SIGNED: Matheus Cunha (Athletico Madrid)

[Adrian_Monk]

Sorry but I disagree, he had plenty of service, scuffed all of his chances.

I think both are right. He made some decent runs but nobody spotted them, so he dropped deeper to get on the ball and was painfully bad when he did.

I am sure his attitude and desire will stand him in good stead to make it in English football, but it's not a great time to be helping him acclimatise when we need goals and he simply doesn't look like scoring them

 

[Adrian_Monk]

New scapegoat.

He might be if it weren't for Moutinho, Nunes and everyone else people notice observe and comment are playing crap

 

[Adrian_Monk]

Maybe keep Neves and Dawson, bin the rest off, would that make people happy?

No we need to keep João Gomes as well

 

[Hawkguy]

Well, I live in hope, but if we're waiting for a game where Cunha starts with Fabio and Sasa before we see the best of him, then I fear we might have a very long wait.

For my money Lopetegui doesn't see enough in Fabio yet (or he'd have got him back), but I hope he might come good, and is maybe part of the reason we didn't buy a 9.
Sasa was a desperate late Lage buy. He might be a useful alternative at times, but I doubt he'll start even if it does turn out that he's not made of glass, which sadly (and I wish him all the best) seems likely.
Then I've got to wonder if we did somehow start with a Sasa/Fabio front two, how would Cunha fit in playing behind them?
Just my opinion obviously, but for my money it'll never happen.

Cunha came advertised as a second striker from media and fans of his former team. That's why many of us thought we would still be looking for a striker, but Wolves obviously had different plans.

I used Fabio and Sasa's names because that's what we have next year. I hope we sign some proven goal scorer, but I just went with what we had. And I have a feeling Fabio and Sasa, if we can't, would be an improvement in what we have in that position now. If Sasa can stay healthy, he's had success in a good league.

My ideal roster for next year would be, if we somehow keep Neves & Adama but make no signings; italicized players are subs.

Neto/Podence - Sasa/Fabio - Sarabia/Adama
Cunha/Sarabia
Neves/Hodge - Lemina/Gomes
Bueno/RAN - Kilman/Toti - Dawson/Collins - Semedo/Lembikisa​

 

[Skrilla]

I'm not sure they are either. But I just used their names because they're actual strikers.

So are Costa and Jimenez but it doesn’t mean I trust them to score goals on a regular basis for us! If we stay up, signing a top striker has to be far and away the top priority in the summer if Julen is going to elevate this team to contending for Europe again.

 

[Skrilla]

I think both are right. He made some decent runs but nobody spotted them, so he dropped deeper to get on the ball and was painfully bad when he did.

I am sure his attitude and desire will stand him in good stead to make it in English football, but it's not a great time to be helping him acclimatise when we need goals and he simply doesn't look like scoring them

I think he’s a quality player, and like you say, unlike Guedes you can tell he has the right attitude and application, but finding his best position is what we need to figure out sooner rather than later. Whether that’s as a second striker/#10 playing off a proper CF (Costa/Raul for now), or playing as an inverted forward cutting in from the left. I just don’t see a natural goal scorer there who can play with his back to goal, he’s at his best when he’s running at defenders, that’s how he ended up excelling at Hertha Berlin.

Like with Nunes earlier in the season when Lage decided he was a #10, I feel like we’re asking Cunha to play in a position that doesn’t play to his strengths. I’m sure someone will tell me ‘Julen knows best’, but while he’s an excellent manager it doesn’t mean he’s figured everything out yet. He’s still only been here a couple of months. I would expect we won’t see the team he wants until the summer when there likely be big turnover once again as we clear out the deadwood, providing we can stay up. Until then, it’s a lot of trial and error figuring out what got us into this mess in the first place, and what needs to change.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

I don’t know if I find it amusing or bemusing on here the absolute meltdown after a loss and folk desperately searching for a scapegoat

 

[Hawkguy]

So are Costa and Jimenez but it doesn’t mean I trust them to score goals on a regular basis for us! If we stay up, signing a top striker has to be far and away the top priority in the summer if Julen is going to elevate this team to contending for Europe again.

