A much better second half

[1973Blade]

Yes we were poor in the first half, but Wolves are excellent. Second half much better, Fleck, Berge and the wingbacks all looked dangerous. Keep calm, it is going to be a long hard season. We desperately need a striker, if we get one I think we will be OK.

 

[Bladesman]

Just lack of a quality in front of goal again.

Everything Wilder said we needed to improve from last season, we don't look like we have yet.

 

[derfblade.3]

Yes we were poor in the first half, but Wolves are excellent. Second half much better, Fleck, Berge and the wingbacks all looked dangerous. Keep calm, it is going to be a long hard season. We desperately need a striker, if we get one I think we will be OK.

 

[jono_t2000]

Yes we were poor in the first half, but Wolves are excellent. Second half much better, Fleck, Berge and the wingbacks all looked dangerous. Keep calm, it is going to be a long hard season. We desperately need a striker, if we get one I think we will be OK.

I feel this is a reoccurring theme from last season. Do we always require the hairdryer treatment from Wilder at halftime before we decide to actually play?

 

[robbiez666]

Not to be negative about it, and we were much better second half, but I do wonder how much of that was Wolves letting us be better? Thy haven't played any pre-season games and seemed to just cede the ball to us and play on the counter.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Just lack of a quality in front of goal again.

Everything Wilder said we needed to improve from last season, we don't look like we have yet.

Caused by a lack of decent balls in.

 

[Bergen Blade]

Caused by a lack of decent balls in.

We had a lot of possession, but we spend a lot of energy trying to create space for a cross without getting the opposition centre halves out of position. So they're all back there, comfortably waiting to attack the cross. So we need the cross to be fabulous, a forward to get away from their marker AND produce a great finish - it's a lot of work.

Some people are complaining at the service we give to the strikers, but I think we could do with strikers who are able to create more for themselves through movement, pace, power and skill.

 

[Sean Thornton]

We had a lot of possession, but we spend a lot of energy trying to create space for a cross without getting the opposition centre halves out of position. So they're all back there, comfortably waiting to attack the cross. So we need the cross to be fabulous, a forward to get away from their marker AND produce a great finish - it's a lot of work.

Some people are complaining at the service we give to the strikers, but I think we could do with strikers who are able to create more for themselves through movement, pace, power and skill.

Totally agree but if the balls in don’t beat the first man the type strikers you mention would still be as impotent as the ones we have now in those circumstances.

 

[JayGreen17]

Just lack of a quality in front of goal again.

Everything Wilder said we needed to improve from last season, we don't look like we have yet.

Competent agree, Wilder said after the Southampton game we aren’t good enough and need to improve the first team, I’ve not seen any immediate improvement to the first 11 with the players bought so far, and we can’t afford to see if the players brought in will be an improvement “eventually”, we needed a replacement for Didds who does the same put can actually score a few with a bit of pace, and also another striker. We’re still missing those.

I’m slightly worried that our final place finish last year is masking the deficiencies we have in the team.

Even though we improved in the second half we still needed the creative quality we are desperately missing.

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

We had a lot of possession, but we spend a lot of energy trying to create space for a cross without getting the opposition centre halves out of position. So they're all back there, comfortably waiting to attack the cross. So we need the cross to be fabulous, a forward to get away from their marker AND produce a great finish - it's a lot of work.

Some people are complaining at the service we give to the strikers, but I think we could do with strikers who are able to create more for themselves through movement, pace, power and skill.

The possession we had mainly wasn't 'quality possession' we were fighting to keep the ball, not controlling.
True , we neither gave our strikers balls in, plus McB isn't going to get through 4 men on his own.

 

[Bergen Blade]

Totally agree but if the balls in don’t beat the first man the type strikers you mention would still be as impotent as the ones we have now in those circumstances.

Yes, so I think we need to try getting more crosses in when the opposition aren't so comfortable, waiting for them. The strikers can play an active part in that.

Looking long term I'd look to play Berge centrally then look for a quick, creative midfielder who can beat a man and score goals from RCM. Then add more pace and movement from a central striker. I think these additions would make us more dynamic and harder to defend against.

Suggestions:

RCM: Jens Petter Hauge, Bodø/Glimt
ST: Rhian Brewster

 

[Keen Blade]

The possession we had mainly wasn't 'quality possession' we were fighting to keep the ball, not controlling.
True , we neither gave our strikers balls in, plus McB isn't going to get through 4 men on his own.

