Joining Mikey Burrows this week was regular co-commentator and ex-Wolves full-back Andy Thompson, as well as fellow former old gold players in goalkeeper Carl Ikeme and striker Chris Iwelumo, who analysed the Premier League victory over the Eagles.
Also joining the panel were special guests and fellow old gold heroes Geoff Thomas, Rob Edwards, Jack Price and Neil Emblen, as the team discussed the tactics employed to overcome Palace, breaking teams down, and VAR sending Palace down to 10-men.
On a scintillating opening half an hour
Ikeme said: “It was a really good start from Wolves. I liked the way that we were putting the ball in the box a lot earlier, Dendoncker was racing forwards and getting in the box, we’ve had attacking players in the box, Podence and Neto were brilliant, and Palace looked dangerous towards the end of the first-half, but apart from that we looked really good.
“We moved the ball well and were a real threat going forward. The way Palace play, they allowed us to have the ball, but it’s been the crispness of the passes which has been impressive, right from the start.
“You could probably see it as ex-pros that the passes are being played with intensity, the touch is right, and it just started to flow straight away from the off. It’s not just that Palace were letting us have it, but we’ve been doing the right things with it; getting it wide, getting it in the box, nice little passes, and we looked dangerous throughout the first-half.”
On the importance of Wolves overloading the wings
Iwelumo said: “I thought Semedo and Ait-Nouri were outstanding, Neto and Podence were amazing, and the rotation of the front three really caused problems to Palace. With Dendoncker, the engine that he’s got getting into the box, his two attempts from outside the box with one being struck so well, but it was always going away and if he hadn’t have hit it so well it would have probably ended up in the back of the net.
“They played with a purpose, really put Palace on the back foot and didn’t allow them to get into the match at all. They were clinical, and we spoke about Podence needing to do that, but from the first-half, it was probably Neto who was the main man.
“We’re not only putting good balls into the box and getting bodies into the box, but we also had players like Dendoncker who was picking up balls that were falling to the edge, we were on our front foot, we were anticipating and we were taking the game by the scruff of the neck.”
🔥🔢 @_nelsonsemedo_ pic.twitter.com/4ftXL0HcWF
— Wolves (@Wolves) November 1, 2020
On Neves dictating the team
Ikeme said: “He was my man of the match. He’s been brilliant since he came back into the side. His range of passing, the way he dictates the game for us from the middle and his energy going forward and getting back, winning interceptions from their midfielders, he’s been brilliant.
“He’s been really good since he came back in, but his passing out to the wings was brilliant tonight, but that’s what you want from your central midfielder, to take the game by the scruff of the neck, and he was dictating everything and he was the best player on the pitch by far, in my opinion.
“There were some great performances, but I felt that everything went through him. I know Podence and Neto were brilliant, but it was because Neves kept getting the ball and doing diagonals to put Semedo in wide, and really made us tick.”
