Express & Star

Wolves Fans' Verdict v Brighton: Frustrated

Our fans assess a drab stalemate against Brighton.

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Rob Cartwright

What's your verdict on the match? This game played out just as I’d expected it to.

I was very disappointed that Brighton had no ambitions to win the game, given their position at the bottom. Of course, this presents Wolves with their biggest challenge to break down a team with no attacking ambition.

It was clear for all to see, after 30 minutes, that what we were doing was not working. It was like playing against a table soccer team with two lines of five players staying in position, come what may.

You have to ask why we didn’t change things? Tactics and players.

Brighton kept their shape through all our nice passing. Their central defence headed any cross into their box. What was needed was players who can run with the ball through their two lines of defence.

We had no one prepared to do this with the exception of Jota and, later on, Vinagre.

This was a mirror image of Brighton away this season. We should have known what was coming and set a game plan to overcome it.

We did create chances, and lots of them. Jota went close twice. Doherty should have done better with one. Dendoncker had a couple too; maybe on another day he would have scored two!

I got the impression if we’d played all through the night, it would have been 0-0.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? I like it when Gibbs-White starts. A teenager, been with the club for 10 years. He’s got style and skill with the ball. Has now made 50 appearances for Wolves.

The thing is, he makes no impression on the game. I can only think of one game when he has! No defence splitting passes. No crunching tackles. No taking on defenders.

He’s one of our own; but he was not what was needed in this game.

I was very surprised that both Vinagre and Traore did not start the game. Jonny and Doherty did okay, but how often did they get past the full back? How often did they take the ball into their box?

Boly, Coady and Patricio had virtually nothing to do.

Neves disappointed me. He had little defensive duties and I expect more going forward. Moutinho was excellent, as always. He kept trying to unlock their defence; even trying different things in the many corners we had.

Jota was my man of the match. He did the most running and did try and run through with the ball. Also, a little unlucky with a couple of chances on goal.

Vinagre was excellent too. He should have had longer on the pitch, as should Traore.

A very frustrating afternoon.

The well-documented results against the bottom six teams are not good enough.

The ability to break down a team set on defending for a point is still not there.

This is Nuno’s biggest challenge for next season.

Oh that and building a squad ready for Europe, as I still see us finishing seventh with six or seven points to come from our last four games and Man City to win the FA Cup.

I’m really not sure if qualifying for Europa League is a good thing at this stage?

Chris Hughes

What's your verdict on the match? A frustrating afternoon in the Molineux sunshine. Just like in the reverse fixture at the Amex in October we dominated possession and had a stream of goalscoring opportunities. Just like at the Amex, we failed to make any count.

Brighton had clearly come for a point. They offered zero attacking threat, or even intent, from the off and were happy to defend deep in high numbers with Glenn Murray looking lonelier than Akon with rarely a team mate within 30 yards of him.

The closest they came to scoring was when Boly didn’t hear a call from Patricio early in the second half and toed a cross wide of our post.

I was surprised by Brighton’s attitude. Yes, the point leaves them three points clear of Cardiff with superior goal difference but, with tough fixtures remaining I thought they would target this game and their game against Newcastle at home as ones to go for in search of three points.

To celebrate a goalless draw where they’ve not had a shot on target as if it were a World Cup final victory indicates they expect Cardiff not to pick up wins against Palace and Fulham in the run-in and seal Brighton’s Premier League status for next season.

As for us, it was another game where we were pre-match favourites but were unable to make a massive amount of possession count.

If there’s one thing we can take from these games, it’s that our summer shopping list could do with the inclusion of an attack-minded central midfield player who can make an impact with the ball at his feet to offer us something different in this kind of game instead of continuing to go wide and put balls into the box against two strapping central defenders.

That being said, we still had enough chances to win two games. Jota hit the bar with a looping first half effort and the post with a second half header, Doherty had a header cleared from the goal line, and Dendoncker headed straight at the goalkeeper from close range as we camped out around their penalty area for most of the second half.

Even deep into injury time we continued to drive at them with a great cross by Traore whipping across the back post as Raúl failed to react.

On another day we could have had two more points and, while frustrating not to have got the win, we should look on Brighton’s tactics today as a significant mark of respect for us as a side in their first season at this level and to be viewed as such a tough proposition that a visiting side celebrates a point against us so vigorously.

Clive Smith

What's your verdict on the match? The match stats will no doubt tell their own story. We passed the ball well enough and even had enough shots to expect a greater reward. Clear cut chances were hard to come by and Brighton's well manned defence were able to keep their clean sheet. With hardly any effort at all we kept ours too.

Doherty and Jota pushed well forward early on to boost our numbers in the final third but all we seemed to get for our efforts were a string of set pieces.

