Wolves are in a relegation battle - there is no avoiding that fact!!
As one of nine teams occupying the bottom part of the Premier League, with only eight points between them, and having played one more game than six of them, the fact is that the dreadful result at home to Leeds last time out has kept us firmly in the mix.
So... today's game away to Nottingham Forest once again has a 'must not lose' importance to it, especially as our opponents sit only one point below our team. An away win would at least create some distance and give coach Julen Lopetegui some encouragement as his team face some difficult matches throughout April against the likes of Chelsea, Brentford and Leicester.
Lopetegui has shown a positive attitude in his press conference this week, and given encouragement in the news that Boubakar Traore is now fit for selection, and Hugo Bueno is making good progress whilst not perhaps being available. Nelson Semedo was an injury doubt but he has recovered. Mixed fortunes on suspensions, as Jonny will miss the game following his dreadful foul on Luke Ayling - and despite winning the PL Goal of the Month for his strike aganst Leeds - whilst Matheus Nunes will be available after his red card shown after the final whistle has been overturned. Pedro Neto scored a typical goal for the Portugal Under 21's this week which is also encouraging.
Notts Forest meanwhile have more serious injury issues having recently lost strikers Chris Wood (who always seems to manage to score against Wolves), Brennan Johnson and Andre Ayew, whilst former Wolf Willy Boly and keeper Dean Henderson are also unavailable amongst several others. Wolves will of course have to make sure they don't rise to the irritating behaviour of the other former Wolf - the little runt Morgan Gibbs-White who, despite claiming his love for his former team, celebrated in front of the Wolves fans when we lost on penalties in this season's Carabao Cup match.
Our referee for today's game will be Chris Kavanagh - fresh from the controversial FA Cup game at Old Trafford - with retired ref Neil Swarbrick on VAR duty. The match is due to kick off at 3pm and will not be televised.
This board will endeavour to provide reguilar updates on the progress of the match, and board members and newcomers are encouraged to post theoir own observations and join in the conversation.
Match Thread: Nottingham Forest vs Wolves
Posted by: Wolves (IP Logged)
Date: 01/04/2023 12:47
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:05:18:07:54:21 by Ivybridge Wolf.
A few unexpected changes to our team this afternoon. Toti Gomes in at left back, and Matheus Cunha leading the line instead of Raul Jimenez. Matheus Nunes also gets another run out. Brennan Johnson is fit for Forest after all!! Line-up:
Beat me to the teams Chesh!! Your description of MGW made me loff out loud!
Big team changes then, however Nunes gets the nod.
I’m not feeling it today. Maybe we’ll win then?
With all the controversies over decisions going against us, some quite dire, I’ve reminded of the home fixture with Forest - we won it courtesy of a really dodgy handball penalty decision ourselves that day.
Think we all felt friendly towards MGW but clearly the squirt has a big chip on his shoulder. It would be nice to help him on his way back to the championship
Early corner to Forest, nice run by Johnson but solid Toti defending. Good from both players. MGW short corner - one out of the dire Wolves short corner collectors book!!
A really decent passage of play from Wolves, kept possession and pressure, ultimately came to nothing but a good spell. The kind where we might / should have scored. Encouraging at least.
Corner now to Forest, their 3rd. Scrappy clearance followed by a sequence of Forest pressure and we didn’t look great defensively. Goal kick.
Another corner to Forest cleared. Then a centre overhit. Toti very nearly sold Jose short - lucky lad. Johnson gets another corner off Toti after good play by MGW. We can’t get any possessions going yet
Some bloody dodgy Wolves defending going on. Since that 2-3 Wolves spell it’s been constant Forest. Ball hits Semedo’s hand but from a 2 yards range so no penalty. Worrying for Wolves at the moment.
Ref lets Forest take a free kick ten yds from where the foul took place.Good play by MGW then Dennis whose shot is well collected by Jose. Yellow card for Freuler after pulling Nunes back
Dennis weaves in and out, cuts to his right, shoots ….. thankfully relatively weak and Sa saves well. I think that’s the best opportunity of the match so far.
Nunes is injured, Forest yellow card.
Overall, we’re somewhat disjointed. We look pretty shaky at the back.
