Joining Mikey Burrows was co-commentator and Wolves Hall of Fame full-back Andy Thompson, as well as legendary Wolves Women defender Claire Hakeman as they analysed the 1-0 win over the Seagulls, which saw Wolves get back to winning ways following narrow defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City.
The trio also spoke about Wolves starting with a brand-new front three of Hwang, Podence and Trincao and another clean sheet thanks to the team’s solid three-man defence, backed up by Jose Sa.
On changes to the front three
Thompson said: “What’s going to be important for me and the biggest thing that’s going to stand out is the quality of ball up to them. We’re not going to be able to play the ball up high to them, we’ve not got Jimenez who can win things in the air, everything is going to have to be quality, into their feet, into the space.
“I want to see them running beyond, not just playing in front, because we’ve seen that too many times this season, and it’s been too easy for teams to defend. Podence’s ability to move the ball and put those passes in has been proven, so we’ve got to make sure that quality’s good.”
Hakeman added: “I’m not surprised really. Podence finds great pockets of space, he’s set up a lot of our goals which have come this season, which isn’t many, but he seems to have been integral with the goals we have scored.
“And Trincao, on his day, he can be a quality player and he likes to play between the lines as well. It’s a nice option to have Traore on the bench, with an added burst of pace to bring on, but we’ll always miss Jimenez.”
On getting the three points on the board
Hakeman said: “It’s a fantastic win. I thought the boys were superb and the really grew into the game. We know how Wolves like to defend it, but that first 10 minutes of the second-half, they had five absolutely brilliant chances.
“Maybe the ref having to faff around with his device actually broke up our little spell when we were quite on top of the game, but it was a brilliant display and we got that clean sheet that we’ve been after. They’ve defended brilliantly the last few weeks and it was great for them to get the clean sheet to go with the win.
“Although we only scored the one goal, there was lots to build on and loads of positives in there. We didn’t have a traditional striker on the pitch, but the front three did brilliantly. Traore was a lot better with the ball, really looking after it, Trincao grew into the game and Podence looked a threat every time he went forward.”
𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 ➕ 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 @rubendsneves_ making it look easy. pic.twitter.com/1ZYHq8VfcF
— Wolves (@Wolves) December 15, 2021
On Neves’ sublime assist and Saiss’ match-winning volley
Thompson said: “Neves was 18 yards out, the ball was coming to him and I was thinking, ‘Just hit it!’ But ok, I’ll let him off with the pass that he did.
“He’s got the ability, under pressure, to pick out that vital pass, and that just shows how he stands out from a lot of players that you watch, where he’s able, from tight situations with pressure coming onto him, that he can pick that pass.
“And what a strike it was from Saiss. We spoke about Jimenez not being here, but he would’ve been proud of that one; right foot, just put it to the keeper’s right, but the keeper had no chance.”
Hakeman added: “His [Neves] vision is something else. He sees things that people don’t even see until after you’ve watched the replay. He’s a phenomenal player and we’re so lucky to have him. When he plays well, we play well.”
On the need to be more clinical
Thompson said: “I thought the front three got better as the game went on, they started to get into it a lot more and started to find a little bit of freedom.
“But then you go into the second-half, and they created so many opportunities, none more so than the three-on-one, but we’ve got to be more clinical, we’ve got to make sure we score goals against teams.
“It’s been difficult for us to score goals in the Premier League this season, we got the one which won us the game, but we need to be more clinical, especially when you have the opportunities like that. But they’ve won the game, and the Premier League is all about results.”
That's 4️⃣ clean sheets from our last 6️⃣ @premierleague games.
— Wolves (@Wolves) December 16, 2021
⛔️👏 pic.twitter.com/9jBZlm09uK
On Jose Sa’s impressive season
Thompson said: “You look at Sa and he’s happy to receive the ball, he’s happy to have it under pressure because he has the ability to pick passes. Also, he’s happy to come off his line as well.
“Sometimes, the way that we play, he’s like the sweeper behind the sweeper, but what he does do, if he gets the ball and can see people up front, he’s got that accuracy on his kicks. It’s been a big plus for us going forwards that he can pick those passes out.
“As a defender, if you’ve got a confident keeper behind you, you know your keeper is going to be tidying up or doing something to help. You know where he’s going to be and you can keep a high line because you know he’s going to be there.”
On dominating at the back
Hakeman said: “The organisation is spot on. They’re solid, they’re compact and they don’t leave many spaces in behind. As they sit as a three, they pick up their players early and then you’ve also got Semedo and Marcal who can tuck in with them.
“They are well trained, they’re well-drilled, and bar those unlucky moments in the Man City and Liverpool games, their game plan was absolutely perfect. There was no space and they were getting frustrated because we were limiting them, and it’s fantastic that we can do that.
“They’ve been questioned about maybe playing four at the back, but they’re looking settled, they’re looking organised and the longer they go on having these positive displays, the more their confidence will grow.
“Coady’s had a bit of criticism at the start of the season, but in the last few weeks, he’s been superb, he’s been a stand-out, as well as Kilman who’s been solid since the start of the season and Saiss just seems to get better, and he obviously offers a lot going forward as well, but he’s solid at the back.”
You can watch Matchday Live Extra 30 minutes before every Wolves kick-off this season, on Twitter and on Wolves TV, before heading over to the Wolves App following full-time for all the post-match reaction.
