Team vs Rennes

[TelfordWolf]

Lopetegui hasn't waved to the crowd so he must be here for another week.

Has or hasn’t?

 

[Brixton Wanderer]

We look good. Dare I say it, we might shock a few this season.

 

[silverwolf]

Excellent run out. Rennais are no mugs.

Wolves were by and large excellent.

I reiterate my belief that we will finish top half, maybe even 8th if we keep our current players and they remain fit.

Kilman - growing into his position nicely. Starting to offer some danger in the opposition box.

Semedo - arrival of the Doc will keep him on his toes. Both played well today

Dawson - definitely not passed it. Think we need some cover mind

Toti - a defender who loves to defend. Would be happy him starting at the back.

Bueno/Ran - who to pick. Both good choices. RAN when we think we’ll keep the ball, Bueno when defending. Honestly it’s a toss up. Both good players

Lemina - wise old head. Will be important this year

Gomes - aka the Pitbull. Loves a tackle, arrives late in the box, knows where the goal is. Expect 4-5 from him this year

Traore - rangy is the term. Excellent athlete. Gives nothing up

Hodge - recycles the ball. Think young moutinho. Will get plenty of minutes.

Nunes - progresses the ball beautifully. Links play with intelligence. A vital player

Cunha - will not get more than 10 goals, but will set up an equal amount. Works hard, presses, plays intelligently.

Hwang - much maligned but can finish and never stops. Excellent option off the bench

Sarabia - again presses hard. Can find a pass, and is a goal threat. Should have had two headers in preseason

Silva - excellent. Nuff said. Expect 10 goals this year

Sasa - the big man gives a completely different option. Great hold up play and awareness. Always attacking the 6 yard box. If he stays fit 10 goals again

Honestly my predictions for the season at this stage ,

10th-8th
40+ goals

 

[peter&thewolf]

Great performance, considering what's happening lopetegui has got them playing some good football and really working hard, be madness to lose him

 

[wolvesaywe]

Posted the other day that I've fell out of love with football these days

3-1 friendly win later and I'm considering watching Stoke to see how Chiq and Hoever are doing

 

[Tojo the grass]

That was ace

 

[silverwolf]

Posted the other day that I've fell out of love with football these days

3-1 friendly win later and I'm considering watching Stoke to see how Chiq and Hoever are doing

I know exactly what you mean!

 

[Thank you Sir Jack]

Posted the other day that I've fell out of love with football these days

3-1 friendly win later and I'm considering watching Stoke to see how Chiq and Hoever are doing

Well, you were certainly pretty perky on the Comms. thread. Made me smile.

 

[Super NES]

Great to see Nunes showing his obvious quality and influencing the game as much as he did - high hopes for him this season.

We looked threatening on the break with the pace of Neto, Cunha, RAN in the 1st half, and with a more direct threat in the 2nd half with Sasa, Silva and Hwang - promising options. Plenty of scope for rotation subject to who we play.

Hopefully we bring one or two new faces to add competition in certain positions, but overall we have enough quality to be a mid to lower half team as it is. Only concern I have is when we go through an inevitable sticky patch and if we have enough about us to keep calm rather than heads dropping.

But so far so good in terms of what's happening on the pitch - let's hope the off field situation can be resolved ASAP too!

 

[MasWolf]

So take this with a pinch of salt as I have no idea if Rennes put out a strong or weak team, but the game today, and againt Luton has definitely made me feel more confident about this season. If we play like we did today, there will be no doubt of a top half finish in my opinion.

 

[goldeneyed]

The best we have played for a very long time. Cunha and Nunes get a 9 for their classy contributions. Lemina gets an 8- taken over the Neves role, leads by example. Ait-Nouri and Semedo looked good, Dawson and Kilman were steady with Toti doing well when he came on. Hodge was ok but no way should he be a starter when you have Gomes and Traore in the wings. Neto looked very sharp in the first half. So did Hwang in the second with a great goal. Sarabia played well. Silva tried hard but sometimes there are too many fancy flicks rather than holding on to possession. Still encouraging-just needs a goal to get him going. Kaladjic played a key part in the third goal holding the ball up and allowing the move to flow on through him. Again very encouraging. Bueno was ok but still prefer Ait-Nouri at the moment. Doc did pretty well.

All in all there seems to be a very good, confident vibe in the squad right now. So Loptegui and his team have to be commended. Everyone looks fit and sharp. It was even pleasing to see Jonny back playing, have always rated him and would keep him as useful back up. And well done Tom King!
Loptegui has some difficult choices ahead. Against Man U I think he will start with the first half team bar swapping Hodge for Gomes.
So:
Sa
Semedo Dawson Kilman Ait-Nouri
Gomes Lemina
Nunes Sarabia Neto
Cunha

Hwang, Silva and Kaladjic offer good forward options to bring on
Traore and Hodge good midfield back up
Toti, Doherty and Bueno (perhaps Jonny) good back four options

Bentley ok back up for Sa

Just don't sell anyone vital before Sept 1 and get that extra CB in one way or another. Dawson is wiley but a little slow on the turn. If we can't get decent money for Podence then keep him as a very handy option on the wing in case of injuries etc.
Ok Man U will be a different kettle of fish but Rennes were impressive at times and if we had any dosh there are two or three of their players worth keeping an eye on.

