It was inevitable. Another 1-1 draw with Newcastle United Football Club. Nothing could stop this ending 1-1, not the early Newcastle chances or the late Fábio Silva effort which forced Martin Dúbravka into an excellent save.
It was another slow start for Wolves where they could have been out of the game before they had even got going.
On another day, perhaps Newcastle might have taken a couple of those early “chances”. From half an hour in, it was a pretty even game but it was concerning how sluggish Wolves started. It seems to happen quite often when they’ve had a full week of training, rather than when preparing in tighter schedules. Newcastle were bright, and Wolves struggled to contain Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almirón, but they are a team we should be looking to assert authority on from the start.
Numbers in attack
Once Wolves got past that slow start, there were some encouraging signs about the way they committed players in attack. This didn’t always result in Wolves players picking the right option or creating the best shooting opportunity but it was another step in the right direction.
There was definitely an emphasis on the wing-backs AND a centre midfielder (usually Neves) attacking the box when a player has a chance to cross or pass into the area.
Adama Traoré’s header at the back post from the Neves cross had five players in the box. He probably should head it back across but then his attacking heading is never something we would see as a strong point of his. Minutes later Traoré created a decent chance for Pedro Neto too.
Traoré made several good runs down the left, where he had the option to go inside or on the outside, and on this occasion he was able to pick out Pedro Neto. He couldn’t quite wrap his foot around the ball well enough, but it represented a decent opening in the opposition penalty area.
There was also another example of where Neto can continue to improve. Receiving in a promising position, he elected to shoot from distance rather than release the ball early to Jonny and get himself into the penalty area.
Soft in the box
I’ve been critical of Wolves defending of set pieces this season (and fairly so, in my opinion) but I think it may boil down to a simpler issue - the personnel. The Newcastle goal on Saturday night was another sorry reminder of Wolves’ defensive issues this season and I am beginning to think it’s less of a tactical issue and more about those individuals and the way they defend in the penalty area.
There are several issues in the build up to this goal such as the three players who still allowed Allan Saint-Maximin to get a cross in or the meek header away from Romain Saïss BUT I’d prefer to focus on the defending of the subsequent cross by Ryan Fraser.
As Fraser is about to cross, Wolves defensive set up should allow them to defend the cross effectively. Saïss’ position is covering the front post area well enough that Fraser’s cross has to beat Saïss or be played into the space between him and the penalty spot.
Fraser’s cross is very good and beats Saïss. The major problem here for me is the defending by Leander Dendoncker, an issue also highlighted in my analysis of the victory over Leeds.
Dendoncker’s positioning, as the nearest player to Jamaal Lascelles is too ‘square’. As you can see on the image above, he is directly in line with him. This gives Lascelles the space to attack in front of him, which is how he scores the goal. If he positions himself nearer to Saïss in this instances, he can be “ball-side” as well as between Lascelles and the goal, and give himself a better chance to challenge for the ball or even be first to it.
As a result of his poor positioning and reaction to the cross, Lascelles essentially has a free header. This is probably a bit harsh on Dendoncker, he’s a defensive midfielder covering at centre back due to the injury to Willy Boly, but it shows where we need to recruit in the summer. Neither he or Conor Coady defend these situations aggressively enough and Saïss, although often good in the air, does suffer from lapses in concentrations in his own area too often. An aggressive, quick centre back would help Wolves in many ways, and alongside Boly in a back four would allow Wolves to continue to evolve as a team.
Nonsense goal kicks
This is not quite as important in terms of the outcome of the game but it is something Wolves have been doing a lot recently and it is beginning to grate.
My guess is that the idea is to draw the opponent’s out somewhat to create space to attack into. In a way, the first example where Coady plays to Nélson Semedo works okay, but as the ball is travelling in the air for long enough that Newcastle were able to adjust and apply pressure on Semedo effectively.
The second example (excuse the pixels) was why I find it so baffling. If we look at the set up, all three central defenders are positioned very deep.
Saïss’ position is not influencing anyone. If he positions himself a bit more like Dendoncker is, it might have stretched Newcastle’s set up to create a little more space between each opponent and give Wolves more options.
As Rui Patrício rolls the ball to (predictably) Coady, it makes it pretty obvious where Coady will look to clip the ball, so Newcastle can just defend that side of the pitch. He plays a lofted pass into a central area.
The Newcastle defender, Ciaran Clark, is able to win the ball in the air, which now leaves Wolves open as all three of their defenders have started within their penalty area. As a result, Rúben Neves and João Moutinho are dragged in deeper and Wolves are forced to defend in their own half again.
If the idea is to build out from the back, being so unbalanced and deep doesn’t allow that to happen and if the aim is to play into space you may as well let Patrício take the kick, move Coady forward and allow one of the two midfielders to play closer to the front three in the event of a knock down or flick on.
The Champions-elect next
Wolves face the daunting trip to Manchester City on Tuesday night. If they defend as poorly in the penalty area, City will create plenty of chances and likely be far more clinical than Leeds and Newcastle in previous fixtures.
City have now won twenty games in a row in all competitions now, conceding just eight goals along the way. In fact, the only team they have been behind to a team since their last defeat was in the FA Cup at Cheltenham Town! Wolves might take encouragement from West Ham’s performance against them on Saturday, and try to follow a similar blueprint in a game the Hammers could well have won. That said, they rested several key players for that one who will be fresh to face Wolves.
With Semedo taking a knock, there is a decent chance he could miss this game due to the short turnaround, giving Ki-Jana Hoever so more minutes to aid his development.
Much will also depend on how Jonny’s return is being managed. This was his first 90 minutes against Newcastle, so it may be that rest for this game is better for him, to allow him to prepare effectively for the fixture against Aston Villa. If so, Rayan Aït-Nouri will be ready to deputise.
I would also not be surprised if a midfielder came in and Wolves played a 352, in a similar fashion to how they did at Chelsea with Neto and Traoré as split strikers. Owen Otasowie, Morgan Gibbs-White and Vitinha will all be looking for more minutes towards the end of this season.
Returns for Daniel Podence and Willy Boly still seem a week or so away, so it is probably unlikely either will feature in this game. A lot is being asked of Adama Traoré and Pedro Neto at the moment, and unless Wolves change shape they will be again on Tuesday evening. Any threat Wolves will pose to Manchester City will likely be from their ability to travel with the ball up the pitch. I wouldn’t be too surprised if they switched back to their ‘natural’ sides for this game either.