If only we had worked on them while on holiday. I guess it is different when there is a packed defence trying to stop you. We mixed long and short corner kicks but failed to get the end product we strived for.

At times our passing looked too slow but, conversely, usually with MGW, a higher tempo was also met with a block, deflection or tackle.

What looked boring to us was resolute and eventually rewarding for them. If we repeated that at Anfield in May we would be equally happy.

By the break Jota had looked the most likely to break the deadlock. He just lacked the strength when three chances came his way, although his flick onto the bar was unlucky, while he also shot wide as their keeper could only look and hope.

Little changed in the second half. Our approach play was good, patient and easy on the eye, without the cutting edge. Even when we got round to the byline our passes to the edge of the box would have been perfect if only we had someone there to collect it.

The introduction of our subs brought slightly more activity and invention in the final third as Vinagre and Dendoncker raised our hopes but they were in vain.

The crowd stayed with the team throughout as the enthusiasm and encouragement just about out weighed the grinding of teeth and heavy sighs. A lot to be said for safety in mid table.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? Patricio probably had his easiest game of the season.

Otto started with good energy and intent, but, as is often the case recently, faded.

Doherty made it into the box more than Otto and linked up well, but his crosses were poor and lacked accuracy.

Bennett and Boly virtually went through the motions with very little defending needed and both had headed chances to score.

Coady looked as frustrated as anyone but the harder he tried to force the pace the less accurate he became. There were some good trademark diagonals, but we needed just a bit more creativity today.

Neves had time and space to pass the ball all day long. Finding an unmarked colleague in the box was a harder ask. His reluctance to take the ball forward himself, and attack the box, remains baffling to me.

Moutinho equally had time, space and lots of the ball. Finding the killer pass proved equally evasive.

Gibbs-White started on a mission. A worthwhile mission to 'make things happen'. At times he was successful but not always. His intent was nearly always good but a little rushed. I never noticed him in the second half before he went off with 20 minutes to go.

Jota managed to get the defensive match up he would have wanted but just lacked the strength to get the ball in the right place and hold the defender away at the same time. He looked the most likely to score. Our man of the match on the day of but could not find that special moment.

Jimenez lacked the clinical side of his game. Playing more like he did in the opening couple of months of the season. Too often he over played the passing with Jota while 28,000 of us we miming 'shoot!'.

From the bench, Vinagre and Dendoncker tried hard to create the opening goal without luck. Dendonker it was though, who had two good attempts in those final scrambles. Traore had barely five minutes and never got into second gear.

Adam Virgo

What's your verdict on the match? The performance on the whole was pretty good in all fairness, it wasn’t down to a lack of trying and we did create a few good chances but it’s just frustrating to have 22 attempts at goal and not score.

Breaking teams down has been an occurring problem this season and one we do need to try address in the summer and get it right for next season.

I have complete confidence in us doing so whether it be tweaking the style or bringing in added quality because Nuno and the club both want to keep progressing and improving.

We were unlucky on occasions, especially with Jota’s header in the second half hitting the post and then Dendoncker almost tapping the rebound in but just like the reverse fixture back in October, Mat Ryan saved them.

I was surprised Nuno didn’t go with a similar approach to the home game against Cardiff when he started with Vinagre and Traore because it was obvious Brighton were going to play for a point. I didn’t think they’d be so negative and retreat further back than the French in WWII but I can’t blame them when they’re so desperate for points to stay up.

I just feel like Vinagre and Traore would have committed Brighton’s fullbacks a lot more from the beginning, or at least brought one of them on at half time when it was clear they were playing for a 0-0.

As a whole to score no goals in four games against Huddersfield and Brighton it is disappointing because we all know the quality we have and with how well we’ve done this season increases the expectation, naturally.

We did have some big chances to score, Jota being at the heart of them and in all honesty he was very unlucky. The shot across Mat Ryan in the first half looked destined to go in and then he hit the bar on the stroke of half time too. It was a very similar story to the game at the Amex.

Traore put a delightful ball into the box in the dying seconds and if someone had gambled, we would have won it at the death.

People can bang on about his end product but he had two or three men on him constantly so it was difficult, credit to Brighton for that, and when he did get the chance to get a ball in, he put in a fantastic cross so I don’t really get what else he could have done.

Seventh place is still in our hands, even in our recent poor form. We’ve won two of our last nine in the league so if we are to finish seventh then that obviously has to improve but even if we were to finish 8th-10th it has still been a fantastic season.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? Jota was our best player over the course of the game. Did well to work his chance in the first half which brushed the post and he was the one constantly getting into the box. Yes he didn’t score but it was more down to being unlucky than anything.

