[Big Ben Foster]

He always starts slow. Nothing new.

Still, we should be proactive about squad planning, instead of waiting until he's completely done to identify a replacement.

 

[kirk buttercup]

Not sure where i read but he usually starts slows and picks up pace as season progresses. His fitness level at the moment is pub level

That's mad when you think about it. He is a professional athlete

 

[Heinzesight]

He’ll get going once he takes off those lead boots he was wearing second half.

 

[Carlsen19]

Last season before heading to Saudi.

 

[Someone]

Thought he had a decent game. He needed support in midfield and had none.

 

[GlasgowCeltic]

thought it’d be two years from signing that he physically falls off a cliff, he needs much more help

 

[Pronewbie]

Wouldn’t be surprised if he covered a lot of distance today but he sure does look like he’s lost a yard of pace and quick reflexes. Reminds me of Matić. Hopefully not!

But I blame the system for exposing him this way. Mount isn’t worth it. The players don’t look comfortable with this setup too.

 

[Jev]

He was rocky at the end of last season too. A bit worried the decline has started.

 

[Van Piorsing]

That's what you get for signing a player in later stage of the career, while opponents building their squads on top young prospects.

He'll need time to enter the right rhythm, but of course the club didn't provide much reinforcements on time. Oh f*ckin well....

 

[Kaos]

I am worried. Let's hope it's his customary slow start to the season.

In either case we should be looking for another DM while the markets still open. Missing out on Caicedo and potentially Lavia may haunt us I think.

 

[Mickson]

As I said during pre-season, I'm afraid he is finished, and that it will go fast downhill. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Kag]

I love him, but he’s a worry at the minute.

Being hung out to dry in this set up.

 

[DON’T PANIC ™]

Wasn’t any worse than Bruno or Mount but some how feels that way due to higher expectations from him.

 

[Roboc7]

This is why we shouldn’t buy older players. Good for a few months then drop off a cliff. Same happened to Matic. There’s a reason these big clubs sell us these players. If you think I’m hysterical I said the same thing 5 months ago and nothing has changed.

I agree completely, as soon as we signed him we had to think about replacing him. He was horrendous tonight, looked like legs had completely gone.

I’m sure he’ll improve but we have to get cover for him straight away, fingers crossed we can squeeze a decent season out of him and then cash in with big move to Saudi.

 

[bondsname]

Just needs a bit of time to get in shape. Brazilians like to enjoy their time off.

 

[flameinthesun]

Thought he had a decent game. He needed support in midfield and had none.

Was easily one of the worst on the pitch. Slow, cumbersome, outmuscled, he was definitely exposed more due to the new tactics but even on the ball he was poor. The only saving grace was that the majority of the team looked off it so I hope its just us needing a few games to get up to speed.

 

[edgecutter]

He's by himself in that midfield. Mount and Bruno are not going to help him.

 

[Mike Smalling]

I love the guy, but he will be a problem throughout this season. He's supposed to be the shield in front of the back four, but he is now so slow, that he is easily run past. In some game he will get a yellow in the first half and be really exposed after that - and we have no real back-up for him.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

I don't think he was great today, but my god even prime Kante would have struggled in that setup with how disjointed Bruno/Mount were from him. He was basically left on an island every time Wolves beat our initial press.

 

[chris123]

Too much is being asked of him. He's our holding midfielder/enforcer asked to break up play and also the one asked to initiate our build up. He has lost SOME of his base but being totally isolated doesn't help. I'm not surprised he looked significantly better when Eriksen came on. Eriksen doesn't have his legs anymore either but he is comfortable dropping deep and linking the build up.

 

[ForeverRed1]

Good for him to get 98 minutes under his belt, he needs to get match fit ASAP

 

[kundalini]

Shambolic performance. Diving into tackles, missing, then watching as Wolves charge up the pitch to create another chance.

 

[crossy1686]

Remember when he got suspended and then came back looking like he'd been on a bender? He obviously gets fit and stays fit through playing, let him get up to speed and he'll be fine.

 

[Bondi77]

He did very well considering he was playing against a very technically proficient Wolves midfield on his own. MOTM for me.

I don't know what you are smoking mate but it must be some seriously good gear!

 

[Jagga7]

Hopefully he's just playing himself into fitness.

 

[delerium]

I have to say I missed Fred's energy today. Casemiro looked gassed from very early and was jogging casually the whole game. It is a bit worrying look at the moment, hope there will be some changes in the system, otherwise our midfield is non-existent.

 

[Litch]

Looked way off it and looks like he didnt have a pre season

 

[avgp_1]

He's a slow starter usually so not too worried but he's at that age when it can all so suddenly go away from him. It happened with Matic and Fabinho

 

[El Jefe]

He'll be blamed for that abject performance but EtH set him up to fail. He had to cover so much space in the first 70mins that he was totally fecked after.

He couldn't even run after that and felt like he lost the ball everytime someone blinked near him.

He started well enough and I'm pretty sure if you look at him raw stats he would have had many tackles, blocks and interceptions but he had way too much to do for a player of his age.

Continue playing in this system and he will look awful many times.

 

[Red Rash]

I thought he was one of our better players alongside Onana and Varane but was still a pretty average performance. Seems to lack match sharpness and had no support in midfield which didn't help.

 

[Josh 76]

The elephant in the room. No way can he play a whole season. Need a CDM to compete from his place

 

[IrishRedDevil]

Badly need a replacement to compete with him.

 

[Conor]

He needs a few proper games in a row to get going, hopefully he won't have to do this multiple times like last season, as he's properly dodgy for those few games.

 

[Borys]

I actually think he was good. It's just he was left on his own on too many occasions. He looks slow on 6 yards but surely Ten Hag saw that issue in latter stage of last season.

 

[DWelbz19]

We will break him having to play in midfield with these two no.10s twice a week.

 

[Dannn411]

He has never been a good passer of the ball in his career and has never controlled tempo. Yet Ten Hag has chosen to play him out there on an island by himself his entire time here. In what world does that make sense? He needs at least one but ideally two controllers next to him a la Real Madrid or this is what you will keep getting.

 

[Santoryo]

Bad performance. His inability to keep the ball is quite shocking at this point now. He's now of the biggest factor as to why we can't control games nor why Ten Hag doesn't even attempt to. A midfield of Casemiro, Mount and Bruno or Eriksen isn't going to keep the ball. Casemiro is just to loose in possession and outside of quick moving football, he isn't going to help much, Bruno looseness with the ball is well documented, Mount has so far only been a workhorse, decent to good off the ball but a ghost when we're in possession and Eriksen is physically shot and can't win any challenge his way.

 

[Leftback99]

So many banking on him taking a few games to get going. What if he's just done? It's been a long time since the mid season spell where he was good.

 

[Gaidal]

Doesnt have the legs to be in a singel pivot defensively, doesnt have the passing and isnt press resistant enough to play a single pivot offensively.

 

[Superunknown]

More than a little alarmed by what happened in today's game, especially with how easily Wolves paraded through the midfield. At times, they were just running through the middle unchallenged.

Part of that is what looked like Casemiro being very unfit. The other part of it is that I don't think today's system did him any favours. He had too much to do and hardly anyone around him to help him in the centre.