But but Traore can ! At least he can with our defence.

 

[robbiez666]

We had a lot of possession, but we spend a lot of energy trying to create space for a cross without getting the opposition centre halves out of position. So they're all back there, comfortably waiting to attack the cross. So we need the cross to be fabulous, a forward to get away from their marker AND produce a great finish - it's a lot of work.

Some people are complaining at the service we give to the strikers, but I think we could do with strikers who are able to create more for themselves through movement, pace, power and skill.

The painfully slow triangles on the wings, but when someone eventually gets some space they almost always take a touch which allows the defender to block. Wolves scored the first goal from an early cross. I'm not sure we know what such a strange phenomena is.

 

[Stretch]

Caused by a lack of decent balls in.

Yep, the crosses into the box were pathetic at times. We looked quite dangerous when we actually played to our system, by getting balls in behind from the overloads. Billy perhaps could have done better with one of his chances and if Fleck's shot goes in off the post it's a different game.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

I think we should stick to the principles of holding onto the ball and keeping possession, but know when to abandon that and surge forward at pace in the final third. We seem to want to work it perfectly into the goal. It’s slow and easy to defend against.

 

[Jon Bon II]

Caused by a lack of decent balls in.

At least 2 balls zipped merrily across the face of the goal without a Blades player anywhere near. Sorry, Lundstram was about 6" from one of them but still not near enough though. Then there was the one where Sharp tried a showboat flick at the front post but somehow it ended in row AA of the kop. There were more than enough decent balls in when you look at it, just not enough decent finishers on the end of them.

 

[Keen Blade]

Yes, so I think we need to try getting more crosses in when the opposition aren't so comfortable, waiting for them. The strikers can play an active part in that.

Looking long term I'd look to play Berge centrally then look for a quick, creative midfielder who can beat a man and score goals from RCM. Then add more pace and movement from a central striker. I think these additions would make us more dynamic and harder to defend against.

Suggestions:

RCM: Jens Petter Hauge, Bodø/Glimt
ST: Rhian Brewster

We need to get rid of Lunny as RCM - every time he receives the ball in a position where he could turn the situation into a quick attack , he turns inside + makes a 5 yard pass sideways or backwards - he wastes countless chances to move us forward + have defenders on the back foot because he simply cannot carry the ball forward. He is no threat to defenders so we need a RCM (Bogle ?) who will.

 

[Gimli]

We had a lot of possession, but we spend a lot of energy trying to create space for a cross without getting the opposition centre halves out of position. So they're all back there, comfortably waiting to attack the cross. So we need the cross to be fabulous, a forward to get away from their marker AND produce a great finish - it's a lot of work.

Some people are complaining at the service we give to the strikers, but I think we could do with strikers who are able to create more for themselves through movement, pace, power and skill.

I think our insistence on working the ball wide with the overloads is making us play quite slowly - it’s like we are slower to make the overlapping runs than in previous years. The other problem is that everyone knows that’s how we try to beat the opposition and Wolves (a great team by the way) did a number on us.

The other other problem is that on the occasions that we did work the space for a cross they were nearly all dugmeat - apart from Berge’s cross for McBurnie.

Side note, this is the kind of chance we need to create for McBurnie, it’s alright slagging him off but we created one decent chance for him and he beat the keeper with it, unfortunate not to score.

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

But but Traore can ! At least he can with our defence.

Well, he can with most defences !

 

[Foody]

After the game I decided to catch up with the Spurs documentary. The first league game of the episode was Wolves. Wolves beat them 3-2, causing issues with their pace. Mourinho also picked up on how Wolves will foul to prevent any transition.

Felt very familiar to what I'd just watched them do to us. They're a very good, well coached side who are absolutely excellent and game management. Any time we started to build momentum they'd ensure the game was stopped, clever side.

 

[SwissBlade]

Yes we were poor in the first half, but Wolves are excellent. Second half much better, Fleck, Berge and the wingbacks all looked dangerous. Keep calm, it is going to be a long hard season. We desperately need a striker, if we get one I think we will be OK.

The reaction was calm and assured. We didn’t get a goal, but I thought Wolves looked extremely solid and robust at the back as much as they were scary on the attack.

Berge, Fleck, Lunny all very good second half