Wolves 2-4 Leeds: Verdict Thread

[Alan]

Well, let's go through the squad that got on the pitch from the day:

• Sá - Not good enough.
• Semedo - Right on the edge, but good enough.
• Dawson - Good enough.
• Kilman - Not good enough.
• Jonny - Not good enough.
• Lemina - Good enough.
• Gomes - TBD.
• Neves - Good enough.
• Neto - Not good enough.
• Podence - Not good enough.
• Jiménez - Not good enough.
• Cunha - Good enough.
• Collins - Not good enough.
• Sarabia - Right on the edge, but good enough.
• Adama - Not good enough.

So that's 15 players, IMO more than half (8) of whom simply aren't good enough, 2 who are right on the edge, 1 who we can't really say yet, and just 4 who could get into other Prem sides easily.

That's where we are, IMO. Accept that others will rate these differently.

 

[Wolftone]

Personally I would prefer to see Neto on the left and Sarabia on the right and Raul backed up by Cunha.
The back four basically picks itself in Semedo, Dawson and Ait Nouri and also Kilman/Collins. (Kilman for me)
That only leaves two places in centre midfield, so Neves and one other. Presumably Lemina. (I'd prefer Moutinho).
The squad is still a mess.
You take a flair player out to try and protect the back four and we don't move the ball quick enough and invite pressure on.
You take a defensive minded player out and the back four is exposed.
We don't have enough players who can do both.
Nunes should have been part of the answer, but so far has largely flopped, can't get in the team and is now suspended.
Lopetegui doesn't seem to have the answer so far. It's a puzzle.

 

[Wolftone]

Well, let's go through the squad that got on the pitch from the day:

• Sá - Not good enough.
• Semedo - Right on the edge, but good enough.
• Dawson - Good enough.
• Kilman - Not good enough.
• Jonny - Not good enough.
• Lemina - Good enough.
• Gomes - TBD.
• Neves - Good enough.
• Neto - Not good enough.
• Podence - Not good enough.
• Jiménez - Not good enough.
• Cunha - Good enough.
• Collins - Not good enough.
• Sarabia - Right on the edge, but good enough.
• Adama - Not good enough.

So that's 15 players, IMO more than half (8) of whom simply aren't good enough, 2 who are right on the edge, 1 who we can't really say yet, and just 4 who could get into other Prem sides easily.

That's where we are, IMO. Accept that others will rate these differently.

A lot are not good enough depending on the system we want to play. People like Adama, Neto and Podence would be good enough with solid full backs behind them, but they are all 'luxury' players.
Semedo and Ait Nouri would be fine in a back 5 but that would limit who else we could use obviously. Their first jobs in a back four should be defending, neither of them are great at that and they both get exposed regularly.
Johnny was a great player when we first had him but he's never been the same since coming back from injury.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Semedo is a miles better RB than RWB (he is toss at the latter, which is why he was a stupid signing, especially for the money involved). He has been one of our best players under Lopetegui.

Ait-Nouri pretty much never played in a back five before we signed him.

 

[Wolftone]

Semedo is a miles better RB than RWB (he is toss at the latter, which is why he was a stupid signing, especially for the money involved). He has been one of our best players under Lopetegui.

Ait-Nouri pretty much never played in a back five before we signed him.

I agree, Semedo is ok in a back four but not with Ait Nouri in their as well as it then becomes a back 3 1/2 .
So if you are going to play Ait Nouri it needs to be a back 5, and as a consequence Semedo would be part of that 5. Which in turn affects the whole set up of the team.
Basically I don't rate Ait Nouri.
I assume Lopetegui doesn't much either, which is why he's third in line behind Bueno and Johnny.
Unfortunately until Bueno is back he's all we've got.

 

[Alan]

Both fullbacks we play are going to be hung out to dry to a certain extent by:

1. Poor CB play
2. Poor wingers in front of them
3. Poor keeping behind them

Imagine being Semedo in the second half knowing you've got Collins to your left and Adama in front of you. No wonder he was running on fumes when he got subbed.

 

[Langers]

Not sure that's true (penultimate post)

Guedes - on the first of his numerous loans before release

Nunes - will go to Liverpool probably for a small profit at best

Sasa - added a serious injury to a list of other serious injuries

Traore - has promise, but never fit. Hopefully just bad luck

Collins - early promise, but has regressed. I still think he'll come good, but he's worth less now than we paid for him

Cunha - Good things happen when he's on the pitch, but we are already paying a premium for him

Lemina - good signing, but not one we will make money on

Dawson - as above

Sarabia - good value signing, others disagree, but I don't think he offers any more than all the others in his position

Gomes - not much to base an opinion on yet

Costa - band aid in a case of desperation

Bentley - no real opinion, but seems to have replaced what we lost with Ruddy dressing room wise

Admin disclaimer: please listen to the track 'If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next' by the Manic Street Preachers whilst reading this post.

