Gillingham Verdict

[Skrilla]

I know he is my 'agenda' but Semedo was *******s again. Got given the ball a dozen times on the overlap and the only time he tried to go past anyone he put it in row z.

The only time he had to deal with a break away he lost the physical battle.

Personally, I wouldn't pay him in washers. Massive waste of money on a **** poor defender and below average wingback.

Right now we don't have a lot of choice at right back as Jonny isn't much better with the pace he's lost sadly. Hopefully one of the early January signings is a right back...

 

[Premier Quality]

Thoughts for me - hodge and moutinho are too similar - short passing and moving, but no risks, hence not creating anything.

Guedes was awful - as I said in commentary, I still don’t see what he’s supposed to be, he’s not quick, not strong, can’t really dribble, doesn’t create chances or space…

Nunes and Traore made a big difference just by moving with the ball, we need at least a couple of players who can do that.

Bueno was excellent, really looked to get at people whenever he got the ball - shame we can’t get anything similar on the other side.

A decent result against a formation we normally struggle against (five at the back, four not far in front of them)

Good to be in the quarter finals

Lopetegui should have learned a lot from that game -and his subs were good!

Merry Christmas all and fingers crossed for a good result from the Everton game!

 

[Northampton_wolf]

My verdict is Lopetegui has a huge huge job on his hands.... you can see why he wants 6 in January.

Big overhaul to squad needs game changers on the bench and prem players who can do what he wants there are some infuriating players that need gonr

 

[Asthmatic Wolf]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player attempt as many flicks and blind passes as Podence. Can’t think of any in the World Cup for example.

Infuriating.

 

[Fenrir_]

I did see guedes and Costa make alot of runs. Guedes played better as the 10 in friendlies than podence

Yeah I lost count of the amount of times Guedes came deep, laid off the ball and made a run only for the ball to generally go backwards and sideways, he cut a very frustrated figure

 

[WV4 Wolves]

Absolute **** dress it up however you like but we struggled at home against a team bottom of league 4!! Needs to improve massively and quickly be lucky to get anything at Everton and man u will rip us apart anyone who thinks different on that showing is deluded. I hope I'm wrong but wtf was that .

 

[Northampton_wolf]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player attempt as many flicks and blind passes as Podence. Can’t think of any in the World Cup for example.

Infuriating.

Just said on the podence thread.. I have never seen a premier League player do that many in one game, 7 to a Gillingham player ..

Ronadlinho and neymar are the only players I have seen do it regularly and
at best ronadlinho the only one who could actually do it consistently well... And he's a universe away from podence

 

[Northampton_wolf]

Absolute **** dress it up however you like but we struggled at home against a team bottom of league 4!! Needs to improve massively and quickly be lucky to get anything at Everton and man u will rip us apart anyone who thinks different on that showing is deluded. I hope I'm wrong but wtf was that .

Win against everton build the condifence , early game against United we have a massive chance of getting something


Lopetegui no mug he was furious and will have seen and drill before Everton.

I reckon he knows his xi already

 

[JohnB]

Interesting tonight.

What I saw different was more movement, much faster passing across pitch and seeking clever 1-2s in first half to break through and more crosses in second half (not too many accurate ones from RW).

I loved the use of 5 subs. I also enjoyed the changes in formation - 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 to 4-4-2. When attacking FBs enjoyed to move up and Neves sits in with CBs pulling wide.

Against a poor side sitting deep, sure I’d have liked to have seen more goals and efforts on target but a positive progression.

Player wise. Costa and Raul looked sharper and fitter. Bueno and Hodge are young quality talent. Podence was frustrating at times with flicks but was also the creative spark looking to unlock the door ( I‘d settle for flicks if one comes off each game).

On the negative Guedes looked poor, lacking fight and creativity, I was hoping for more but he brought little to the party. Semedo struggled going forward and lacked the impact of Bueno.

Overall 7 out of 10, or maybe 8 as Job done. Progression and a WIP. Pleasantly pleased from Solihull.

 

[WV4 Wolves]

Win against everton build the condifence , early game against United we have a massive chance of getting something


Lopetegui no mug he was furious and will have seen and drill before Everton.

