The big change - more physicality !

[wwbug]

Watching the recent games have put things into a bit of perspective.
On the field our more recent recruits, Traore , Gomez , Lemina , Cunha , Bueno , Dawson, Toti , even Doherty, Kilman, Hwang , have made us a much more robust physical team.
These are different to Moutinho, Silva, Podence, Jimmy , Sarabia, Neves and Semedo . Who were either smaller than the ones they were replaced by, of less robust in the tackle.
It makes more sense of the move to a British Manager , and less Mendes clients and Iberian skilful players.
Its cheaper and more likely to get a safe Premiership berth by beating the brutes in the six pointers that hang around the bottom of the league
Whether it works or not , who can forecast ? But the financial risk is lower.

 

[old wittonian]

Watching the recent games , have put things into a bit of perspective.
On the field our more recent recruits, Traore , Gomez , Lemina , Cunha , Bueno , Dawson, Toti , even Doherty, Kilman, Hwang , have made us a much more robust physical team.
These are different to Moutinho, Silva, Podence, Jimmy , Sarabia, Neves and Semedo . Who were either smaller than the ones they were replaced by, of less robust in the tackle.
It makes more sense of the move to a British Manager , and less Mendes clients and Iberian skilful players.
Its cheaper and more likely to get a safe Premiership berth by beating the brutes in the six pointers that hang around the bottom of the league
Whether it works or not - the financial risk is lower.

All we need is a beast at number 9 not a tap dancer.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

Watching the recent games have put things into a bit of perspective.
On the field our more recent recruits, Traore , Gomez , Lemina , Cunha , Bueno , Dawson, Toti , even Doherty, Kilman, Hwang , have made us a much more robust physical team.
These are different to Moutinho, Silva, Podence, Jimmy , Sarabia, Neves and Semedo . Who were either smaller than the ones they were replaced by, of less robust in the tackle.
It makes more sense of the move to a British Manager , and less Mendes clients and Iberian skilful players.
Its cheaper and more likely to get a safe Premiership berth by beating the brutes in the six pointers that hang around the bottom of the league
Whether it works or not , who can forecast ? But the financial risk is lower.

It’s strange for me to agree with this when Neves and Moutinho are the two best players I’ve seen at wolves. Sadly they didn’t really compliment each other and needed a more physical player alongside.

 

[Bostin]

It’s strange for me to agree with this when Neves and Moutinho are the two best players I’ve seen at wolves. Sadly they didn’t really compliment each other and needed a more physical player alongside.

Neves / N'Diaye was the dream team!

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

Neves / N'Diaye was the dream team!

I said for the first two premier league seasons we needed a premier league version of N’Diaye. Crazy thing is now we’ve got 3 of them in Gomes, Lemina and Traore

 

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

Football has changed a lot in the past 2-3 years IMO, and glad we're on board with it.

The importance of physicality is as much as it's ever been. Man City used to be the poster boys for the slick possession based football, and whilst they are clearly still brilliant, they won the treble with a team of athletes, that includes four big defenders.

It's why a player like Sarabia is totally ineffective at Premier League level. He's good technically, but to be useful you need to be exceptional, like David Silva, Juan Mata level. That applies more so at a club outside the elite, where you don't always keep the ball.

 

[NewOrder306]

Football has changed a lot in the past 2-3 years IMO, and glad we're on board with it.

The importance of physicality is as much as it's ever been. Man City used to be the poster boys for the slick possession based football, and whilst they are clearly still brilliant, they won the treble with a team of athletes, that includes four big defenders.

It's why a player like Sarabia is totally ineffective at Premier League level. He's good technically, but to be useful you need to be exceptional, like David Silva, Juan Mata level. That applies more so at a club outside the elite, where you don't always keep the ball.

Sarabia - shocking, I clean forgot we had him....says it all I think !!...(about me and him I suspect !)

 

[Bradstonian]

All we need is a beast at number 9 not a tap dancer.

Not a Mixer tap dancer, who goes hot and cold.

 

[Plovdiv Wolf]

Sarabia - shocking, I clean forgot we had him....says it all I think !!...(about me and him I suspect !)

I think he will move on

 

[wwbug]

I think he will move on

My hope is Sarabia can replicate Neto by becoming a bit more aggressive and robust.
Of course age or desire may prevent this .

 

[The House of Wolves]

My hope is Sarabia can replicate Neto by becoming a bit more aggressive and robust.
Of course age or desire may prevent this .

He’s got about 50% of the pace Neto has, never going to happen.

 

[Krispy Kreme]

Sarabia is a strange one. When he signed there was talk of him being a pressing monster. We have seen nothing of it so far, I suspect he's not fully fit much like Hwang was off it for a full season.

It's true we are more physical, but in games like Luton we were crying out for Moutinho or Neves to put their foot on the ball beat the press.

Moutinho and Neves weren't a perfect pairing and Lemina and Gomes clearly lack something as well but it's given us an edge in other areas for sure.

 

[wwbug]

He’s got about 50% of the pace Neto has, never going to happen.

But twice as much football intelligence ?

 

[wwbug]

Sarabia is a strange one. When he signed there was talk of him being a pressing monster. We have seen nothing of it so far, I suspect he's not fully fit much like Hwang was off it for a full season.

It's true we are more physical, but in games like Luton we were crying out for Moutinho or Neves to put their foot on the ball beat the press.

Moutinho and Neves weren't a perfect pairing and Lemina and Gomes clearly lack something as well but it's given us an edge in other areas for sure.

But I bet their salaries are a fraction on those two.

 

[GoldenHorseshoe]

I noticed that the tackling in the Man City game was much more tenacious than previously. Someone made a 8 or 10 minute video montage. Which reinforced my own thoughts. I know that this type of video can be misleading but I remembered many from watching the game live.

 

[WolfInSheep'sClothing]

Physicality was a massive problem at the first half of last year. We've gone some way to address that, though we're hardly a bunch of cloggers. And I'm not sure Hwang has more physically than Fabio.

 

[Bostin]

We do need to make sure we don't spill over into ill-discpline though

Last year we finished bottom of the fair play league table.....and guess what, we're bottom of it again this year too!

 

[Contrarian]

But twice as much football intelligence ?

Probably not! When has Sarabia ever shown anything exceptional intelligence wise? Not saying he's bad. Just bang average for a player of his experience. And I've not seen anything in Neto to suggest he's anything other than inexperienced and is learning the game. It's his finishing that's a bit dodgy, perhaps.