times now and people moan at Adama rather than Lage. Baffling.

Yes, do you not think he could play there?

Playing him in a narrow front 3 isn't either but it's been continually done for 3 years. It's no coincidence his best form came when he basically swapped positions with Doherty when we had the ball he basically operated like a traditional right winger, which is where he's effective. Unfortunately there isn't a right winger in a 343.

 

[Tony Towner]

We beat Everton and we are amazing
We lost to Palace and everything is shit
We beat West Ham and we are amazing.
We draw with Norwich and everything is shit

Home
Away
Home
Away

 

[Johnny75]

There's too much over reaction to performances in isolation for my liking lately.

We beat Everton and we are amazing
We lost to Palace and everything is shit
We beat West Ham and we are amazing.
We draw with Norwich and everything is shit

We are what we are, an inconsistent mid table side who is going to swing from good to bad performances as a collective and individually week on week.

You are Garth Crooks and I claim my £5.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Not necessarily. 2 of those forward options contributed little today. If you move Moutinho or Neves higher up the pitch you could theoretically thread balls through for your front 2. Not ideal at all, but that's where we are at squad wise

They don't play that way though do they? They never have, if anything they've always been deeper than Dendoncker in a midfield three. It's a nice idea on paper but it's just forcing players into positions they don't actually play so the practice will never reflect the theory.

The players to make that formation more expansive and attacking aren't currently employed by Wolves.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

Neto can't get fit soon enough. Replace either of Hwang or Trincao with the pre-injury Neto and we will look a far better team and carry much more threat going forwards. I thought Norwich played well, far better than their league position would suggest, and throw in the new manager bounce and a point is perfectly acceptable.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

You are Garth Crooks and I claim my £5.

No idea what that is supposed to mean.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

No idea what that is supposed to mean.

Nor me, but if someone calls you Garth Crooks it's not good!

 

[Johnny75]

They don't play that way though do they? They never have, if anything they've always been deeper than Dendoncker in a midfield three. It's a nice idea on paper but it's just forcing players into positions they don't actually play so the practice will never reflect the theory.

The players to make that formation more expansive and attacking aren't currently employed by Wolves.

Moutinho pressed really high in the first three games and slid a magical through ball for Traore to miss against Leicester.

It could be done but I agree with you not ideal and wouldn’t solve a long term problem we have.

 

[Mild 'n' Scratchins]

He had 20 odd minutes and did less than nothing. Hwang and Trincao were poor but at least they actually showed for the ball and ran off it, Adama did neither. When he did get it he just passed it safely back first touch.

Lage even moved him to rwb in an attempt to get him on the ball and he still did less than nothing. Why would that be any more effective over 90 minutes?

So Lage did Adama a favour my moving him from his preferred advanced attacking position, to a place on the park which renders him impotent? What a crazy world you must be living in.

 

[The Bion]

Bruno seems to recognise the issue(s) tbf to him

“I think we started the game very well in the first 30 minutes. We managed the game the way we like with the ball.

“We need to be more aggressive to create our chances. I think the ball arrived in the final third and we didn’t do the movements we usually do.

“Sometimes the players also need to understand they face situations one against one and shoot on goal. During the game we missed that part.

“In the second half the game was more balanced. We lost some balls on the sides and some transitions and Norwich also created good chances for them.

“If you look at the whole game, it’s a point but in that moment we should do better, especially in the final third.

“We lost too many balls, conceded the transitions. Football is also about shooting on goal.

“It’s also the way the opponents play," he added.

“If you look at what we did for the first 30 minutes, it looked like we are playing at home.
“They tried to close the game inside and we tried to play outside and we don’t understand very well that part.

“We need, every time, to improve our game and see what the opponents are doing. When they close the game inside we need to go outside and that was the problem.

“Sometimes we have days like that.

“The boys looked at me a few minutes before the game and I said ‘I’m here to give you confidence to play our game’.

“In the final third we should do better. We had a lot of men there and Semedo and Rayan played in a higher position. Trincao and Hwang inside with Raul, so five men there. We linked and started to build up, but in the final third we should be more aggressive. Sometimes we lost easy balls.

 

[PuntsWolf]

It's all just too safe, I'm not sure a lot of these players have it in them to play that differently consistently. I've said before that I think some are still stuck in the old ways but I'm starting to think it's more than that, perhaps that's just their natural inclination and the reason why they were successful in the previous setup. Maybe now it's not so much they're being asked to do something new and struggling to adapt but more they're being asked to do things they just simply don't believe in, that they can't agree with as a way to go about their business.

I think the logic in this is right, but do we really think Neves and Moutinho are “safe” players? I don’t think the back 3 are (relative to their position) and the other positions are all new or relatively new signings.

Lage just seems to set us up for a point away (which we got more by luck than design today, a semi comepetent teams beats us). The spaces between the lines are too big which highlights the midfield 2s lack of mobility, and isolates the front 3 - whose ball retention, skill and decision making just isn’t good enough to play that way.

Under Nuno we could be compact and counter. This team doesn’t seem to be able to counter and isn’t being particularly compact either.

I don’t think the way he set up the Team today is how we should be playing against Norwich. A higher line, compressing the spaces and taking the game to them and making use of our alledged greater technical ability seems to be a better way to go?

 

[Tony Towner]

We are a million miles off what I thought we'd be under him. I thought we'd score and concede loads. On balance I think that's a good thing at the moment, but he needs players in Jan. Soccer Saturday were amazed at his 16 outfield players comment today