Wolves Fans' Verdict v Crystal Palace: The team selection was all wrong!

Russ Evers

The crowd was quiet, as if sensing the line-up and personnel were hopelessly wrong for the game.

A team of six-and-a half footers against our much smaller gents and for thirty minutes we were just bullied and lucky to still be in a wholly one-sided game.

Only Jose Sa and Neves appeared to be anything close to their normal game and others were woefully short of it but our tactics need a huge looking into as well.

A bit of an all round disaster really. Still, roll on Thursday.

Matt Cooper

Where do you even start with a performance like that? It was one of those games where you can’t pinpoint specifically where it went wrong because everything went wrong.

Wolves set their stall out early and started on the back foot and couldn’t get out their own half. Palace pressed well, especially in the wide areas which is what Arsenal did to Wolves.

Again, this was to our detriment. As a side, Wolves struggle to resist a press and this does concern me as I feel teams have almost got the blueprint to play us now. Sloppiness all over the pitch continued into the second half and although Wolves had more possession, they did absolutely nothing with it.

The sheer lack of goal-scoring chances is frightening. Unless this changes, we can all forget Europe – in any capacity.

Clive Smith

Seeing the team selection at 2pm suggested it was going to be a difficult afternoon. Instead of a poacher, fox in the box and Johnny-on the-spot, we had three up front with an average height of five-foot eight. Did we not take any lessons learned from our away game against Palace?

They lined up like they had eight Patrick Vieira’s. At time the first half resembled the under-18s against the seniors.

Regardless of form, surely Dendonker and Jimenez should have started. It seemed ludicrous for Neto to play from the beginning given his lack of match practice.

Right from the start we were having to defend, conceding corners and freekicks made for a nervy opening. Palace had pace in attack, that was our undoing for the opening goal. In response we were able to move the ball forward, mainly though Neves, inevitably, but we were unable to make progress inside their box.

Our front three had snippets of possession but found it difficult linking up with each other. We were clearly missing Semedo as well because our approach play was too slow. By the interval we were two goals behind and there looked no way back. By then Jonny had needed to replace the injured Hoever.

Changes were not made for the start of the second half, which was again a surprise. We chased the game and had more possession in advanced positions but failed to get the goal that would have put Palace under pressure.

Few players played close to their potential. MOTM Neves did, while Sa made a couple of good saves.

We have struggled upfront all season but more so the last few games. Despite the rotation of our forwards we have not found the best solution yet. Thankfully we have already accumulated sufficient points to secure our place in the Premier League. It is no secret, that to improve our performances, and results, we need to solve our issues in the final third.

Rob Cartwright

I’m not sure what is going on but we seem to have been stuck in a rut, since the second half at Arsenal. Things change fast in football and three defeats have all but ended our dreams of another European tour. At least I won’t be going to my son’s school to beg for time off again!

I can’t explain the team selections in the last two games. Jimenez or Silva must start and I’d have been happy with either, after Silva’s efforts at West Ham.

Marcal and Hoever cannot play the attacking wing back role well enough; both too slow. This limits the attacking options when we are in possession.

We were completely overrun in midfield in this game. It was so obvious that we were not competing in the middle of the pitch that I would have changed things after 15 minutes, while the score was still 0-0. The brave decision was to go to 4-4-2 then.

We waisted the possession we were having and were guilty of collectively giving the ball away, time after time. Unfortunately, the defence are having a tough time too. They have been a solid foundation this season and reduced the impact of our low scoring.

Kilman had, probably, his worst game for us in front of the watching Southgate. I feel he may have lost his chance of a call up for now too. Coady and Saiss looked tired and slow. They’ve played a lot of games and I’m concerned this is catching up on them both.

The only player to come out of this game with any credit was Neves. Once again, he seemed to be on his own though. Jonny did well for 70 minutes, but clearly not fully fit yet. Chiquinho had a positive impact for 15 minutes. I’d have given him half an hour at least, following an impressive performance for the under-23’s.

Hwang, Podence and Neto were mostly anonymous. Again, changes were needed.

I like Bruno, but can’t think what he was doing with this team selection (again). His outburst when asked about Hoever’s injury reveals frustration and pressure. I’m not sure it was best said in public. I do not think Hoever is good enough for first team. Ait-Nouri must be injured or ill, as he is a much better player, but why is he sitting on the bench?