Gibbs-White played well in the first half, the only negative was he needed to get closer to Jota and Jiménez, which he did against Cardiff and resulted in our first goal against them. In the second half he started to fade but it was more positive than what we’ve seen from him in a lot of previous performances.

In midfield we had so much control but without too much penetration. That is why in the summer I think we need an attacking midfielder who will break through the lines and carry the ball forward as we have everything else in the middle.

No problems defensively but that’s down to Brighton not trying to attack. Rui Patricio may as well have got a sun bed out and a couple of beers to enjoy the weather. Talking about the weather too, why Wolves did the fire display at the beginning I’ll never know, they should have replaced it with ice.

Vinagre did well when he came on, his delivery could have been better but he caused Brighton a lot of problems in terms of his pace and his ability to run at defenders.

Personally think he should have started and then brought Jonny back in for Arsenal on Wednesday, a game no doubt we’ll go and win now, would be typical Wolves this season.

Russ Evers (Hatherton Wolves)

What's your verdict on the match? Stats don't always tell the story but 68 per cent possession, 22 shots to five, five of which were on target to Brighton's none, plus 14 corners to one.

We hit the woodwork twice and on another day a 3-0/4-0 home win would not have surprised any of the 31,000 sun worshippers at Molineux.

Brighton defended deeply and well and were experts at time wasting but we should have been able to put them to bed.

However it was not to be and at least we got back to a clean sheet and maintained the unbeaten home run. At least Arsenal in midweek will try to attack us!

Natalie Wood

What's your verdict on the match? Same old story this year…Wolves face a lowly team and have absolutely no idea what to do.

We looked half the team we did before our trip to Wembley against Southampton and needed a response against Brighton, but unfortunately it wasn't there.

Ryan Bennett was a welcome name on the team-sheet, defensively we were really poor against Southampton and needed a bit of stability back. Morgan Gibbs White was a surprise starter for me but a fresh pair of legs is always a good move.

The first half was probably the most boring half of football I’ve seen all season. I genuinely can’t remember a single chance of note. We were completely dominant from the first whistle and looked lively, Gibbs- White and Jota in particular standing out but we just lacked a bit of magic in the box.

This was mainly down to Brighton’s three men on Jota and Jimenez at all times and of course the classic hoof it out at any opportunity. That was literally all Brighton brought to the table, other than Propper limping off injured without even touching the ball which is quite something.

I was fully expecting some different tactics from Nuno in the second half as it was clear our plan wasn’t working, but there wasn’t any changes and so the second half continued in the same way.

We were completely dominating the game and bar one chance it was all Wolves. We were getting corner after corner which were all swung in well by Moutinho but Brighton managed to clear them all.

Dendoncker and Vinagre both injected a bit of life into the game and were both a big influence. Vinagre added a bit of extra pace down the wing but no one could get on the end of it. Dendoncker then very nearly had the magic touch after finding himself at the end of a rebound off the post but Ryan somehow denied him.

Traore was our final roll of the dice and while he made an impact it still just wasn’t happening for us! Again the substitution decisions were not the best.

We started the game trying to build up play from the wings and it wasn’t working, Brighton came with a very clear game plan which was to defend for their life and try to stop our usual play.

The only time you could see Wolves breaking down Brighton was when someone had a long range shot and it rebounded…what we really needed was some more direct play in the middle of the park and someone waiting for their chance of a tap in, that man for me would have been Cav.

Traore came on and worked hard but he was never really going to be able to do anything with three men around him, a wasted substitution in my eyes.

I can really see Nuno is trying to create something special at Wolves and most of the time it works and he is our special one, however at the times it doesn’t work (normally against the lower teams) we don’t have a plan B and it is getting slightly frustrating.

Brighton brought absolutely nothing to the table and were there for the taking but instead they walked away with a point. To be honest they deserve a bit of credit, they had done their research and found the answer how to stop us.

They even did it with a goalkeeper who I presume must be unwell, I can’t think of any other reason why he needed a drink and a 30 second rest before every goal kick – poor thing.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? There weren’t really any bad performances, as individuals we played well but we were just not quite on the ball as a complete team performance.

Jota and Jimenez played well under the circumstances but Moutinho would be my man of the match, his dead balls were excellent and gave us most of our opportunities but he also battled hard in midfield and won the ball back in some important places – as always he never stopped working.

This was probably one of the most dominant performances off the season and it was definitely two points lost.

I worry it's the end of our seventh place journey, looking at our fixtures compared to Watford and Leicester I can’t see us pulling it off.

It will still be deemed an amazingly successful season no matter what, but I have a feeling the next thought of this season is always going to be “what if”…mainly what if we could have actually got some results out of the bottom six teams!