Yeah god help us playing the way we’ve done all season to get a seven point lead ahead of second place.
We didn’t control possession as well as we normally do but getting a lead and then slowing the game up has been a characteristic of the way we’ve played all season. Almost stagnant possession to allow us to rest on the ball.
Especially when we’ve gone a couple goals up you’ll see our shot count drop off and the oppositions increase. But we tend not to give up that many big chances in those.
Of their 16 shots, 10 were from outside the box. Even the Cunha goal is still a relatively low value “chance” to concede. Otherwise Alisson isn’t that troubled at 2-1.
Definitely some tired legs and minds in that second half yesterday and could definitely do better than we did but people seem worried by what could have been that what was.
No idea why he dived - the ball started running away from him - he just had to nudge it to his right and Salah had a tap in.
Jota needs to cut that shit out. He is so rusty he needs games.
People go on about our strength up front but Jota, Nunez and Diaz arent scoring regularly.
I thought Nunez reached a new low yesterday. He was absolutely shocking and put zero effort in. He had one job - hold the ball up and I think his first 2 passes put Wolves on the attack.
Our subs shouldnt make the other team better but Nunez did.
“nervy” and “hard-fought” sounds about right doesn’t it?
Same with seeing Arsenal’s win described as “rescuing three points”.
They need to try and find a narrative in everything and “status quo maintained” isn’t really much of a hook. It’s really not worth getting worked up about.
I think I heard it mentioned it was over 20 years since we didnt have an attempt on goal in a half of a game.
I get it, we drop the tempo at times under Slot but yesterday was an outlier and I doubt it played out how Slot wanted despite the win. Better teams would have punished us.
But why does that matter? If we’d had 5 low value shots from outside the box does that mean we’ve played better?
Reality is Salah has probably the second best chance that half but his run was a millisecond too early. Jota probably should have had the third best chance but chose to try and win a penalty. Neither count as shots on target if you’re just looking at the stats but both are better than any chance they created bar the one on one Alisson saves.
We didn’t execute the plan all that well. Doesn’t mean we need to change the plan, we just need to retain the ball better.
Retaining the ball better more or less solves the problem at both ends of the pitch enabling us to build attacks and stop inviting Wolves back into the match which we did several times straight after the break. It’s an aspect of the game we are poor in far too often and needs to improve if we’re trying to lower the tempo in-game.
Well maybe the plan is no good to start with? It’s all a bit chicken and egg. I mean, I can plan to get Scarlett Johanson in the sack but I might be deluding myself…
We attacked and nearly scored twice! Once was a slight offside, the other was a penalty overturned. So statistically those aren’t shots but it’s not at all what happened. Wish Jota took that shot, would probably score.
Thing is I don’t think it was tiredness particularly or anything else, it may have been mentally an issue and perhaps something like this May in the end benefit us.
The Fulham result was 2 points dropped but from the position it felt like a win and it pushed us on.
Go a couple of goals up and conserve.
We could have been four up when they scored, and the conversation would have been different.
Maybe we conserved too much.
The passing and game intelligence was missing. As @mattyhurst says, it might not be exactly physical tiredness. But looking at a brutal schedule and keeping something in the tank might have been alien to the way we played under Klopp.
All that near miss stuff is overstated as well.
They were little threat aside from a brilliantly taken goal.
I thought the pass that really started to the rot was the one from Trent where he tried a pass from a LCB position, inside their RF and it was cut out and led to a potential dangerous counter attack.
It seemed as that made everyone nervous and after that pass after pass went to them.
We were nervy and passive in that second half. The subs should have been briefed to help keep the ball up in the Wolves half of the field. Instead both Virgil and Alisson were guilty of knocking the ball about at the back with an inexperienced Quansah as the only other outlet. We allowed Wolves to come on to us and put us under pressure. When the ball did go forward we lost it through bad passing and didn’t press to get it back. A masterclass in what not to do. Even Arne seem transfixed to the spot and wasn’t barking at them. Felt like we were waiting for the inevitable equaliser and nothing could stop it…
We were lucky
Fatigue?…maybe but more like a drop in confidence to me. That Everton game knocked our belief a bit. Hope Arne has got this and can get them believing again. Next game will tell.
