WOLVES FANS GIVE THEIR THOUGHTS ON DEFEAT TO FOREST
GEORGE LAKIN
Goals change games and we squandered too many opportunities tonight. Vitor Pereira’s plan A -width- worked in the first half but ultimately giving Forest such a cheap early advantage put us on the back foot from the get go. No team is harder to come back against.
Forest saw that game out exactly the way they wanted to second half. They wanted us to have the ball, and they wanted us to play in tight spaces and to squeeze the game. It was up to us to draw them out but it’s almost an impossible task against a Nuno side this well drilled and disciplined.
Without an early goal in the second half we were always going to be totally ineffective, and totally powerless to change the game. Went out with a whimper really.
As expected Nuno tweaked things to nullify our width and we had no real plan B- other than to throw all our forwards on. Think that’s more down to VP not having the tools at his disposal to change the game tonight. But ultimately, Nuno did a job on us second half.
Bright spark for me was Rodrigo Gomes who through relentless endeavour alone looked the most likely to change the game for us.
More worrying was the lack of leadership on that pitch tonight though- if you ever wondered how important Cunha, Andre and Semedo are to us, tonight’s your answer. Heartbeat of this team under VP. On the contrary, and without naming names, there looked a few out there in that second half not really up for the fight. We needed more.
I don’t think a centre-back alone solves our problems, we need to add quality in a few other areas too. We need some more leaders, some distinguished pros, some canniness, some know-how. Strength in depth will be key, we’ve seen tonight we’ll struggle to compete when one or two key players are missing. Injuries and suspensions will be inevitable in the second half of the season and we can’t afford to write games off because so and so is out. Every game is crucial.
Next few fixtures look really difficult again, and while 3-0 probably flattered Forest, they were good value for the win. From our point of view, the most worrying thing is what this result might do for confidence, which had looked to be growing.
The silver-lining is this might prompt more drastic action in the transfer market- which I think we’ll need.
Honeymoon period is well and truly over for VP and the real work starts now. Still believe he can see us out of this mess -just- but it’s not going to be easy. Big dose of reality tonight.
JOHN TARAS
PAM WELLS
When I saw the line-up, I was shocked and worried. It’s a match where we need at least a point to keep some distance from the bottom three. We look weak defensively. No Semedo, no Dawson, and a very lightweight bench, plus Wood, who always finds a goal against us. We have to trust Vitor.
The game started brightly, but just seven minutes in, after we had been on the attack, they had a quick counter-attack, and Morgan Gibbs White scored, giving the watching England manager a reminder of who he is. We went straight back on the attack and made some great moves. Larsen missed an absolute sitter just after, and then Rodrigo had a great shot saved by Sels. We didn’t give up or drop deep; we kept going, but Larsen missed another tap-in. Was it going to be one of those nights? We have been so good and lively going forward. I thought Pedro Lima made some great runs and crosses. We could have easily been 3-1 up.
They appealed for a penalty, but VAR said no. Then right before half-time, after some poor defending by Doherty, who should have scored, Wood found the net! I think Guedes needs to get more involved, but come on, lads, keep going. Hopefully, some attacking play will bring us goals.
No subs at half-time, and the second half continued much like the first. We kept attacking but had no luck in front of goal, while they had the odd counter-attack. Then Lemina came on for Doyle, and Bellegarde replaced Lima. Unfortunately, I don’t think Lemina was the player we have come to love and rely on. He didn’t look like his heart was in it at all. Still, we kept pushing forward. Forest brought on subs and went more defensive, but we still couldn’t find the back of the net. Larsen had a decent shot from the edge of the box, but the goalkeeper had it covered.
We kept going, and then right at the death, I think Rayan Ait Nouri was fouled on the left wing. They broke away and scored with almost the last kick of the game. Football can be a cruel game. I’ve seen us play much worse and get points, but tonight it wasn’t to be.
We had so much going forward, but the same problem reared its ugly head: nobody could find the net. I think Rodrigo Gomes played really well, and Pedro Lima was solid in his first start, but my man of the match was João Gomes; he never stopped running. Performance rating: 6.5.
KARL WHITEHOUSE
The first half of the Wolves performance was decent. We had plenty of the ball and created chances to score, but we failed to find the back of the net.
Nottingham Forest took their two chances from counterattacks. Our defence was unprepared, allowing them to score both goals, and they exploited our weaknesses in their play.
We had our moments but losing key players is a problem. Vitor Pereira needs to address this and help us get back in the game. We create chances but need to be more clinical in the final third.
The second half started similarly, where we tried to create a goal. At times, no one was there to finish the ball. That needs to be fixed.
Tonight’s game highlighted our need for a player who can run towards goal. Cunha makes a difference, but we must learn to play without him as he won’t be in every game.
Our defending showed weaknesses. We lacked numbers and had no plan to handle the Forest counterattacks. That hurt us.
We controlled the second half, limiting the damage, but we got caught again by another counterattack at the end. VP needs to address this to avoid future issues.
Honestly, we could have gained something from this game. Injuries and lack of depth hurt our chances for a win. We need to take this on the chin and aim for something in the next game, which will be another tough challenge against a team in form.