Robert Plant in the crowd - When the levee breaks, I think we could score
Half time and once again we are losing! Forest look more up for it and more dangerous than Wolves from what I have seen. Our front three are not looking dangerous whereas theirs are and have got the goal they probably deserved. Not sure if Cunha has touched the ball yet!!
Forest 1 Wolves 0
We’ve had our moments, you could even say it’s been largely even all except that the Forest keeper has had nothing to do, and the Forest attacking line up look more up for it and mobile and energetic.
Fine markings but when we’ve had good spells we’ve done nothing with it, ultimately.
Added to that, our defence has looked ragged and stretched and somewhat disorganised at key moments.
Our front line aren’t linking up often enough with the midfield. On current play it’s difficult to see where the equaliser is coming from. Changes abound, surely.
Well, we're attacking the away end now, might that enthuse the front line?
Toffolo gets a yellow this time, pulls Adama back. Neves free kick, deep delivery, a couple of Wolves players go down cheaply and offer shaking hands of disapproval to the ref. Nothing there for me.
Yellow card for Toffollo after pulling Adama back. Free kick for Ruben to take. Adama breaks into the area and goes tumbling after a challenge from behind, nothing given but VAR to check, replay looks a possible penalty but nothing given
Dawson lost the ball and it eventually gave MGW a shooting chance but easily collected by Jose. Now he is fouled by Dawson as they break. Free kick put over the bar by Johnson.
Dreadful pass forward by Serabia gives Adama no chance. Adama loses the ball and Dennis breaks rapidly and it should have been 2-0 but put wide by Johnson.
When Forest break they show us how to do it with quick accurate passing into space, whereas we don’t look like we have a clue. Forest spurn another chance then Danilo puts it over the bar.
Possible red card against Podence being looked at possibly spitting at Johnson, but no further action. Forest free kick comes to nothing. Into 5 added minutes
No handshake but gesticulation from Cooper towards JL as the final whistle goes. A very hard earned point for Wolves having been second best all afternoon and showing little threat or potential until our top scorer created an opportunity and took it very well to earn us a badly needed point.
We continue to be very unconvincing and now face home games against Chelsea and Brentford without Neves.
Forest 1 Wolves 1
If we squeak salvation this awful game will be part. Hated pretty much everything but Diego Costa and Daniel Podence kept us alive.
We should get a glimpse of next year without Ruben over the next couple of games. Hopefully, maybe here in the Prem
A scrappy ugly performance which rarely suggested we'd score. But we did, and in a second half which was particularly awful in terms of the Wolves quality.
But there it is, a relegation match which we couldn't afford to lose and we didn't, just. A better side would have, with a Hoddleism, put us to the sword.
A Wolves effort which suggest we will be in the poop right until the end.
Palace and Bournemouth have won, Leicester and Leeds have lost, Everton play on monday.
We are 13th on 28 points, 3 ponts ahead of Leicester who are 3rd bottom, 5 points above Soton in 20th. Every single side below us has a game in hand.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:04:01:17:05:29 by Ivybridge Wolf.
At what point did we really play any decent play in that match? If we had lost, some would have pointed to the penalty decision (which was an odd one, would like to see it again) but the fact remains we played absolutely dire at times in that second half.
If ever there was a performance to announce ourselves as genuine relegation candidates, then that was it! And yet, we managed a point. I'm totally confused with my thoughts. I'm angry at our ineptitude and somehow we got out of jail today, relatively speaking that is.
Got out of jail simple as that.
Do this lot have the fight and bottle to keep us up? I'm not convinced.
God help us if this relegation fight goes to the last game at arsenal!
I honestly don’t think JL has a clue what his best line-up is or how he wants to play for sure. Cunha Serabia and Nunes are taking so long to show us what they are about and actually offer very little,
So perhaps he will rely more on Podence and the returning Neto, with either Costa or Jimenez in the middle. Lemina was also surprisingly ineffective today and it was no surprise to see him hooked at half time. We will definitely need him to step up in the confirmed absence of Neves. I thought Toti did quite well at left back and when he was moved into the centre of defence when Dawson was for some reason taken off. Adama Troare continues to be largely the only player we have who is prepared to take players on but no shock to see him taken off again!
We remain in a relegation fight and frankly look a weak team compared to some of those below us!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023:04:01:18:01:41 by Cheshire wolf.
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