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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021:02:13:20:00:50 by Cheshire wolf.

As expected our new man Willian Jose starts up front with Neto and Podence. Hoever is in for Ait-Nouri and Joao Moutinho is in for Neves. After a good game on Weds Kilman keeps his place in the back three. Line-up:

Regardless of the opposition we need to start gaining points and today would be a good time to begin.
Still no Saiss in the squad but I’ve not heard anything re injury.
Podence back in which is a relief after the roughing up he received at the hands of Chelsea.
Once again a very young bench.

Quote:

Lupinehowler
Still no Saiss in the squad but I’ve not heard anything re injury.

I hadn’t noticed he wasn’t in the squad LH. Nuno said in his press conference that there are injury issues bu5 wouldn’t give any details, so can only presume Saiss has an injury, and hope it won’t be a problem for us.

Newcastle have just deservedly won at Everton which puts them a point below us, so it’s all getting pretty congested in the middle of the league, so 3 points today would be ideal ahead of two difficult home games.

That was a deserved win for the Toon, played very well.

Would love to think we could put on a performance like that today. Palace is a match where you’d hope we could do well, especially having beaten them twice already, albeit at home. Nevertheless with our recent form, you never know and I hope Wednesdays hard fought point is a bit of a turning point in our more fortunes.

I do hold out a fair bit of hope for Willian. He looked strong enough is a short Stamford Bridge cameo and held the ball well on a couple of occasions. God luck to him.

Good look to them all, I’m actually looking forward to this one!!

UTW

As expected Patrick Cutrone is not in the squad today

Semedo is at left wing back & Hoever on the right

Our front lads are linking up well already. Zaha gets the first strike on goal which is wide but offside called. Cline gets a shot away which is just too high. Ki-Jana Hoever will have his work cut out this afternoon with Zaha & Van Arnholt to deal with!!

Palace are having more of the ball at the moment. We get the ball and DP puts a good cross in, but Jose fails to judge it well

Donk just too slow to get on to a good pass by Hoever in their area. Hoever puts another super cross over but nobody near it. Wolves are playing well in possession particularly up the right wing

Neto swaps to the left flank & earns a corner which went right over area - Jose was held up by Clyne. Some excellent passing play by Wolves & we’re on top at the moment

Donk unlucky not to get a shot away. Zaha goes down looking for a penalty but CC had got the ball as confirmed by VAR

Overall I think we’re playing okay though some of our passing has been average at best. Willian the latest culprit putting the defence under pressure and a corner .... but he’s by no means the only one!

Jose gives the ball away to Batshywai but Boly saves him, then Jose clears the corner!! Then his passing let’s him down again!

A real mix up at the back ends with Batshuwai smashing it over from 6 yds!

Half time whistle sounds and it’s all even. Pretty even game with limited opportunities for either side although Batshwuayi really should have done better with his chance. Hoever & NS are doing well in their wing back positions. & Jose is getting involved when he can, but his passing is suspect at times. DP & Neto are our most dangerous players.
Palace 0 Wolves 0

Another one not for the neutral!

I think I need to place my statement ‘overall ... we’re playing okay’ in context. Of course everything is relative. I felt we started well and we’ve had a good few promising positions, even some decent crosses as the half wore on, some less than ideal ball retention (including passing) and ultimately absolutely no shots on goal. Palace certainly haven’t done much more, other than a bad miss from Batshuwai.

Clean sheet and the opportunity to do a bit more in the second half ....... need to try and release Neto who looks like he could do damage if properly fed.

UTW

Riedewald replaces McArthy for Palace as we restart. Hoping we will have a few shots on target this half!!

It’s pretty dull play from both teams now, lots of movement forward by us but no final ball. Zaha has just smashed one high over the bar too. Willian Jose brings out a save from Guaita at last!!

All Wolves at the moment with promising play, DP at the heart of a lo5 of it. Palace break down the right wing, ball reaches Eze who feints then smashes the ball home & Rui has no chance
Palace 1 Wolves 0



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021:01:30:16:20:30 by Cheshire wolf.

Eze scores a very good goal, hit low with power, close to Patricio but beats him. Unbelievably against the run. 1-0.

Adama will be coming on very soon

Adama replaces Hoever who has played well

Adama immediately earns a corner which Palace desperately manage to defend. Zaha gets a free kick just outside our area for Milivojevic to pass to Rui!!
Vitinha coming on for DP

Neto goes across the front of their box and gets a shot on target but easily collected. Guaita carries Adams’s cross out for a corner but then Palace break & Zaha shoots against the bar when he should have scored, then Adama defends well

I think we need Neves’s vision in this game!

