NES tactics were very conservative but it was the first game against good opposition, you do not want to get goleado first game in.
The match vs. Everton is one of those results you can interpret basically however you want to. Wolves were just more talented than counterparts in the Championship last season, but that's obviously not the case in the Premier League. It'll be interesting to see if they look better this week in a tough match at Leicester City. That said, it wasn't a bad start. The fact Everton looked better and more dangerous down a man early in the second half was alarming, but Wolves coming back from two deficits, the first of which was created by Everton at least somewhat against the run of play, was impressive. I was just listening to a Premier League podcast today and during the Wolves-Everton analysis the hosts said Neves wasn't merely a Premier League player playing in the Championship last season, he was a Champions League player playing in the Championship. He really needs to be on the Portugal squad next month, and I assume he will be. It was great to see Vinagre called upon late to add some spark to the attack. I wasn't sure if he'd see the field much this season seeing as he's still a teenager, but he added the same type of aggressiveness and willingness to attack against Everton that he did at the U-19 Euro. Prior to being subbed off, Jonny was killing me; he'd get the ball out on the wing moving forward into the final third, I'd expect him to send a cross in with his first or second touch, but instead he'd stop the ball and wait or dribble back the other direction. He's a solid defender, but if he's the preferred left wing, Vinagre will continue to get chances as an attacking threat off the bench at the very least. Hopefully Jota will adjust to the Premier League seeing as he didn't do too much, though in the past two matches alone he's earned a PK and FK/red card that led to a goal. As for Helder Costa.....he just doesn't seem very good to me. I don't really see him as a regular starter for a PL team, at least not one that wants to be outside the relegation battle. Final note: Cavaleiro is supposedly out for six weeks with a back issue.
Could have easily been 3-0 for Wolves in that first half. The own goal changed the game. Terribly unlucky.
Moutinho looked pretty good in this game. He was built for the EPL with his scruffy never give up attitude, too bad he is in the twilight of his career. I thought Ricardo Pereira for City was great in this game. He was running up and down the wing trying to make things happen all the time. Wolves had some bad misses in the first half and paid dearly.
It was one of those matches where you just knew Wolves were going to rue the missed opportunities, but it was encouraging overall. The opening 30 minutes were astonishingly one-sided and LC only really did anything in the 10-minute span where it scored two lucky goals. While you can see where Wolves are missing the talent/experience combination that can be the difference between one tier of teams and the next, they should be able to comfortably stay up. They just need to weather this early storm and not panic if they only have like two points after four weeks. I was worried about Moutinho moving to the PL at this stage, but he has been excellent. Jota has been disappointing, but I think he'll adjust; I'm not so confident about Costa. Once Traore and Dendocker are implemented into the starting lineup, Wolves should pose a greater attacking threat and be more balanced overall. Jimenez has looked really good up front, but the back line.....well, it really could use a proven commodity to stabilize it. I know the Pepe rumors were BS, but he would've done so much for this Wolves team.
He's excellent. Very nearly smacked in another long-range goal against Leicester. There should be no question about whether or not he'll get the call for Portugal's September matches. Santos might want to publicly apologize for leaving Neves out of the World Cup squad while he's at it.
Helder Costa looked good today (at least 1st half). He showed speed and skill to get away from defenders. Moutinho great cross for the goal and Patricio with at least one save of the season contender + many other great saves. Great game for the Wolves that should do wonders for their confidence.
Wolves beat Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup (league cup) today. Patricio, Moutinho, Neves and Jota all sat, but Vinagre started and Costa and Pedro Goncalves came off the bench in the second half. I was only able to listen to the radio call, but Costa earned and converted a penalty in the 85th to effectively end the match, and the announcers had some good things to say about Goncalves (comparing his passing to Neves' at one point). I'm assuming Vinagre played well since SW didn't create much danger, but his name only seemed to come up when he was attacking. Costa did look much better against Man City (as did Jota), so hopefully this continues the trend.
Rui Patricio, Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho have been phenomenal for Wolves. Those guys belong in the EPL. Wolves should be every Portigies favorite EPL team.
I almost feel bad for Moutinho. Feels like he wasted his time at Monaco. I didn't think he would be so good in the EPL at this stage in his career. Neva is solid. Looks like a veteran out there. Patricio took a massive shot to the face. SCP_16 must of been smiling Did you see the Vinagre step overs near the end of the game? He failed to get past the defender and then he fouled the defender but it wasn't one of those obvious fouls so the commentator said he was charged with too many step overs as a joke. Brought back vintage CR7 memories.
That was a nice bit of commentary following Vinagre’s stepovers - made me chuckle. It’s good to see Vinagre playing consistently, even if mostly as a sub. It’s obvious he’s considered an attacking option off the bench and that was never more apparent than against West Ham. Nuno was going for it and his subs showed as much. In previous PL matches he was subbing like for like: Traore for Costa on the right wing, Vinagre for a fullback, etc. The other day he first went Traore for Jota (Costa’s speed was causing problems for WH), then went Bonatini (more of a striker) for Costa and finally Vinagre for #9 Jimenez. Vinagre played his eight minutes as a left winger. Neves straight took the three points at the end. That was a fantastic play. Moutinho’s been excellent and shows the importance of a true central midfield pairing. Patricio has already been worth four or even all five points for Wolves through four matches. Every match has featured at least one save in which everyone was just waiting for the shot to hit the back of the net. Wolves are getting little from the left wing (Jota). The pass map from Saturday’s match (and likely the first three) showed everything was from the deep left side through central midfield to the right wing.
I’m just impressed with them in gerneral. It’s one thing dominating the Championship. But they’ve had a tough schedule to start off the season. Although they’ve only got 5 points. They showed they belong. Besides Man City, they’ve outplayed every team they played against. And Everton, Leicester and West Ham are legit sides.
Yes, getting that first win and three points was huge, but even with two points from three matches there was no worry about Wolves sinking into a hole and struggling to stay up. It managed to play with talented opponents even without playing its best (or merely benefiting from luck). The next couple months will be very interesting and will dictate what type of season it will be for Wolves. Now through October, it's v. Burnley, at Man U, v. Southampton, at Crystal Palace, vs. Watford, at Brighton. It's a long season, but getting fewer than 12 points from those matches would be a wasted opportunity.
They deserved more than a point yesterday. They are an absolute joy to watch. Every Portigie should be locked in on them.
There's a big case to have Moutinho and Neves starting for Portugal given their form and the fact they play together every week. I think Costa should replace Martins as well. Jota is almost ready.
Rui made a couple of brilliant saves in this, Moutinho has been excellent in every game so far. Agree with the above, Neves and Moutinho should be starting together for the NT if they carry on playing so well together
Jota finally looked more dangerous on Saturday, so hopefully he finds the back of the net soon. I've been really impressed with Costa lately after not being very high on him. I still don't think he's national team quality for Portugal, though. He has one move that works and doesn't have a significantly better final pass/shot than Gelson does. However, one big factor in his favor is that he's playing all the time whereas Gelson's glued to the bench. It'll be interesting to see how Nuno manages Cavaleiro's return, which is coming soon. Wolves play again tomorrow in the Carabao (League) Cup against Leicester. The big guns rested last time out against Sheffield Wednesday. I expect them to rest again, but Vinagre will likely start. Costa and Pedro Goncalves came off the bench last time.
They've played six matches at this point and been consistently good over that month-and-a-half span. And they've played quality opponents, so it's no too soon to point out the obvious, which is that they've been an excellent pairing.