Wolves countered out of the Cup by Manchester City
Is no tactics at all better than the wrong tactics? That was the question that manager McCarthy seemed to pose tonight at Molineux against Manchester City in the League Cup.
The positives of the game was that our manager started some of the now fringe players that could be options for the starting eleven in the Premier League. Craddock, Elokobi, Edwards, Guedioura, Milijaš, Vokes and Hunt are all players that deserves to get a chance from start in a competitive game.
Was this not a competitive game, then? Well, it’s obvious that McCarthy don’t think much of the League Cup. It’s not at all an important tournament to him as we have to fight for our lives to stay up in the Prem every season and that craves a lot of energy from the players.
After a leading goal by Milijas, though, I had hopes that he would change the team and the way they played and try to play more on the result. No such, tendencies, though. The team was balanced to attack and push on from the beginning and even more so as the match went on, leaving the defensive tasks not enough attended to. Nice to look at maybe, but we were of course caught on the counter time and time again against the best counter-attacking team in the league, if not the world.
Three goals in the back in five minutes finished the game off and despite still playing an attacking football and creating a couple of chances and even a nice goal and maybe a couple of referee decisions against us, Wolves didn’t really stand a chance to get a result this evening. A fourth goal in the beginning of the second half made the professional pundits to start writing to their papers about yet another win for City and another defeat for Wolves.
The players who in my opinion has had a good run in the Prem also played well tonight. Milijas, O’Hara and Ward got class and performs well in any environment. Positive surprises were Vokes from start and Elokobi in the central defending role. Hopefully McCarthy will play both Milijas and O’Hara from start against City away on Saturday, it looks as he will, when letting them share the minutes on pitch tonight.
Could Wolves have won the game with better tactical awareness and coaching? I don’t really believe so, but maybe it was worth a shot, going one up. I hope that we won’t play 4-4-2 against City away on Saturday, though, that would be suicide and as I’m quite fond of this team I want it to stay alive.
I will not rate the players in this game as it wouldn’t be fair to them. McCarthy took a chance as he did lose the reins on the team tonight, but there were no chance it would hold the ninety against a well performing City outfit. No tactics at all is not better than the wrong tactics, Mr McCarthy, but it was a nice runout for the players and entertaining to watch. It would be nice to see the third option on Saturday, though, namely the right tactics.
Paddytheflea
--- Paddytheflea's Blog --- 
Much much better tonight. As you suggest shame he didn’t put Hammill and O’Hara earlier as I think it would have been a bit closer, although in reality we wouldn’t beat Man City if we played them a hundred times they are truly awesome at the moment what a squad! Hunt was the only real let down in my eyes, not sure what’s up with him at the moment but very wasteful in both crosses, possesion and passing where he gave the ball away too often yet again. Although unusually Addy wasn’t too bright either at times.
Clearly what a lot of people have been saying about team selection has been proved right and I thought there was a lot of good stuff from the great unplayed such as Milijas. We certainly didn’t miss Jarvis who has been strangely out of sorts recently-hope he picks up as when he plays well we do well.
However, I have fianlly come to the conclusion that our defence is really knackered whoever we play (though Craddock and Elokobi did ok tonite but we all know they don’t really cut it at this level) ironic given Mcstubborns past! We have to accept that we will ship 1-2 goals every week and that the only answer is to score more so lets play an attacking midfield and get Hammill, Addy and O’Hara in with Milijas and pray for Fletchers return.
If we keep this sort of never say die attitude and play attacking football we will be ok but if we return to the dire entrenched stuff weve seen in the PL the last few weeks then sadly I’m not so sure.
For me the absence of Johnson tonight made for a better happier team I am pretty sure he is the weak link in the defence at the moment. I’d play Craddock instead for a few games and see what happens.
See we can be “happy” losing when we have actually turned up to play so don’t knock the fans we just want to see our team do what we know they can, we are all aware of individual and team limitations. But tonight proves we can do better and if we play like that the results will come because I know that that team tonight would have beaten QPR, Newcastle and Swansea no problem.
Hope the lesson sinks in where it is most needed!!!