PART I – FIRST HALF
So, all I’ve been reading from the boo-birds for the last 24 hours is about how BORING we were yesterday against Wolves, and blah blah blah blah blah. SIDEWAYS PASSING IS BACK DUR DUR. Other moronic claims.
I’m a horrible video editor, so I’m not even going to try, but what I AM going to do is indicate some starting times for sequences, and describe them. It’s up to the reader to watch them.
I can guarantee though, we had a LOT of good looking play. It was just sandwiched between massive amounts of Wolves putting 11 men behind the ball with zero interest in ever having it. They are a better side than their table place indicates, and are defensively sound, especially with 3 at the back.
Okay, so on with the clips! Err descriptions of clips!
- 4:35 – Jorginho to Azpi who carries it about 10 yards then kicks it wide and deep to Cal, who is off to the races down the sideline and delivers a low cross to Giroud, who’s a step slow to getting onto a very beautiful ball.
- 5:25 – A bad throw in from Wolves on their right becomes an interception by Jorginho, who then starts this fantastic sequence: J5-Kai-Kova-Giroud-Kai-Ziyech (Giroud runs through)-Chilwell (out wide)-crossed into the box with both Kai and Giroud making the run in, about 2 yards apart. Ball is just a bit high for Olivier who was the deeper of the two.
- 8:20 – Jorginho behind the circle, left center. Nice ball forward to Kai about 15 yards forward, ahead of the circle, who tries to hi Cal making an aggressive line-breaking run deep. Doesn’t connect.
- 9:05 – Kovacic passes to Jorginho in the circle just forward of the mid and he carries it about 10 yards with a nice leading diagonal to Chilwell down the left who then passes forward to Kai in the half space running towards the edge of the box, and Kai crosses in to Giroud who (again) is a step late and doesn’t get on the ball.
- 14:40 – Jorginho intercepts the ball near midfield, who then passes forward leading Kai, who then goes 40 yards on that runner he did, which unfortunately led to a weak shot at the end.
- 19:04 – Silva to Giroud running back, to Kovacic then Kai then back to Kova, to Jorginho, breaks the line forward with a pass to ZIyech who passes on to Cal, who drives deep wide right past his man, crosses, which is blocked in the box, gets to Ziyech, who has a nice shot opportunity at the edge of the box, but puts it right into the keepers chest.
- 30:08 – Azpi passes forward to Ziyech, who carries it about 15 yards up then to Cal back to Ziyech and then Cal breaks long and Ziyech sends a beautiful vertical low ball for Cal to run on to, and he gets in a wonderful cross across the box to Chilwell, who puts his volley wide left.
- 38:20 – After Chilwell gets bowled over, Ziyech with a beautiful outswinger to Rudi who puts it far post low corner, but keeper saves it.
- 40:05 – Silva to Jorginho across to Kovacic back to Jorginho back to Kovacic , who puts a line breaker forward to Kai on the run, and he gets it to Chilwell in a threatening area near the edge of the box, but Chilwell doesn’t do anything with it.
- 43:35 – Brief probe down the right to Ziyech comes back to Jorginho (TV feed had a cut to Timo so I missed the start) who then gets it across to Kova and a nice forward ball in the middle to Kai 15 yards forward but fumbles it a bit bringing it up to his chest, so back to Rudi, to Kova, forward to Kai running back, back to Kova, then circles it back to Silva who finds Ziyech coming back near the stripe, who then (once again) finds Cal on a wonderful run forward, and yet another beautiful low ball on a rope to find Cal at the edge of the box, crosses back across the box but blocked out for a corner.
- 47:05 – Silva to Azpi wide right who carries in then to Ziyech wide right again up to Cal who gives a good ball to Giroud at the corner of the box, and back to Ziyech who puts a good cross in to Kai making a run towards the middle of the box. Well defended but great look.
So that’s 11 really solid opportunities in the first half, and I skipped over things like long balls from the CBs to players on the run, or the one Jorginho lob that didn’t really come off right, etc. And this is only half time!
I’ll do the second half later, but I think the point gets across. There was a LOT of good play, and sure, a lot of passing around as well, which is in large part to Wolves simply sitting deep for a point. And I think if Giroud had a better match (or perhaps Tammy started), and if Chilwell had a better match, things would have looked a lot different.