15 Dec 2021 10:11:35
So. is anyone else suddenly feeling a LOT better about our performance agaisnt City?! We should! After the Pool and City game there were one or two (on here) questioning Lages tactics as not being ambitious enough? Well I hope they see the foolishness in their folly now!
Leeds play Pool next game and going off tonight's performance I expect it'll look like a cricket score between these two games!
Now I get that everyone wants to see us 'have a go at teams' but that's what Leeds tried to do tonight and where did that get um, out of the game before ht?! Which game do you think Pool/City fear more us or Leeds?!
Now I REALLY do rate Bielsa among the best in the league so not kicking him whilst he's down, but much like Nunos tenure maybe one or two need to step away from the tree in front of them to see the woods spread out behind it?! Lage isn't perfect but one thing he does seem to know is how to change things agaisnt the best oppo in this league and that means when you go to City or Pool you do so with the right game plan!
OK I accept that it may not have worked (this time) but that doesn't mean it wasn't the 'right' game plan it just means we've played two of the best teams in the WORLD and still somehow lost it on the margins! Surely just from a tactical view point that deserves a little more credit? Instead some are still questioning the man's credentials?
15 Dec 2021 10:31:17
Sound point BB.
15 Dec 2021 11:06:35
BB you beat me to posting a thread on this subject. Both Jurgen and Pep made points about us playing in a so called negative way. Presumably Pep will have messaged Bruno this morning to tell him that he's been shown by Bielsa how its done! I think they have got a cheek, simple arrogance we are only there so they can show how great they are! Football is about different styles you have to beat what's in front of you like its always been. I am proud of our lads for both performances and yes I'd love to see us take them on but not yet! When we have a few more players and Bruno can fully have the team perform his way, then I'd love to see it! Until then Jurgen and Pep go give your heads a wobble, you do your thing we will do ours. I'm sure we would never be so rude as to tell them how to play, its none of our business!
15 Dec 2021 11:28:59
The thing is though lads we've shown over the last few seasons with near enough the same squad that we can compete with probably the two best teams in the world and beat them.
The season of 19/20 when we did the double over city we took the fight to them and it paid off.
Saturday's performance was a shadow of those performances even before Raul was sent off.
We should have more belief in what we can achieve instead of playing for the draw.
15 Dec 2021 12:54:49
BB - good post. I have never criticised Lage who to date has done v well with his lot. The performances against City and Liverpool were excellent.
PS I assume you are also pointing out that Nuno also cut his cloth accordingly and got fantastic results, (and not just against the "big teams"), despite the disparity in resources and consequently his villification on here and other sites is mind boggling!
However whilst I did not expect any different they did produce zero points and were entirely defensive. This is not a criticism of Lage! I do not see how with the players available to him we could have played any differently and even then the outcomes were a tadge unlucky - we could v easily have got 2 0-0s- in which case the man would quite rightly be lauded as a genius.
However we should acknowledge that the 2 games before against teams that are probably lower end of the table teams were 2 0-0s and although not entirely defensive were not exactly offensively succesful either. This is also not a criticism of Lage but a mere statement of the facts.
As I stated at the start of the season with the squad we have if Jimenez comes back to his former glories we are a top half of the table team - excellent defensively, good at controlling the game and capable of scoring enough goals to compete in the upper echelons of the table
However with the obvious shortcomings in the squad if Jimenez does not come back to his old self (and at the start of the season and over the last month or so he has looked a few yards short) whilst we are still solid defensively and good at controlling games we don't look like a side that will score v many at all.
In which case we are probably a side that will regularly lose to the top sides and draw quite a few with the lower half of the table teams.
This will leave us as a team that is at best a lower mid table team. Clearly if Jimenez is off form all year we will be a team that is in trouble! Fortunatley his good spell earlier on this year corresponded to a run of game against teams at the bottom (are these two facts linked?) and we picked up a fair few points meaning we shouldn't be in trouble this year.
Despite this though most posters seem pretty convinced that we won't be able to sign anyone who can solve the clubs obvious problems, (short of viable options at CB, ACM and CF) in Jan.
