THIS WEEK WOLVES FANS GIVE HONEST OPINIONS AND CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE
GEORGE LAKIN
An honourable defensive performance. First half, it looked like we were riding our luck a little bit with a few great saves from Jose Sa (who showed Johnstone is certainly no upgrade, and that £10m ought to have been put towards a centre back). But there was a sense at half time that it was going to take a miracle to survive the onslaught for another 45 minutes (so nearly). In the first half, we did seem to at least carry some threat on the break, which offered some respite at times, and of course led to Strand-Larsen’s goal.
In the second half, we seemed to give up as an attacking entity, epitomised by the one moment where Forbs and Guedes had the ball on the wing and absolutely no one made any effort to get into the box. You do have to at least try and score goals to win games when the opportunity arises.
In the end, however contentious, the pressure told. Even though in the second half City didn’t create as much as they did in the first. It was a sickening way to lose the game, but on the balance of play you cannot argue with a City victory- though I think we did deserve a point for such a stoic defensive performance alone.
Pep Guardiola was less complementary and described us as ‘literally putting 11 players on the penalty spot’- but our hands were tied somewhat, as there is simply no other way to try and get anything out of a game against City. Pep went on to say ‘all but about three or four sides do the same.’
In many ways though, it showed how much more solid we are when we do revert to the back five. Given the nature of the game (which was always going to be a ‘park the bus’ job) it’s difficult to say whether that is enough to redeem O’Neil, and whether he has solved the tactical problems that surround us at present.
Parking the bus is the easiest tactic to implement, and despite it being the correct one to enforce in this particular game, it remains to be seen what he has up his sleeve and how it will work against opposition that we will be expected to take the game to a little bit more.
I think, on the whole, there are many positives -mainly in the character and spirit shown- to take from today’s performance. But beyond that, we haven’t really learnt a great deal more than what we already knew. Most fans would agree, and have known for some time, that reverting to a five would equal more defensive stability. That much has been shown to be true, but for me, there are still question marks as to whether Gary is the man to keep us up.
This squad showed in moments today that they should be nowhere near the bottom three. There is more than enough quality to survive, and survive comfortably. Brighton, next week, is not a game we should be going into expecting nothing. It is a game we can and should be taking something from.
The fans in the stadium today showed that if performances and effort are put in, the players and the manager will receive our 100% backing. It was anything but toxic as many expected it to be. Despite any issues many understandably have with the board, Gary should take heart from the ‘Gary O’Neil’s Barmy Army’ chants that came towards the end of the game, in an attempt to get the team over the line. Today, it wasn’t quite enough. But next time, if there is a next time for Gary, it may very well be.
PAM WELLS
What a heartbreaking ending to the game.
From the kick-off, City started quickly as expected. Doku was dangerous, but Semedo and Gomes managed him well. After soaking up the pressure, we launched a perfect fast counter-attack. Semedo crossed a great ball for Larsen to finish. What a start! We were in the lead.
We didn’t sit back, but I felt our front two played too deep, allowing their centre-backs to push forward and create more attacking options for City.
Semedo had a chance to put us two up, but it wasn’t to be. Then we lost their man, and they equalised just before half-time.
Doyle came on for Andre at half-time, and for a while, we looked more threatening. Guedes and Forbs provided us with more attacking options, but City just kept coming at us. Our defence held strong, and although there were one or two scary moments, Sa and our defence kept them at bay.
Then came the heartbreak in the 94th minute. City got a corner and scored. They checked with VAR, but the referee reviewed the screen and allowed it. Silva was backing into Sa the whole time, blocking his view and position. I know you can’t be offside from a corner, but when a player is right in front of the goalkeeper, surely that’s not right.
So, a heartbreaking end to a game where it looked like we had secured our second point. Our five at the back formation answered the doubters, and I just hope Gary O’Neil doesn’t switch back to a four. I firmly believe if we had used this formation from the start of the season, we would have more than one point.
My man of the match is a tough choice given the solid defensive performances. Gomes, Semedo, and Dawson were impressive again, keeping Haaland quiet, but I’m going to give it to Sa. Left out for the last few games, I thought he made some great saves and looked in command.
My performance rating is a 7.5.
BLACKPOOL WOLF
Frustrated but not for the usual reason; we deserved something out of that game. Every player in the old gold put in a shift today with no complaints about any of them.
The late goal shouldn’t have counted. The fact that VAR only showed a snippet of the incident is ridiculous. The TV replay shows Silva backing into Sá and Sá pushing him away, which means Silva is interfering with play.
The overall game was a breath of fresh air. We defended like our lives depended on it, and everyone stuck to their jobs throughout. I also noticed that on corners, we changed to half-marking, half-zonal, which was a massive improvement. Even though we conceded late on from a corner, which is disappointing, we defended 17 other corners very well.
A few areas we could improve on when defending are that Larsen and Cunha were too deep together. When we cleared the ball, it just went back to City. I won’t be annoyed about that because it would be unfair to criticise anything today. I thought Semedo had a good game, and João Gomes chased everything down, but man of the match has to be José Sá. As many of you might know, I’m not a fan of Sá, and I was calling for change at the start of the season. But if he continues to play like that, then he has to be number one going forward.
I feel bad about the result, but the fact that we defended so well going back to a back five makes this the most pleased I’ve been all season after a defeat. GON has to keep a back five for Brighton, and now more than ever, I feel confident we can get something from them.
CRAIG HICKEY
SCOTT DRAME
I found today’s match far more enjoyable than usual. O’Neil’s tactics came through brilliantly across the pitch. VAR missed the mark on the second goal, which was clearly the wrong call. On the bright side, I was impressed with Semedo, Sa, and Larsen’s performances; they really stood out with their contribution to the team.
KARL WHITEHOUSE
We have been calling for Gary to play the back five, and today he did. What a difference it makes for our team with a game plan that we know works. It’s great to see the team disciplined, even with the early bookings.
Nice to see the counter-attacks back in our side, with breaks against the City defence. However, we must learn to score a second goal in these games, as one is not enough against top sides.
We were camped in our own half for most of the game, limiting City to long-range efforts. This took its toll on some players, who were getting tired or cramping up. It shows the effort our team put in against a City side that presses hard.
What was the point of sending the referee to the screen? You can see the problem clearly, as VAR is there to do a job. It was the same situation we faced against West Ham last season, highlighting where the issues lie in these games.
I don’t like saying this, but we were robbed at the end with City’s winner. We missed out on a valuable point that we deserved, especially after spending most of the game in our own half and panicking in possession.
Gary is now under serious pressure because of this result. If we don’t get the needed results, fans will start asking if we should change managers. The club will have to decide the direction we’re heading, especially as we risk slipping down to the Championship at this rate. We want to see change soon because this run is not good viewing for fans, whether at home or away.
Player of the match was Jose Sa, with a rating of 7.5.