Shi needs to give Loptegui a bit of a boost with at least a CB signing now. That would do.

 

[KBWWFC]

Thought we would miss the long raking passes that Ruben gave us, but Gomes has hit some superb long range balls.

My only criticism of Neves would be that he wasn't mobile enough - a lot of the times rather than play the risky raking ball, he'd turn and play a safe short pass, slowing us down.

 

[Glow69]

Getting the talent working in the current crop is key.

 

[GoldenHorseshoe]

We look good. Dare I say it, we might shock a few this season.

Michael Owen with any luck

 

[cannockwolves]

Reading all this positivity does lead to one conclusion - perhaps Jeff is right we don't need much?

I would be over joyed with adding just Elvedi and Scott to this group.

I don't think we will score enough to trouble the top 10, but I could see us mid table again which is much better than I expected.

 

[WolfLing]

My only criticism of Neves would be that he wasn't mobile enough - a lot of the times rather than play the risky raking ball, he'd turn and play a safe short pass, slowing us down.

And everything went through him, which slowed us down.

The horseshoe of doom has gone now!!

 

[GoldenHorseshoe]

And everything went through him, which slowed us down.

The horseshoe of doom has gone now!!

Hey! Less of that.

 

[Joshwolf218]

One of those Rennes players is looking wonderful but I don’t think Mikey knows his name either.

What number was he?

 

[SuperGran]

Hey! Less of that.

That should be hay shouldn’t it

 

[theweave]

Look to be coming to the boil at just the right time

 

[WickedWolfie]

My take on today....

An interesting run-out today and (allowing for team strength varying) an impressive result given what Rennes did against West Ham and Trees in the last week.

I was seeing how the other half live today. In the top of the Bully Quiet. I'd forgotten just how bloody awful our most expensive stand actually is. Equally as crap legroom as the SBU, narrow concourses that struggled to cope with way less than a full house, and pee-poor toilet facilities.

 

[Bigcheese]

Gomes will be worth 60m in a couple of years, he's going to be a legend in the old gold.
Whoever scouted him deserves a medal.

 

[Aimless Balls]

What number was he?

The screen was too small, he had larger hair and red/white boots that looked pink. In the 2nd half he took a ball from 25 feet in the air with a sublime first touch and spin deep on their right side to get them away, then after he was advanced on the right wing, on the ball for at least 3 seconds in the box and it was silence while I was waiting for a name.

 

[clivewolves]

I enjoyed that. It was a much better test than Luton. The players seemed up to speed for the start of the season. They showed we have a good team and good players. Now bring on the real stuff.

 

[NJ Wolves]

Posted the other day that I've fell out of love with football these days

3-1 friendly win later and I'm considering watching Stoke to see how Chiq and Hoever are doing

 

[GoldenHorseshoe]

That should be hay shouldn’t it

Don't you start

 

[WickedWolfie]

A big flag in the North Bank upper proclaiming 'Julen Is A Wolf,' put there to allay fears he's leaving I presume?

Thought that the timing of that (l took a pic but it is too large to upload) was "interesting".....

 

[GoldenHorseshoe]

Thought that the timing of that (l took a pic but it is too large to upload) was "interesting".....

There's an app called 'Photo and Picture Resizer'
Works very well.

 

[Krispy Kreme]

Bueno having an absolutely torrid time against that winger

Thought he handled him well when Hwang supported, not many would handle Doku 1 v 1.

 

[Yamalroite]

We are going to win the ****ing lot

 

[lobodelsur]

Imagine diving in a friendly.

Well, Luton were practicing their time-wasting on Wednesday...takes all sorts I guess.

 

[Tojo the grass]

I feel a lot more confident after the last two games.

 

[Joshwolf218]

The screen was too small, he had larger hair and red/white boots that looked pink. In the 2nd half he took a ball from 25 feet in the air with a sublime first touch and spin deep on their right side to get them away, then after he was advanced on the right wing, on the ball for at least 3 seconds in the box and it was silence while I was waiting for a name.

Maybe number 33

Désiré Doué ​

Only 18

 

[Adrian_Monk]

Definitely not going to get carried away after a friendly but some very promising signs, in particular the first half where some of our interplay in tightly congested areas was superb. Nunes and Cunha great in the first half, Gomes excellent in the second. Another enterprising run-out for Fabio too, although he needs to remember to keep it simple and not try too hard.

Nice also to see Tom King get probably the only minutes he will ever get for Wolves too.