I reckon he knows his xi already

Like I say I really hope so but it needs to
be so much better in all areas to have any hope whatsoever.

 

[Sketchead]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player attempt as many flicks and blind passes as Podence. Can’t think of any in the World Cup for example.

Infuriating.

Like our Morgan but without the effort of tracking back or tackling, so essentially absolutely infuriating.

He did pull off one superb chip over the top in the first half (Costa had back to goal and could only flick wide), and he’s accurate when shooting around the box, but his overall game can drive you mad.

I’m sure he’s lost pace as well. There was a game away at Leeds during COVID where we only won 1-0 but he and Neto ran riot on the wings, he was rapid. Similar with Arsenal away in the game Raul got the injury.

Just seems way off it overall these days. A luxury player at best.

 

[Asthmatic Wolf]

Just said on the podence thread.. I have never seen a premier League player do that many in one game, 7 to a Gillingham player ..

Ronadlinho and neymar are the only players I have seen do it regularly and
at best ronadlinho the only one who could actually do it consistently well... And he's a universe away from podence

It’s not a one off either it’s every game and those turnovers in possession kill the attack and intent at best, and lead to goals at worst.

*thanks for pointing out that Ronaldinho is a lot better than Podence too

 

[Northampton_wolf]

Like our Morgan but without the effort of tracking back or tackling, so essentially absolutely infuriating.

He did pull off one superb chip over the top in the first half (Costa had back to goal and could only flick wide), and he’s accurate when shooting around the box, but his overall game can drive you mad.

I’m sure he’s lost pace as well. There was a game away at Leeds during COVID where we only won 1-0 but he and Neto ran riot on the wings, he was rapid. Similar with Arsenal away in the game Raul got the injury.

Just seems way off it overall these days. A luxury player at best.

Lost a yard since he had that ground injury, could be age or the injuries.

Guedes looked slower today but rapid against arsenal


Hwang and traore are rapid

 

[Asthmatic Wolf]

Like our Morgan but without the effort of tracking back or tackling, so essentially absolutely infuriating.

He did pull off one superb chip over the top in the first half (Costa had back to goal and could only flick wide), and he’s accurate when shooting around the box, but his overall game can drive you mad.

I’m sure he’s lost pace as well. There was a game away at Leeds during COVID where we only won 1-0 but he and Neto ran riot on the wings, he was rapid. Similar with Arsenal away in the game Raul got the injury.

Just seems way off it overall these days. A luxury player at best.

I think we have a few players like him and Semedo and maybe Adama who would be good squad options at better clubs but we just can’t afford to rely on them (maybe Adama we can if used correctly)

 

[maws]

Sa with another brain fart at the end

Hugo easily our best attacking threat

Looked much better once Raul was on

Whose stolen the real Max and left this imposter?

Guedes? Have we really spent £27m on him?

I’m done with Semedo, get £12/15m while we can

Boring match, I’d be furious as a Gillingham supporter, they could’ve beaten us over 90 minutes but they only wanted to defend!!

 

[Parkfieldswolf]

It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be but credit to Gillingham they came and put in a determined defensive display. It concerns me that with the quality we had on the pitch tonight we found it so difficult to carve out many clear cut chances. We’re just so slow in moving the ball always side to side and rarely anyone having a run at someone. Podence started brightly and at least showed intent with trying to make things happen but he began to try too many flicks and in the end even simple passes were beyond him. Most disappointing players for me were Guedes & Semedo. I just don’t see what either of them bring to the team? I have no doubt Julen is a good enough coach to have identified the short comings of the team and will be looking for some replacements in January.

 

[Matt]

Thought we started with clear instructions to move the ball faster, but it didn’t really lead to much in terms of clear cut chances. It was a poor performance imo, but admit it’s difficult to play against 11 behind the ball.

I hoped to come away from the game with a bit of confidence that the break had sparked some of these players back into life but what I saw was exactly the same from them. Great to be through, but concerned about the next two games without reinforcements.