Well Costa and Jimenez have proved they're not. Fabio and Sasa, who knows.

Should have signed David when he was Belgium a few years ago! Get me a scouting job for Canadians with Wolves. Lol

 

[wwbug]

I don’t know if I find it amusing or bemusing on here the absolute meltdown after a loss and folk desperately searching for a scapegoat

I posted elsewhere only 5 teams scored more than one goal this weekend - 4 of those won . Those 4 were all part of the "big six" .

That puts this weekend in to context. But this is a long term issue .

We do have an abysmal goal scoring record and we cant mix the words "blame" and "reason" every time we search for answers. I am sure JL knows that.

 

[StaffordWolf]

I don’t know if I find it amusing or bemusing on here the absolute meltdown after a loss and folk desperately searching for a scapegoat

It's sad really isn't it, not worth coming on for the couple of days after.

 

[JOSWolf]

Watching Spurs goal by Son today would be like how I want to see Cunha combine with either Raul or Costa. Son upfront on his own would be lost but put him with Kane and largely he is very good. Cunha needs support and not playing as an isolated no9. It is not doing him or the team any good as shown yesterday.

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

I don’t know if I find it amusing or bemusing on here the absolute meltdown after a loss and folk desperately searching for a scapegoat

I'd go for pathetic to be honest. Cunha, Sarabia, Moutinho, Nunes all getting grief. Of those I'd say only Nunes actually had a poor game. To be honest Lage would have got slaughtered for just throwing random players on, but Lopetegui is still immune from criticism and rightly so!

 

[floydstreet]

I'd go for pathetic to be honest. Cunha, Sarabia, Moutinho, Nunes all getting grief. Of those I'd say only Nunes actually had a poor game. To be honest Lage would have got slaughtered for just throwing random players on, but Lopetegui is still immune from criticism and rightly so!

I thought Nunes was poor, but would still play him on Friday.
Sarabia worked hard but wasn’t great
Cunha looked unlikely to score or assist and not enough movement for me
Moutinho first half was decent, then faded
Adama was best attacking option, the downside with that is we become one dimensional

There’s so many reasons for the lack of goals. We have to give some of these time to adapt and time for Julen to find the best combinations. But for me what is lacking is movement, players running positively to commit defenders and first touch football to create.

We are just a bit to easy to work out , unless counter attack. Which is why we maybe found Bournemouth harder than Liverpool

 

[optimuswolf]

I thought 1st half cunha made good runs and wasn't picked out. Given how dominant were were in defence and midfield it was very disappontint how poor were were in the final third.

2nd half he came deeper and was quite poor. In fact we largely disintegrated as a cohesive team.

Largely agree with everyones comments including my own previously. He's not a 9, he's not working as a false 9 and we don't play a 10. So i don't really know what the plan with him was or is.

 

[Abbobrom]

Could the reason for lack of goals be that teams have improved their defences?

You don't see that many big score wins in the Premier League any more.

 

[Ian]

Could the reason for lack of goals be that teams have improved their defences?

You don't see that many big score wins in the Premier League any more.

Yep its not like we ever play anyone that concede 9 goals anymore!

 

[JOSWolf]

Hope he is ok. Our luck with injuries is absolutely appalling. Quite incredible when you look at the amount of serious injuries we get.

 

[Wolf in Kenilworth]

Looked innocuous to me. Hope it’s just a sprain.

 

[Ewok vs Wolf]

Hope he's OK
Really struggled when he went off

 

[Wonder Boyo]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1629250842887876623

 

[JOSWolf]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1629250842887876623

Oh for ****s sake. Here we go again!

 

[TheConcourse]

What other teams receive massive injuries to massive players at our scale? Nothing is a week out FFS.

 

[JOSWolf]

Looked innocuous to me. Hope it’s just a sprain.

MRI scan coming up according to Lopetegui. Typically it doesnt sound good. Wolves only pick up serious injuries in the main.

 

[JOSWolf]

What other teams receive massive injuries to massive players at our scale? Nothing is a week out FFS.

Jonny,Neto, Chiquinho, Sasa, Raul, now possibly Cunha in the last 18 months. Unbelievable. It is a ****ing **** take.