Oddly some apparently believe we will in the summer of 2022?
Quite why anyone has any faith in Shi buying the right (if any!) players in the summer of 2022 when he didn't in 2021 or 2020 is beyond me.
So Ken I think we both may be waiting quite a while before we are equipped to take on City.
To return to your point however BB we should be extremely grateful that in Nuno and now Lage we have managers capable of still extracting the sort of performances we have seen this last week from our ageing and threadbare squad.
15 Dec 2021 12:56:52
Jota is the missing link in this team for me and we simply have to find someone who can do what he did for us. Raul looks isolated and lacking a bit of confidence and yes adama can carry the ball a long way and get thing's moving but when he sees goals he loses all concentration as we've seen. Jota is a big loss especially against the top team's.as for the way we set up against Liverpool and City I think lage got it right and a couple of substitutions and Raul losing his mind along with the worst penalty decision I've seen in modern times cost us. But we certainly have to be more adventurous against the Norwich. Burnley and Southamptons if this league. It's only my opinion folks and I'm wolves through and through for over 55 year's and I'll always support them as I can.
15 Dec 2021 13:30:37
Big- I think your missing the point, cause when we won that game (v City) 2-0 we used the VERY same game plan, it just happened to come off tbat day! In fact you say 'we took the game to them' well guess how many shots we had on target that day, you guessed it we had TWO shots and happened to score them both! We also only had 24% possession that day as well, is that REALLY taking the game to them?! For the record on out last match agaisnt City we had 1 shot on target (so not that far off when we won) and we also had 29% possession, so are you sure we won that one time cause we took the game to them?! Or is it more likely that back then we caught City off guard as they took us lightly and that day they learnt a valuable lesson?!
15 Dec 2021 14:17:10
I'm still shocked that they sold Jota Lexluna and was somewhat annoyed to hear the top table congratulating themselves for getting £45M for him.
As for City v Leeds I must admit I had a little chuckle over that result but the reality is whether you loose 1-0 or 7-0 you still get no points. We all like to see our team winning by player nice flowing attacking football but in it's absence I'd be much happier with 20% possession, one chance and a 1-0 win, than playing well, but losing.
15 Dec 2021 14:23:46
Trouble is though BB we don't look like catching any team off guard so to speak at the moment.
We have been poor in attack for the last 5 games, Raul looks a pale imitation of the player he was and hwang has hit a brick wall.
We fail to utilise Traores main attributes enough and when we do there is either nobody in the box or his delivery is poor.
Corner's and freekicks, while slightly better because RAN has been taking some are poor and most times don't clear the first defender.
If we had a bit more conviction to get the ball moving forward instead of sideways and backwards we might have more shots on target and goals on the board.
To have the fourth best defence in the league so far and the second worst attack screams bottom half finish this season to me.
15 Dec 2021 15:12:17
Let's see how we get on tonight against a depleted Brighton side, and us with no raul. Maybe fabio will eventually shine for us?
15 Dec 2021 15:25:27
I believe its on BT sports.
ENJOY!
COYW
15 Dec 2021 15:58:31
Yep phil I'll be watching. going to go 2 or 3-1 tonight traore and pods on target if they're playing. Hoping for an entertaining open game. Just for you phil COYW COYW COYW.
15 Dec 2021 17:38:23
Thanks Abbey.
15 Dec 2021 18:51:12
future, give me a break I was trying to be optimistic! Positive thoughts and all that. It really needs Jeff Shi to emerge from behind the curtains a perhaps give fans a clue as to where Fosun are going to take the club. We need to see in January a bit of positive intent to help Bruno out because reality is so far it has been lacking though I'm not unduly surprised! We've been here before!
15 Dec 2021 22:00:27
Sorry Ken and sorry to all of the posters for my negativity today - and indeed most days!.
Haven't seen the game yet as my girls have been hogging the TV with BT on it ( the only other one with it on is my sons and I've no chance of watching that!) to watch "Made in Chelsea" on catch up but will watch tonight and hopefully will be full of joy for the 3 points in the morning!