 

[FJRWolf]

Bueno motm, brilliant first half, I know what people mean about Podence being frustrating but tbf him and Bueno were the only players trying anything constructive, apart from them it was the same old horseshoe of doom except 50 yds further forward. Guedes was terrible but the number of good runs he made and then looked over his shoulder and see the ball going the other way.
Only really changed when Nunes and Hwang came on (good cameo for RAN too).

 

[Starsky]

Semedo is right up there with our worst ever pound for pound signings.

He is absolutely ****.

 

[Ponty]

Lopetegui has a huge job on his hands and will need at least four of the rumoured six new players to have any chance of turning things round. Guedes makes Hwang look like Sadio Mane which is quite an achievement. Podence is neither a winger nor a forward and one of the most infuriating players I’ve seen in fifty years. I’ve seen the blokes in Covent Garden dressed as statues move more than Costa. Moutinho is past it as a starter and the less said about Semedo the better. Perhaps the most telling observation is that despite spending millions our most impressive player tonight was Bueno.

 

[Oldskooldayz]

Need to consider Gillingham have been playing regularly over the break and were 100% match ready while we were effectively at 1st game of the season stage. Not a great performance but a wins a win and a big transfer window is coming up so pretty happy with the win and a quarter final spot

 

[Perton Wolf]

Sa 6
Semedo 5
Collins 6
Kilman 6
Bueno 7
Moutinho 5
Neves 6
Hodge 5
Guedes 5
Costa 5
Podence 5

Adama 7
Hwang 6
Nunes 7
Raul 7
RAN 7

The subs made a difference, way too many of the XI were off the pace. Starting to think that Moutinho's presence in the midfield is actively harming us at this point, he just slows our play down to the point that it allows the opposition to fully regroup. He's not particularly creative either. Semedo and Podence extremely poor also while Costa continued to look the opposite of sharp.
Never easy against a team playing such a low block but there were some really poor performances tonight, tough times ahead for Lopetegui. One big positive - at least Roberts is off set pieces and we seen some decent deliveries from Bueno tonight!

 

[Madmalc]

Perhaps, just perhaps J-L will see that most of the previous nailed on starters, the favoured few, who apparently he was appalled at the lack of fitness of, need moving on sharpish.
Luckily we had J-L tonight, if that had been Lage there would have been no substitutes and we'd have probably lost on penalties.
It's a win to J-L, let's hope removing any more blinkers he may have had, for those living on past reputations doesn't take too long.
I would love to see several of tonight's starters dropped for Everton, with a couple not even making the bench.

I had the Gills down for a win, J-L was the only fly in that ointment.

 

[Ponty]

Semedo is right up there with our worst ever pound for pound signings.

He is absolutely ****.

It’s like Semedo and Guedes are competing for the title.

 

[Longford Wolf]

Here’s my thoughts … Podence, Costa, Guedes, Semedo, Traore all need replacing.
Kilman looks like he’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders, he can’t even make a simple pass at the moment.
The rest were pretty ordinary, no one really stood out, but a win is a win, and god knows we needed one.
I felt we needed to be a bit more direct, not as in hitting it long but by running at them instead of sideways passing which even to me looked too predictable and too slow.
On tonight’s performance we do need something special to happen to stay up, I thought we’d easily survive, but after tonight I’m not too sure, let’s hope Julen gets what he asks for.

 

[Lou Pine]

As typically flat as games tend to be at Molineux when we play plucky lower-league teams. Lots of huff and puff from us but we never really looked like thumping them. However, had we scored early I think the game would’ve really opened up.

On another note (excuse the pun), does anyone know what the hell the music was that they played when the players came out for the 2nd half? If you do, please let me know as I have drawn a particularly horrible Albion fan in the secret Santa and it’d make a fitting gift for them on vinyl, cd, minidisc and tape.

 

[VAR OUT]

Painful. Hopefully the new boys hit the ground running.

 

[Gromit]

Far happier with the team that finished the game than the one that started it.

 

[Dan G WWFC]

I don't know what people was expecting. First competitive game in weeks, against a team leagues below who are also bottom of the league and don't score goals.

They was always going to set up to put everyone behind the ball, make us go wide and the. Clear the crosses.

