Although being in our eighth season as a Premier League club, this was a day that emphasised how much we have regressed year on year.
What I saw on that pitch were players trying, but ultimately running round the pitch like headless chickens doesn't win football games at this level, quality does. And we are severely lacking in that department at present. Ultimately when you keep selling your best players and watering down the quality eventually it catches up with you.
Last season we didn't win a game in the first 10 games and yet we still believed we had enough talent to get out of trouble. I look at this team and I don't see one match winner, any leaders or any technical ability on show.
The defence was abysmal. Last season we were praising Agbadou as a gem we had uncovered. This season he is a shadow of the player we had seen. Maybe not always, but another indication that quality footballers cost money and high wages. Consistently being able to perform at a good level has costly price tags. Three games into his second season and he is showing why he didn't cost a lot to buy. Alongside him is Toti who in my opinion shouldn't be on the pitch, never mind our captain. Clumsy and inconsistent, he is not what you need from one of your main centre-backs.
As good as Andre and Joao Gomes are at what they do, having a midfield of these pair guarantee lack of goals or creativity. They are too similar! Hwang is not someone who can be relied upon to score the goals required, and the less said about Munetsi and Arias playing upfront the better. It was a really poor Premier League side on display.
It cannot be overestimated how important these next few days are in the transfer window. Keeping Strand Larsen is a must. And we clearly need more incomings. We may only be three games into the season but without this happening I genuinely fear the worst.
A big moment awaits!
John Lalley
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Surrender the initiative from the outset, concede early and proceed to chase your tail. Truly alarming; throw in a couple of horrendous individual errors and another slipshod performance takes its inevitable course.
Remarkably, Rodrigo Gomes, who at least did make a positive input from the bench, spurned a glorious late opportunity to salvage a point but even then, our deficiencies would not have been masked in any way.
Everton stretched us unceasingly on the flanks easily creating space and exposing our continuing fragility which led to the opening goal.
The Wolves equaliser came as a complete surprise such was Everton’s total control. Munetsi and Hwang combined splendidly in the delivery and execution, but the inability of the pair of them to retain possession up front left us blunt in attack.
Straight after our goal, Wolves notably upped the tempo, tackled feverishly and competed strongly. Everton, previously in strolling control, didn’t fancy it one bit and were temporarily rattled. But all too quickly we resorted to passive mode, gifted them a second and compounded the felony with a dire lack of concentration to concede the vital third.
Our second goal, like the first was totally unexpected and led to a late rally of sorts without any real pressure being exerted on Pickford.