Match Thread: Season opener, Arsenal v Wolves 17th Aug 2024
By Ivybridge Wolf August 16 2024
Here we go and welcome back! The new 2024/25 season full of the usual new hope, dreams and expectations that every new term offers … C’mon me babbies, Up The Wolves!! What are our thoughts? Four months ago under the April Molineux Saturday night lights we played and lost to Arsenal, amid a disappointing end to 2023/24. With a bit of luck on Saturday, who knows it’s the first match of the season, they sometimes throw up odd results!
The closed season has brought about changes and more possibly on the way. Neto gone, Kilman gone, Hugo Bueno gone (on loan), Rodrigo Gomes in, Pedro Lima in, Tommy Doyle in (permanent), Jorgen Strand Larsen in. Lemina is the new captain too. Gary O’Neil has achieved his new contract, deserved in my opinion, yet he and the board will want to see greater positivity and better results that were witnessed from March 24 onwards. I will be keeping my fingers firmly crossed that there are no second season dips for GON, and it’ll be crucial to get the new lads gelling into the side as quickly as possible. One question amongst others though, have we addressed the centre forward issue?
So pastures new but the fixture list computer programme has dealt us a difficult start. Chelsea next week, Forest away the week after, with Arsenal away on Saturday. We’ve lost the last 3 opening day fixtures and have now been away in the last 6 starts to the season. To be honest, the first two couldn’t get much harder with Forest becoming a niggly tight encounter of late.
The pre-season friendlies were a mixed bag, the American adventure considered a general success with wins v Leipzig and West Ham and a defeat to Palace where we scored 7 goals (conceding 4). Such positivity was tempered a little after a lacklustre Molineux clash v Rayo Vallecano ending an uninspiring 1-0 defeat. GON didn’t like the Vallecano effort and has said as much! Perhaps the key is to view friendlies with a healthy dose of pragmatism rather than getting too hot under the collar or excited either way? Anyway, glad to see Wolves and all other premier league clubs managing to get their globetrotting friendlies in – I just hope the players (bless them) aren’t too tired with all that travel and minutes on the pitch.
Back to the match and our opponents this weekend. Arsenal played some great stuff last term, failing to take the title by just two points and in doing so scored 91 goals in the process with the meanest defence in the division. They are playing in their 99th consecutive topflight season (i.e. the most) this year and have won 4 of their last 5 season openers. Arsenal haven’t had much going on in the transfer market (Ricardo Calafiori in from Bologna) though will want to lay down a marker against us to get their title challenge off to a flier and in front of their own. In 2020/21 we did the double on Arsenal but that is a long time ago now. Since then it we have lost all six matches with a very poor goal difference of -12 (F2 A14). For all my positivity (blind faith) for the fresh start, I am genuinely struggling to see a Wolves win at the Emirates / Ashburton Grove and we have been quoted as 14/1 against in a two-horse race!! Ouch. 5/1 for the draw too. Worth a punt? I’ll leave that for you to decide.
Due to commitments, I have had to publish this match thread on Friday though hope to be back to some comfort somewhere to follow the match from 3pm. It would be a dream to beat Arsenal, I hope that that we acquit ourselves well and put a show on for the travelling Wolves fans. It will be so interesting to see how the team shapes up for the kick off.
Good luck to the players, good luck to GON, all the best to all Wolves fans! I’ll be raising a glass to Chesh come 3pm.
Please feel free to make your comments and thoughts known on the thread below, whether it’s before, during or after the match.
UTW!! Ivybridge Wolf.
Match Thread: Season opener, Arsenal v Wolves 17th Aug 2024
Posted by: Wolves (IP Logged)
Date: 16/08/2024 14:02
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:08:29:13:52:30 by Ivybridge Wolf.
Tough first match but we have to play them at some stage so may as well be tomorrow and get it out of the way. It will be interesting to see how the new additions perform in what will be their first real test in the Prem.
Who knows, as Ivy has said, first matches can throw up some strange results so fingers crossed this is one of them.
Saka given way to much space to cross the ball for the goal but sa and toti have got to do better than that, poor goal to give away.
Good chance to level for larssen with header but it's to close to the keeper.
Arsenal bossing the game but we are still in the the game at 1-0.
Spirited Wolves second half, snuffed out by Saka’a great goal. Definitely better but overall Arsenal were the superior side.
Something to work on and give a little hope beyond today and ahead of next week, despite the predictability of today’s result and general disappointment.
Thought we did ok 2nd half played some decent stuff but we failed to take our chances and you just knew arsenal would punish us which they did.
Arsenal are a great side, no points today but a fair few positives to take from our display.
Far too passive in the first half, presumably implementing GON'S game plan, but we just enabled Arsenal to warm up and take control.
Second half was brighter, but I do wonder why we weren't set up from the start to get stuck into them and disrupt their stroll. Let's see who GON blames in the press conference.
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