The quick interplay in tight spaces wasn't there and that's what we needed today. That comes with confidence. We don't have that

 

[Adrian_Monk]

Semedo I think will be gone

Let's hope so. For a guy with a point to prove he was dreadful again tonight. No way JL will be satisfied with that.

 

[SheldonWolf]

Massively underwhelming this evening.

Genuinely can’t see any difference between the Bruno and Julen era.

Hopefully Lopetigu’s influence is a slow burner……..otherwise we’re down.

Costa: Waste of space, not even a physical ****house.
Semedo: Dodgy as.
Mouts: Pedestrian and not creative.
Neves: Too deep to be effective.

Plus points…….well Traore looked decent.

 

[Jd132]

I think Semedo is being made to look like a joke by Bueno. Semedo got in one time in the first half and put it in the air to 5'5" Podence! And other than that he bottled it every time with pass backs to Collins. Bueno overlapped, underlapped, crossed beautifully etc etc.

I would only play Neves and Nunes in midfield until Boubacar is back. I hope Lopetegui has the balls to drop Moutinho because until he is taken out the backwards-sideways borefest won't stop.

With Podence, it's not just the flicks that come off once in 15, it's not just the fact he's tiny so offers nothing defensively and is scared of contact, it's the fact he cares so little about possession he thinks nothing of just blasting it out for a goal kick repeatedly from 25 yards when not even shooting.

On tonights showing it is Max whose confidence has gone and Collins looks the senior partner. Personally, I think they both need Garcia in there marshalling them for a while as they are looking nervous. Then have the option of a 3 or a 2 moving forward.

With Neves, I know he's great but the workload he has to protect the defence, progress through midfield and score all the goals is ludicrous. I hope Julen identifies his most useful traits and gives him one job to master rather than expecting him to contine to do the work of three men.

 

[nomadwolf]

 

[wwbug]

Massively underwhelming this evening.

Genuinely can’t see any difference between the Bruno and Julen era.

Hopefully Lopetigu’s influence is a slow burner……..otherwise we’re down.

Costa: Waste of space, not even a physical ****house.
Semedo: Dodgy as.
Mouts: Pedestrian and not creative.
Neves: Too deep to be effective.

Plus points…….well Traore looked decent.

Can I add to that Podence and Guedes who are completely ineffective due to a lack of the physicality required in The Premier League .

And Traore who looks completely ineffective regardless of his obvious physicality !

 

[wwbug]

At this low level we still showed our very obvious flaws to Lopetegui.

It really is a big window

 

[PM Wolves]

Thought we were pretty good to be fair, yep Semedo was dire and Podence like others have said was awful, he plays like a world class playmaker would do but unfortunately for Podence, he is not that good. At all. All in all I'm pleased that I could see a difference and the most pleasing thing was seeing Nunes in his 40m natural position and Hwang looked like a man reborn which can only benefit us as the season goes on.

 

[Bawtry Wolf]

They set up like Sunderland did against us when we were last in the championship, they defended the box, no space behind and we kept the ball in their third. We struggled to break them down but could have had 4 or 5. Hodge missed a free header, Neves shot looked in and we did create a number of chances at the end of the first half that could/should have scored from. 2nd half Costa was pulled back in the box at least once and Hwang should have scored at the end.

Thought Hodge was better than Moutinho so couldn’t understand why he was taken off. Hwang and Nunes made a difference - Hwang looked confident and delivered a couple of great crosses from the left. Jimenez also looked better than he has for a while.

 

[thommo1984]

I think Nunes is absolutely vital to us staying up, maybe more important than anyone else. Breath of fresh air when he came on tonight.

 

[CelebrityWolf]

I love some of the over the top doom and gloom on here after games. I cannot remember a good league cup performance ever so why did anyone think tonight was suddenly going to be a fluid brilliant display?

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

Not read it all, but if I had one takeaway it's the two key summer signings.

Nunes finally looked like the player I was hoping for. A real bona fide ball carrying midfielder.

Guedes was beyond awful. Summed up when he was busting a gut (for once) to show some pace, as Bueno ran past him with the ball. Or the free kick that landed in Shropshire. Enough, forget out of position, doesn't like the manager etc, just useless. (of course the worry is JL is a fan).