 

[Carsy]

Well, let's go through the squad that got on the pitch from the day:

• Sá - Not good enough.
• Semedo - Right on the edge, but good enough.
• Dawson - Good enough.
• Kilman - Not good enough.
• Jonny - Not good enough.
• Lemina - Good enough.
• Gomes - TBD.
• Neves - Good enough.
• Neto - Not good enough.
• Podence - Not good enough.
• Jiménez - Not good enough.
• Cunha - Good enough.
• Collins - Not good enough.
• Sarabia - Right on the edge, but good enough.
• Adama - Not good enough.

So that's 15 players, IMO more than half (8) of whom simply aren't good enough, 2 who are right on the edge, 1 who we can't really say yet, and just 4 who could get into other Prem sides easily.

That's where we are, IMO. Accept that others will rate these differently.

I wouldn’t say it’s as black and white as ‘good enough’ or ‘not good enough’ a lot depends on the system we play, who’s in the 11 etc.

You could argue Raul for example has looked good enough in the games he’s played with Cunha. Etc

Ones I’d disagree with are

Kilman - good enough as a squad player
Neto - needs a period of time with no injury as he’s been in and out of being broken for 24-30 months
Collins - same as Kilman but potential
Adama - squad option and if used at correct times etc fine
Raul - as above

A lot depends on what happens in the summer, but I don’t think we need to get rid of ‘all the above’ but we don’t necessarily want them to all be part of our best 11, which let’s be honest we don’t have a scooby what it is currently

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Yeah, if we're sticking to a back four (we should) and Kilman is the 4th of 4 centre halves (or 5th of 5), that's pretty much ok. He doesn't earn a huge amount, is home grown and probably wouldn't be a dick behind the scenes about it.

He's been pretty much first choice for over 18 months now and that's coincided with us regularly turning to shit at the back, that isn't an accident. He isn't a good starting centre half in the Premier League for a number of reasons.

Writing off Neto is daft.

 

[Alan]

Counterpoint: I am, in fact, daft.

I just really need Neto to show more. Obviously a lot working against him so I'm not unsympathetic to that.

 

[Lupo]

Nunes appeal has been successful, no 3 game ban

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Nunes appeal has been successful, no 3 game ban

Shocked.

 

[Tony Towner]

Surprised by that, not because it isn't the correct decision

 

[darlowolf64]

Why surprised? PGMOL can now say "see, we don't have a grudge against Wolves"...

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

The conspiracy bollocks is absolute bollocks. Embarrassing really.

The ref had to go on the word of his Head Prefect who got it wrong. Had 0% impact on the result as Nunes couldn't even come on and there were 30 seconds left to play.

Just accept refs are crap, will still make crap decisions despite being given all the technology they could wish for, and it becomes a lot easier to get through a game.

 

[Tony Towner]

Not because of the collusion thing, I've said plenty about how I don't believe that, just that he was out of the technical area and without that there wouldn't have been contact, coupled with the Mitrovic furore. Anyway thankfully I was wrong and he can go on to be an unused sub for the next 3 games

 

[prawnking]

Anyway thankfully I was wrong and he can go on to be an unused sub for the next 3 games

On a forum packed with cynical people you do a great job of still standing out!

 

[Tony Towner]

On that specific occasion it was an attempt at dry humour rather than cynicism, but I acknowledge your wider point and don't disagree

 

[sycophantia]

Nunes correct decision, suspect its only because of the constant apologies they have to keep making to us.

 

[slink]

Semedo is a miles better RB than RWB (he is toss at the latter, which is why he was a stupid signing, especially for the money involved). He has been one of our best players under Lopetegui.

Ait-Nouri pretty much never played in a back five before we signed him.

Semedo is by far the most overrated player we’ve got by some of our fanbase because when he’s good he’s very good at least defensively but he has a period in 4 out of 5 games where he forgets he can play football. Also nowhere near good enough on the ball in the final third for a full back these days, can’t defend a ball over his head still, has no understanding ever with the winger in front of him, his first touch is generally negative and the one thing that used to be consistently good was his one on one defending but that’s become average aswell, look at the opener on Saturday and how easy he let Soloman get inside him at Fulham for example.

We desperately need a rb in the summer.