I don't like questioning Nuno's decision tonight. As we all put our complete trust in Nuno.. Yet I was amazed after we went a goal down to Newcastle and he selected Helder Costa from the bench to replace Diogo Jota? The season Helder is having, he would not have been the player I'd have thought he'd bring on first, in a physical battling game like this was. Especially when needing to get a goal. He's too light weight and lacking in confidence at this moment in time. Maybe Cav's number should have been shown as 1st sub? As they came on almost the same time. Yet Costa was announced on TV and the numbers by the officials it appeared firstly to replace Jota?
I imagine 99% of us felt just as bemused and in all honesty, we were right to have done so. He offered absolutely nothing and never looked like he was going to. The way Newcastle were sitting back, with Ritchie on a booking, the game was crying out for Adama who in 10 minutes did more than Costa has done for a long time.
It worked. We were a goal down and drifting to a 1 nil defeat. Nuno brings on Costa, Cav and then Superman and we scored the equalizer. Mission accomplished. In Nuno I trust.
Watched it back on TV, Jota signalled to the bench to come off. And he was obviously explaining some niggle to one of the backroom staff after he had passed Nuno.
As poster said above he was injured, the bench were talking to him for 10 mins before he came off then at one point he turned and signalled that he needed to come off. Can’t see him starting at Bristol.
I think Nunos thinking when it’s Costa or Traore, he’s thinking he can bring Traore on with ten minutes left and he could still do something to change the game, but you won’t get that off Costa he needs a lot longer to have an impact.
Nuno is not infallible. I think he made a mistake there. IMO Traore would have been the right call. Traore can be frustrating but he tries things. And so it eventually proved.Costa no longer does, seems afraid of his own shadow.
He does seem afraid of his own shadow to an extent....a bit like Jota earlier in the season. Maybe Nuno is trying to boost that confidence and play him back into form, a la Jota.
Jota was injured, you could see him communicating to the bench for quite some time before the substitution. Without doubt, he was our biggest threat up until that point and most likely would have stayed on otherwise.
I tell you what JJ... Why not start yet another thread calling out Costa, How many is that now? Any slight agenda here, especially as Jota clearly limped off, but it serves as handy vehicle for a bit of Costa bashing? My positive slant on this is that Costa came on and quickly won 3 or 4 corners, the corners created pressure which ultimately resulted in a goal. There was no individual skill or team brilliance in that goal it was down to keeping the ball in and around the box. That, from my view here in the minority, was Costa's contribution. Anyway, Costa now appears to be crocked so you'll have to find something else create threads about for the next few weeks.
He's had most the season and hasn't had that yet..... Really don't want to see him go but we're leaving him behind and he looks the weakest of our attacking by far at this point. He'll be out on loan in France next season imo
On reflection, you've made me reconsider and I'm sure that you're right. He does need time to warm up, though. He's not an impact sub as @JadeWolf has correctly argued.
You won't get that off Costa for 18 months let alone 10 minutes. A shambles of his former glorious self
Literally the first thing Costa did was go hurtling towards goal with pace and power, forcing a corner. It was amazing. It was exactly what we needed. And then he did very little else. It actually made me more sad. We can't he just... do that? Like he used to? Get the ball, run with it, defenders on back foot, Cav and Jimenez to clear up any loose balls. It's so frustrating.
Personally i think Nuno is desperately trying to rekindle costa's form because if he doesn't, he's going to have to go. We'll never find the pre injury blistering pace V Liverpool Costa of 3 years ago, but there is a player there who destroyed Manu and Arsenal this season.
...or he had a good opportunity to break one on one with their defender, got easily ushered out wide and managed to salvage a corner from a position he really should have done better.
I used to love Costa but honestly no idea how he gets on the pitch anymore, can’t remember the last time I saw him actually look like he’s giving 100% and wanting to run at people, truthfully was probably before his injury as I thought he made us worse when he came back into the side at the expense of cav last season as well. Would love him to come good but I think he’s the first attacker we need to replace for better quality in the summer.
What like a season out on loan perhaps? Ok that's cruel but in my humble opinion he is a passenger at the moment.
He did have a good spell earlier on in the season, so we know something is there right? No one seems to mention these games?
I do love this attitude that all the other players in the Prem are rubbish and our players, whoever they are should find it easy to get past them or make room for a pass or tackle them or etc etc etc, I wish it was that easy but then again it would be boring wouldn't it.
Costa was stripped off first, it just took an age to get him on,and Cav, who was called over after, caught him up. Jota signalled to the bench he needed to be subbed so I wonder if he felt his injury. I actually thought Newcastle targeted Jota and Moutinho with some robust play but I might just be being cynical.
Sorry, remind me. An assist v Newcastle and a good goal v Spurs which I hoped would fire him up are about all I remember. Looks badly out of sorts.
Not the player he used to be imo from the games I've been able to attend/watch and I think is now getting left behind, no longer a regular starter and not the first name I hope (or want to see) coming off the bench to make an impact. I would be surprised if he's still at the club at the start of next season and we haven't recruited a replacement.
He looked liked he had got back to his confident running V Manu and Arsenal i think, maybe even getting MOTM?
Just to provide a sense of balance. There were suggestions that Costa's body language after our late equaliser at Shrewbury suggested that he didn't care. So, whilst I can't argue, that, at present, he's miles away from where he should be playing wise, at least he shares the team's successes. Wolves 1 Newcastle United 1 – player ratings
I've just got to mention Jota's strength again, I've never seen anything like it, to look at him you'd think the wind might blow him over but then a 6ft3 centre half goes up against him and just bounces off him and hits the deck. Such a shame he's picking up these injuries now he's in top form.
Spot on Jim. This is the area that he has really improved upon from early in the season; and added to this, is the fact he does his best to stay on his feet and ‘play the advantage’. I really wish Costa could apply the same willingness to improve but at the moment he shows no sign of that. Such a real shame.....
Exactly guys.. that's why the substitution looked so out of place. Jota looking so strong lately and likely to get a goal.. Jota & Costa are like chalk & cheese at the minute on the pitch. Such a strange substitution.
Well it wasn't strange, he limped off, it's been covered already. Have you not read through your own thread?
Of course I've read through my own thread CrazyCrane.. So you reckon Jota coming off limping or not.. That Costa was a good 1st choice " like for like" at this moment in time?
Jota asked to be subbed just before Moutinho gave away a free-kick down the right flank that Ritchie took. He stayed on for that and we actually broke away and he tried running down the left and he just couldn't. Looked like it may have been another hamstring issue which is a worry and he could be out for a while if it is.
I think this highlights the need to sign an additional striker who can score goals at this level. If Cav was injured we wouldn't have had a goal scorer to bring off the bench. Thought Traore had a good impact with the cross for the goal but can't see him scoring more than a few goals a season at this level.
It wasn't ""like for like"" because it changed to 3 up top, were it a straight swap then i take your point. And yeah I llke Costa so would give him a go rightly or wrongly.