DAVE PORTER GIVES HIS OPINIONS ON PLAYER PERFORMANCE
Formation : I honestly couldn’t say. 6-3-1/4-5-1/4-3-3/4-2-3-1 Who knows? Ask Lage.
JOSE SA
Had one thing to do of note, easily catching a tame Bournemouth header which should have tested him way more than it did. MATCH RATING 6
NELSON SEMEDO
Looked the more lively of the fullbacks and at least was trying to drive with the ball. Upended a few times when pushing forward with clear fouls not given. Looked a bizarre change to bring off our most offensive fullback if not injured MATCH RATING 5
JONNY OTTO
He has gone from reliably good to reliably underwhelming. Looks off the pace and pretty clueless as to whether he is meant to be overlapping or defending centrally. Offers nothing offensively, was the obvious choice to be replaced but remained on the pitch to do what he had done throughout the first hour. Absolutely nothing. Looks lost MATCH RATING 4
NATHAN COLLINS
You have to trust the centre backs. They do not need the full backs tucking in to protect them, they do not need ‘Connor Neves’ picking up the ball right next to or behind them. Untroubled throughout and visibly tried to do the job of the midfielders owing to sheer frustration. Clean sheet and the only thing working well in this team is the central defensive partnership MATCH RATING 6
MAX KILMAN
Very similar to Collins. Won everything he needed to and dealt with the aerial presence of Billings comfortably (not something we have been able to say in the past). Again tried to run through midfield because either Neves was behind him or he didn’t trust the midfielders to do their job MATCH RATING 6
MATHEUS NUNES
If Dendoncker puts that performance in, he is booed off the pitch. Nice effort in first half hit the bar but very little else to his game. One of many who looks totally lost in terms of what his purpose and position is meant to be in the team. MATCH RATING 4
JOAO MOUTINHO
Worst game in a Wolves shirt. Looked slow, passes were not finding anyone. Regularly slowed the game when it needed injections of pace. Who has put him on attacking freekicks? Too easy to blame age, he has never had pace but was totally ineffective on the ball. All three midfielders appear not to know their role. MATCH RATING 3
RUBEN NEVES
He cant save us every week. Operated way too deep throughout the game regularly receiving passes backwards from Collins and Killman. Has he done this through choice or instruction? Either way he was more often found as a third centre half than a midfielder. Couldn’t pass straight all night. Every pass was completed with a needless flick which invariably put the ball behind the player he was passing to. We have three exceptional midfielders and it cant be coincidence that they are all getting it this wrong at the same time MATCH RATING 4
PEDRO NETO
What is his role? Playing way too deep and out of possession meaning he becomes ineffectual when asked to attack. The left footed winger should not be being asked to be an auxiliary right back against poor opposition. The fullbacks do not need help from the wingers. There are already 8 members of the team doing the defensive work. Came alive when he finally got to play on his better side and Traore created a threat on the other wing. The inverted winger experiment has to end MATCH RATING 5
GONÇALO GUEDES
See Neto. Rightly hooked (but way too late) for a game where he offered nothing offensively. Looks totally lost as to what is being asked of him. Operating far too deep and offered no support to Raul. Looks frustrated already but shooting from 35 yards out is not going to help him. Needs to offer way more. MATCH RATING 4
RAUL JIMENEZ
Raul will get slated tonight but our lack of goals is not coming because of Raul. He is so isolated because of the abject midfield and the defensive duties of the players who should be alongside him. He does however have to score when clean through in a game like this. But if you only create one chance a game then the focus is going to go on the easiest chance of the game, which he missed. He will take the criticism tonight but there is more elsewhere to give MATCH RATING 5
RAYAN AÏT-NOURI (SUB)
Provided some energy and willingness to do something, anything to get us forward. Unsure as to why he replaced Semedo and not Jonny but linked well with Neto after Neto finally changed wings. Did more in half an hour than most all game MATCH RATING 6
ADAMA TRAORE (SUB)
The supporters had to demand he come on. Would he have otherwise but chants of ‘Bruno, give us a sub’ and endless chanting of his name meant that he finally, with less than 20 minutes to go relented and tried something else. It wasn’t so much what Traore did as what he released. We know he takes two men out of the game, no surprises there but it finally released Neto to play on his favoured side. Couple of crosses but nowhere near enough time on the pitch but at least the team felt like it had a ‘plan’ MATCH RATING 6
DANIEL PODENCE (SUB)
Again less than 20 minutes to impact the game against a Bouremouth team who by this time had sat in looking for a point. Some nice tricks and released Raul for what should have been the opening goal. Nearly and again probably should have scored after Raul returned the favour. All of the best attacks centred around Podence or Traore in some way, and it was criminal that the subs arrived as late as they did. MATCH RATING 6
BRUNO LAGE
The team doesn’t know what it is doing. It does not know how to even try to score goals. Players do not know where they are playing or what their contributions to the team should be. We do not create or finish chances. The team is set up as 6-3-1, it looks disjointed and without balance. Players are performing well below their individual and combined thresholds. Substitutions are late and forced, as if he is waiting for someone else to make the decision. The only question you need to ask when considering the future of a manager is whether the team is performing above or below the sum of its parts. This team is ridiculously underperforming in every single metric and seems on a downward not positive trajectory. If he manages to survive until Saturday, he will need to beat Southampton at home to remain in charge.
OVERALL TEAM PERFORMANCE
Abject in all areas against really poor opposition. Very worrying times. MATCH RATING 3
BOURNEMOUTH
Managerless and wasting time even in the first half. Relegation fodder who were begging for one blow to the chin to knock them out. When it became obvious we have no punch, they grew in confidence and could have even stolen it. They are the worst team we will face this season and there was very little between the sides.
ARTICLE BY DAVE PORTER
Wolverhampton born, East Sussex based supporter. Old enough to have seen the descent to the bottom, young enough to not have experienced the days my friend. Not many Wolves fans to celebrate or commiserate with round these parts, so had to find an outlet to discuss the enormous highs, crushing lows and share the frustrations that only come with following Wolves.