FabioSilva replaces Joao so we have two up front. Jose’s header from a corner kept out by Guaita

Well ........ the weather outside is dreary ....... the match isn’t much better. Traore looks most likely to create something. Silva on for a rather poor Moutinho.

Corner, Willian Greta header, great save. Burger it

Fabio Silva replaces Joao so we have two up front. Jose’s header from a corner kept out by Guaita



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021:01:30:16:38:25 by Cheshire wolf.

Cavaleiro just equalised for Fulham against W.Brom.

Townsend on for Batshuwai. Ten minutes to play plus AT

NS gets a snapshot away but well taken by Guaita. Kilman gets the first yellow card for a foul on Zaha. Ward replaces Clyne. Ayew goes down - as usual - for a free kick just outside our area for Townsend to hit into the wall.

The trouble with Adama playing wing back is that he is loathe to attack too much. Donk’s passing has been decidedly poor today. Zaha booked for squaring up to CC in typical Zaha fashion. Both get yellow cards

3 added minutes - I think we need 45!!

Neto’s cross is just too high for Jose.

I think we need a month of sundays

All over and Eze’s excellent goal is the difference between two poor teams. We worked hard but never really looked like dominating against a team I really don’t like!
Willian Jose worked hard in his first full game, but it will take a while for him to know where to expect the ball from Neto, DP & Adama. I’m not sure the midfield of Joao & Donk works as well as Neves & Donk. Our defence played well again & it took a very well taken goal to beat them.
Now we have Arsenal and Leicester to look forward to at the Mol!!
Palace 1 Wolves 0

Not getting used to these defeats. Week end ruined, but at least I've had my jab.

Played fairly well in the first half.
Apart from two decent efforts from Jose in the second, again never looked like scoring. Jose didn't do too badly overall and certainly looks more the part than Fabio or Cutrone. With my limited knowledge I think he needs to gamble on one or two crosses a bit more.
Boly is beginning to look more like his old self again and Kilman did well but I am quite pi55ed off with that defeat. I really thought we could start winning again today.
Two tough matches coming up but I still trust in Nuno to get it right. Thankfully he knows more than I do because I am beginning to find it difficult to see any way out of this slump unless we can get missing players back.
I am unchuffed.

Let’s start with the positive ....... in my opinion ....... Willian looks like he could well be a good signing, getting in the right areas, has more strength and positional play and caused problems. I think he’ll score a few. Boly and Kilman were okay too. The other positive is that there at at least 3 dire premier league sides below us who just might save our bacon. Palace are no longer in that category.

Unfortunately, like all centre forwards at Wolves in the current climate, Willian is too isolated and not supported enough. Feeding off scraps. I think he’d be great with an attacking partner but we know that would mean a shuffling of the pack of the formation. Oh for a Mutch to Willians ‘Bully’! Or, I might have said this before, a forceful, attack minded midfielder.

The match, we started promisingly in both halves but pretty upsetting defeat against a side equally short of ideas. I fancied us today but bar a couple of chances for Willian (and two very good saves), not great was it? If we concede just one, we never look like we will win a match.

I thought some of our passing was really very poor today. Giving the ball away so cheaply, running into dead ends, an attacking paucity of ideas. Weak midfield, fairly solid defence. A lack of entertainment and excitement and far to many groaning moments. Just not playing like a team. No confidence. Often dull. Traore providing some cheer but not enough from him in terms on consistency and quality.

Do you think Moutinho has passed it? What a shabby effort, no drive from a great player. Why was
Neves on the bench. Not saying he will transform our side in his form but surely did enough to keep his place?

1 win in 11 since December. Dreadful and bottom of the league on form.

That’s enough, I am thoroughly dispirited and to cap it all we have Arsenal and Leicester up next.

UTW. We will have better days.

Regardless of the result watching this style of play is completely uninspiring, week in week out.
We know that individual players are capable of special passages of play and Neto, Podence, Traore etc. etc. are worth a place in anyone’s team so something needs to change. Our defence is fairly sound, especially as they are expected to absorb pressure for the majority of the ninety minutes. But out of defence we never seem to have a particular plan moving forward, nothing cohesive or cutting, broken down too easily placing our defenders under pressure once again. I know that not conceding always gives you a chance but surely scoring regularly also gives you a chance and that is something we seem unable to achieve. Perhaps I am reading too much into my amateur observations but the players used to play with a smile on their faces but that now seems largely to have gone, and the pressure will only build. I’m not as optimistic as I usually am, difficult weeks ahead I fear.