Just got round to seeing the Wolves goal (yeah, I know, forgive me, kind of 100 years late onto the scene). Watched it several times, freezing it at different points. Several things about that goal.
First things first. Render unto Caesar. Semedo's (?) ball in is brilliant. It truly made me feel nostalgic for De Bruyne, when he used to do that regularly (he can still do it, but it's from time to time now). You've got to give credit where it's due. You'd think a team at the bottom of the league would not produce a ball like that. Just shows.
But. But here's the thing. When the move gets going, Gvardiol's reaction is particularly striking. He knows he's not going to be able to get right over to block it, right from the start. I think that's fair enough. There's just too much distance. The best he can do is move towards Semedo, hopefully to put him off and force him into making a short pass back and inside. But as he makes his way towards the winger, he glances over to his left, to see how the line behind him is set up, and my distinct impression is that he can already see that there is a problem. Johnny — sorry Eccles — but he is not covering anyone in particular: he is caught in no man's land between two Wolves players, not bringing pressure to bear on either of them, but making it look as though he might be able to cover Larsen, which possibly deceives Rico. Now this is not to exculpate Rico completely. Rico dawdles in setting off after Larsen, right at the start, and never manages to make up the ground. He does not have Kyle's speed, and sorry, he never will have (not that Kyle has Kyle's speed, these days). Love the lad, he's got tons of other abilities, but he simply does not have that rapidity. Usually, he gets away with it, because his anticipatory reading of the game is so good that he rarely leaves himself high and dry. But here's the interesting thing: freeze it, and you'll see that at the very start of the action, Rico is actually looking over into midfield, at a deeper lying Wolves player moving forward behind the first line of his attacking team mates, clearly wondering whether he should go to cover him, because nobody else seems to have clocked the danger there at all. He's not even looking at Larsen's back initially. I suppose what I'm saying is that I suspect Rico's thinking like a midfielder (which he actually is) while also trying to think like a right back. I think, finally, that it's a bit unfair on the lad. It certainly isn't Kyle's problem, and it never has been! I think if anyone impresses me in that back line at that point it's Josko. The guy's awareness is just brilliant. He can't actually do anything about it at that point, but he sees what's coming — if the ball in is good. Which, unfortunately for us, it is. I've been hugely impressed with Gvardiol since the end of last season. A big player, for years to come.
I think, in a general sense, the defence is not quite as cohesive as it should be. It's not just about Rod not being there.
Anyhow, three points, reasonably happy days. The result's good anyway. Onwards…
