A win would be big for us today

[Sclox]

I wouldn’t say that to me something just doesn’t feel right. I wouldn’t back to finish top 4 at all.

I reiterate that only if we can avoid excessive injury does it happen. We haven't clicked but yet are joint 2nd and unbeaten. When we do click - and it will happen lookout.

[Ragatino]

A win would put us in 2nd palace will feel like a false position if we fail to play well. We had two week to really work on our fitness, we are away from home where we struggled last season. We need to turn up today with high energy, high tempo and win!

Are we going to challenge to get back into the top four or not? I think we’ll see today.

I don't feel anything.

Facts are facts. Titles are won by teams who play garbage at times during the season but still manage to get wins.

We've been well of it in 4 games taken 10 points from 12.

We're the 3rd best team in the league behind last seasons Champions on 12 & last seasons runners up on Goal difference.

We are 3rd because we deserve to be 3rd.

Earn the points win the prizes. Feeling are for soap operas.

[Ragatino]

Something makes me think we'll turn up today.

aye bonny lad, the coach dropped us all off at the stadium lyk hahaha.

It aged me 5 yrs in 90 mins but what a winner and a dogged performance.

Come back kids once again.

Still a long way from top form.

Love Barnes's comments when asked where the team can improve this season. I'm paraphrasing, Barnes - "We can improve everywhere, some games last season we knew we were gonna score, 3,4 or 5 but we're not there yet."

[Ragatino]

As always it’s the performance that matters. The margins between a loss and win in the PL are so fine. You can play well and get nowt or vice-versa (as we have so far this season).
We’ve been lucky so far and it’s time to rely on good play rather than luck to get the points.
HTL.

It's the best performance of the season so far. Still shyte for major spells. Rode out luck at times but stayed in it, 2 moments of real quality at Mr Howe commented in his post match interview.

We take the 3 points back up the rode and get ready for Fulham away next up.

[Ragatino]

Think its fair to say after today that if we can get luck with injuries we are definately capable of a top 4 finish again. Theres a resilience to us this year. Its on.

A come back, a win & still got £70+ Million in the bank to splash in January.

Botman to come back in the next couple of months only adds to our solidity and resilience.

Willock added dynamism. Tonali will continue to grow into his role and status in the team.

That right wing is a thorn in the paw but we can make it work.

Gordon look back to his best in spells, when he wasn't being booted across the park of course. Skinned his man time and time again. Unlucky to hit the post should have been an epic solo goal, great to see him getting his eye in though!

[OwdBillCook]

to me something just doesn’t feel right

That's the way I've felt for a few games, that something wasn't right. I expected us to be very different yesterday, back to something like our old selves, but we weren't. However............
On reflection, I think I agree with Sclox that if we're lucky with injuries then the resilience we've shown at the start of this season might just enable a top 4 finish. And I wonder if "injuries" might be the key to what is happening. Perhaps the new management structure has decided that we don't have the quality-in-depth to play "intensity is our identity" football. That to do so would risk injuries that the squad cannot sustain. Not just muscle & ligaments - look at Gordon yesterday, who did play with intensity and got repeatedly clattered for it.
If we are trying out a new toned-down approach then perhaps it isn't surprising that we've looked rather flat and disjointed. It seems to me that it would take quite a while for a different way of playing to bed in, and for the players to feel natural about it.
Hope its something like this. Sounds better to me than something being well off behind the scenes personality-wise, which is what I'd been fearing........

[Jammy89]

That's really interesting way to look at it OBC - I've not looked at it like that.

My only thought would be - would Howe really allowed that level of control over his tactics etc.

[Ragatino]

That's really interesting way to look at it OBC - I've not looked at it like that.

My only thought would be - would Howe really allowed that level of control over his tactics etc.

Absolutely no chance.

He's made it clear since Mitchell arrived 'Boundaries'. He puts out the team, he dictates the style, that's his sphere of influence.

The recruitment and everything off pitch / training ground is in the hands of the management.

It was always clear that signing Tonali and from all of Eddie's interviews and conferences that he didn't want to just play one style.

He wanted to be able to control the ball, control the tempo of games, and dictate the play.

We've been developing that style since last summer. Unfortunately, every time we've taken steps to develop we had steps back in terms of Injuries, suspensions and all manner of other uncontrollable issues.

At the start of the match we dominated possession and controlled the play. Wolves were kicking lumps out of Bruno & Gordon targeting them two specifically. Joelinton got wound up at the ref not protecting our players, lashed out. Yellow card.

We lost a bit of control in midfield.

Half time Subs - the game was wide open, the tactics were lose and it was end to end.

After 10 mins or so we started to get a foot hold as the subs settled into the tactical changes.

Eddie proved he has a 'Plan B' when players are available to change things.

If we'd stayed with the same 11 until the 75th minute everyone would be fuming.

We won ugly, we won away, again. Was it a classic, no of course not. However, 2 points more than we took there last season. If we do that 4 more times and add 10points to our points total we'll be in and around the top 4 end of the season.

There will be games where we will take teams apart 3,4 - 0 no doubt.

Losing Isak to a busted nose lead to the adaptation in tactics and we won.

Not much more to say.