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

MRI scan coming up according to Lopetegui. Typically it doesnt sound good. Wolves only pick up serious injuries in the main.

Stay calm JOS, let's at least wait to hear (and pray).

 

[Wonder Boyo]

Even if it's not serious, and fingers crossed it isn't, he definitely won't be ready for Liverpool. Really bad luck as we looked so much better with him on the pitch tonight. He played a lovely ball across in the build up to tonight's goal. We looked so disjointed after he went off.

 

[Bugsy911]

Last thing we needed another injury , as its us I always fear the worse nothing is just a niggle its always months out.

 

[JOSWolf]

Stay calm JOS, let's at least wait to hear (and pray).

I will be delighted if he is ok but our recent history with scans and injury and luck with them are appalling. I cant believe he could be seriously injured after what happened with Sasa. It is truly unbelievable. What other club would sign a main striker in the summer who then gets a season ending injury in his first game and then break their transfer record in January to sign an attacker who may have a serious injury after a hand full of games? It is astonishing and just awful bad luck. We are cursed when it comes to serious injuries.

 

[Urko]

We would miss even more if he scored goals

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

I will be delighted if he is ok but our recent history with scans and injury and luck with them are appalling. I cant believe he could be seriously injured after what happened with Sasa. It is truly unbelievable. What other club would sign a main striker in the summer who then gets a season ending injury in his first game and then break their transfer record in January to sign an attacker who may have a serious injury after a hand full of games? It is astonishing and just awful bad luck. We are cursed when it comes to serious injuries.

Well Sasa was a BIG risk given his physique and history IMO, doubt we'd have signed him if we hadn't been desperate / incompetent. Cunha currently probably has some ligament damage would be my guess, let's just hope it's not too bad. Nothing to bemoan our luck about yet.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

The fact the physios felt he needed to be stretchered, and that he needs an MRI, does not look good.

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

The fact the physios felt he needed to be stretchered, and that he needs an MRI, does not look good.

Well I bow to your (daughter's!) expertise, but they seemed happy for him to try to stand on it until he obviously couldn't. I'm hoping for a few weeks out, all we can do is hope for now though.

 

[Wagstaffe Was Magic]

It’s Wolves … how often has this happened to us??

If we didn’t have bad luck we’d have no luck at all

 

[Starsky]

He'll be out for the season no doubt.

Our injuries are always measured in months, not weeks.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Well I bow to your (daughter's!) expertise, but they seemed happy for him to try to stand on it until he obviously couldn't. I'm hoping for a few weeks out, all we can do is hope for now though.

I haven’t asked her opinion as she’s with friends this weekend. I do know MRI means that they want to look at the soft tissue, and the fact they’re doing a scan tomorrow, suggests it may not be too badly inflamed. I’m saying that based on my wife’s ankle experience and the discussion with the doctors then. Fingers crossed, it’s weeks, not months, but my gut feeling is that it will be a lengthy layoff.

 

[Asthmatic Wolf]

I haven’t asked her opinion as she’s with friends this weekend. I do know MRI means that they want to look at the soft tissue, and the fact they’re doing a scan tomorrow, suggests it may not be too badly inflamed. I’m saying that based on my wife’s ankle experience and the discussion with the doctors then. Fingers crossed, it’s weeks, not months, but my gut feeling is that it will be a lengthy layoff.

Bet your wife had scored more before she got her injury

 

[Cookyssweetleftfoot]

We would miss even more if he scored goals

Who does score goals Urko?
We will miss him because he can press which is clearly a big part of Julen’s strategy.

 

[TheConcourse]

Who does score goals Urko?
We will miss him because he can press which is clearly a big part of Julen’s strategy.

He was brilliant last night.

 

[YouGottaRaulWithIt]

I haven’t asked her opinion as she’s with friends this weekend. I do know MRI means that they want to look at the soft tissue, and the fact they’re doing a scan tomorrow, suggests it may not be too badly inflamed. I’m saying that based on my wife’s ankle experience and the discussion with the doctors then. Fingers crossed, it’s weeks, not months, but my gut feeling is that it will be a lengthy layoff.

Will she be ready to play next weekend?

 

[Bill McCai]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1629357920361107458