All of a sudden, the “winnable” games coming ahead look much more difficult.

Time to dig-in Wolves.

John Lalley

A brilliant run of results, a head coach deservedly lauded by the pundits and a genuine, tingling sense of anticipation that this season might just turn out to be something momentous.

Enter a wretched treble dose of realism and a rapid and desperately depressing reversion of fortune. Our degeneration has been as excruciating as our best efforts had been inspiring.

Wolves began this game at a funereal pace, allowed themselves to be physically bullied before gifting the points to Palace with some utterly chaotic defending that was nothing short of embarrassing.

The comedy of errors preceding the concession of the penalty was hideous. The final of a host of culprits was of course Kilman but right now your sympathies must extend to the guy. He has been an absolute colossus this season; full-on every moment, cruising confidently it appeared to joining his partner Coady in the England squad. Suddenly and with the circumstances extenuating to say the least, he seems to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He’s the best thing to happen to this team in years; an absolutely class act who must have worked immensely hard to have achieved what he has. He won’t be in the doldrums for long, you can set your watch on that.

Bruno’s current uncertainty regarding the doubtful scoring potential of both Jimenez and Fabio Silva coupled with the increasing exasperation of achieving anything meaningful with Trincao, led him to take a long-shot punt up front that frankly was never likely to pay dividends.

Palace, in the image of their manager in his pomp have more than their share of intimidating physical specimens. Big men relishing the prospect of leaving their imprint on our dainty front line. It was pointless crossing the ball with even a modicum of height, so inevitably Wolves stalled, hesitated, played backwards to reset, repeated the futile process ad nauseum and inevitably exhausted the few ideas they had possessed in the first place.

Molineux became a morass of blind alleys and we made a torturous trip down every last one of them. Bruno has done a fantastic job with these players but this wasn’t his finest hour; a Lage tactical masterclass it certainly wasn’t.

The fact that no offensive change was made at half-time suggested that we had already bowed to the inevitable. Sure, there was an increase in tempo during the second period as there simply had to be, but Palace subdued us with an ease bordering on the contemptuous.

As away wins go in this league, this one was an absolute doddle and that is a painful but entirely accurate admission. Coming in the wake of two depressing no-shows at Arsenal and West Ham in fixtures of such pressing importance, this response leaves far too much to be desired.

Expectations, some of them fanciful to begin with have undoubtedly plummeted but the campaign can still be retrieved, partially at least. We have done much to be admired this time around with a few performances destined for a sustained period of time in the memory bank. Be such a shame if it all fizzles out with a whimper.

Adam Virgo

Shambolic performance from everyone, Lage got it wrong in some areas and I felt like the players just looked lethargic and as if they weren’t really trying.

That’s twice we’ve been played off the park by Crystal Palace and it could have easily been 4-0 or 5-0.

Just when we thought everything was going really well after that Leicester win, here we find ourselves losing three in a row and thoroughly up against it in terms of finishing seventh.

Before the season everyone would have been happy with eighth but the position we were in, it’ll be frustrating if we don’t at least put up a good fight in the last third of the season.

We couldn’t deal with the press from Palace, we panicked and hit it long to Podence who’s 5’5”. Not having a proper number nine meant we couldn’t hold the ball in attack at all, Jimenez or Silva needed to start.

Our midfield seemed to be getting overrun and don’t even get me started on the wing-backs, absolutely terrible. We saw what happened against West Ham without Semedo and Ait-Nouri and shock, we offered zero threat in wide areas because Marcal and Hoever are useless.

Jonny did pretty well at times when he came on but I can reason with him more having been out for so long. If both Semedo and Ait-Nouri aren’t available to play, I’d genuinely rather go to a back four because what’s the point in using wing-backs that cannot attack, or defend for that matter.

Kilman had a very poor game, Saiss has been off it since he’s come back from AFCON and Coady has then struggled as a result. I’d happily see Toti Gomes start over Saiss on Thursday.

We need a real big turnaround on Thursday and after Lage’s comments, I’d like to think there will be some sort of reaction. Some of the things he said will mean it’ll go one way or the other but it’s probably also frustration, the first half was disgraceful.