 

[Hawkguy]

Forget stats.watch the game

Right? And he showed one single stat. He's good at tackling. Is that the only thing defending is?

If you look at all defensive stats, Semedo is better than him and most posters here think he's poor defensively.

 

[wolfslair]

Reading all this positivity does lead to one conclusion - perhaps Jeff is right we don't need much?

I would be over joyed with adding just Elvedi and Scott to this group.

I don't think we will score enough to trouble the top 10, but I could see us mid table again which is much better than I expected.

I think to say because they are playing like this means Jeff has gotten it right is gross over simplification. Jeff has ballsed the squad up, he even admitted it in a way in his statement in how they failed to evolve the squad and the ages and increased salaries and lack of success on some transfers. If you read it properly, Jeff exposes himself as a total dope and failure in a commercial and footballing sense in his statement. The fact he sent that statement out and couldn’t see that is hilarious. I showed guys at other clubs it and they just laughed at what it clearly implies.

the performance today is because the manager has drilled the players on fitness and a clear vision. But it does have glaring areas to improve against top opposition if you look objectively and not being totally match result focused. He has gotten every drop out of the squad in a way not many coaches would have. Look at how he improved the players he inherited from JL.

The question is, if we didn’t have JL as manager, would this team look and play like they did. The answer i strongly feel would be no.

If we had a potter, lampard, gerrard, dyche, cooper or any other fashionable English/prem manager we wouldn’t be play like we did today.

JL is an elite coach, a proven winner, so he will get more and better out of less than others. That is what he has done and is doing here currently.

We definitely need a new CB at the very least, Dawson has been a major worry all pre-season and I feel he needs replacing. He has gifted chances all pre-season and the pen today was a masterclass in how not to be a professional defender.

Today was prime JL football, not Jeff being right on the squad.

 

[wolfslair]

Right? And he showed one single stat. He's good at tackling. Is that the only thing defending is?

If you look at all defensive stats, Semedo is better than him and most posters here think he's poor defensively.

Semedo is very poor defensively, as I have said many times. Other prem clubs ear marked him as our weakest link and easiest route to go at to get goals and chances.

Many of his tackles and challenges are from having to correct his terrible ability to keep track of his man or jogging/walking as his man sprints past him to get a through ball or lofted pass into space as he has a massive weakness in being able to read the flight of a pass well getting caught under it far to often for a top level defender. most of his completed tackles, challenges and blocks are recovery challenges on the whole and not early stage stoppers of momentum and play.

So stats will tell you a picture, but only lazy people don’t look into the video analysis of those stats to see the full picture.

As if someone shoots lazily from 30 yards to kill time and it rolls harmlessly to the keeper and another lad bangs one from 6 yards and the keeper makes a world class save, statistically you would say the two players are both equally good at hitting the target when in reality only one of the actually is when talking about elite level sports performance

 

[JohnB]

Thought a number of good performances today.

Nunes - looks quality - passes for 2nd and vision for 3rd goal. Enjoy him while we can.

Pitbull - great goal, hit bar and gives us the forward options which Lemina got into in first half (header and shot) but couldn’t finish. Can see him and Lemina flourishing.

RAN - what a goal!

Fabio/Cunha/Nunes - link up play is joyful.

High press and energy (other than last 10 mins of first half) was good to see.

Subs - can see both Sasa (great hold up play) and Hwang (great finish) making a difference from the bench.

Dawson slightly exposed with the high press. Hodge harried well but Pitbull for me.
Sarabia/Cunha/Neto - still isn’t quite working for me. Too far apart from each other whereas with Fabio and Cunha they are closer together and appear to have a good reading of each other’s game.

I like the fact there are options and despite the challenges in the transfer market the squad feels much stronger than we started last season. Just those 2-3 positions to fill (CB being key).

 

[wolvesaywe]

Semedo is very poor defensively, as I have said many times. Other prem clubs ear marked him as our weakest link and easiest route to go at to get goals and chances.

Many of his tackles and challenges are from having to correct his terrible ability to keep track of his man or jogging/walking as his man sprints past him to get a through ball or lofted pass into space as he has a massive weakness in being able to read the flight of a pass well getting caught under it far to often for a top level defender. most of his completed tackles, challenges and blocks are recovery challenges on the whole and not early stage stoppers of momentum and play.

So stats will tell you a picture, but only lazy people don’t look into the video analysis of those stats to see the full picture.

As if someone shoots lazily from 30 yards to kill time and it rolls harmlessly to the keeper and another lad bangs one from 6 yards and the keeper makes a world class save, statistically you would say the two players are both equally good at hitting the target when in reality only one of the actually is when talking about elite level sports performance

Folk not taking the time to look at a video analysis of Semedo are not lazy. They are normal human beings not obsessing to prove a point

 

[Wolf316]

Great performance and this what happens when you get a top quality coach in we absolutely must keep him. Very telling that Podence didn’t get any minutes and wasn’t even out warming up at half time.