Andy

My only real problem with the signing is that we could've done more to get it done earlier in the window so he could've got a full pre season under his belt. If we did value him at what we eventually paid, then we were lowballing them and it didn't pay off. He could've still got injured obviously but a full summer could've at least had him up to speed tactically.

Wolves have been progressively more solid since the Liverpool match, I do agree with KI that they're a bit unlucky to be sat on 8 points by the eye test this season. A quick stat-nerd check says they've been unlucky by the numbers too, they have roughly the same "xPts" as Sunderland. I'm not a big fan of this data but it at least corroborates what I've seen by eye. Having said that, our performance was obviously still pretty poor in the final third. Even if they've been unlucky, Wolves still belong somewhere in the bottom 5, we have to at least be working their keeper far more than we did.

Villa have been quite poor in a lot of games this season tbh, they're just constantly finding ways to win which is the biggest difference between us and them.

Long time since I've felt that bored watching us, didn't think for one moment that either team would score.

Think they've earned their title back.

The cracks are starting to show a bit though, they've only won two league games since the end of October, and we gifted them one of those.

The alternative is Fullkrug tbf.

I don't think so, at the start of the window he was seen Wilson's replacement, we were looking at him long before the Isak thing kicked off. The strikers we were trying to spunk £70m+ on were surely intended to be Isak's replacement.

We didn't sign Wissa to make money back on him, it was basically just money down for goals/league position/medium-term striker cover, and that's that. In that sense it's hard to judge the value of his signing commercially until he leaves. I think his signing looks worse in a way because of Woltemade not looking like a natural striker. We've ended up turning Wissa into the Isak replacement, which I doubt was ever the intention.

This is true, but mentality is part of an elite athlete's package. If you're paying £55m/6 figures a week for a player, mental strength is something that should absolutely be in the equation. It's not like he came here and got booed from the first minute anyway. The fans were roaring him on earlier in the season and his form was still poor for the most part.

You're right, but I don't think there's a stadium in this country that wouldn't have large sections of fans on his back after 26 largely poor performances. It's not right, but it's reality. You'd expect that a top level footballer would have the resilience to get on with it and get the basics right to improve his confidence and form, especially one who broke through in a high pressure arena like Old Trafford. I feel like there's some keeness to blame the fans for his confidence/performances, but it's up to him to show something to get those fans back on side.

To the eye, the two X's below are roughly the points being measured: While it's always hard to tell without lines and with the camera angle taken into account, it still looks pretty cut and dry to me.

I have mixed feelings on him. He was obviously poor yesterday, no doubting that, but he still got shots away and almost scored that looping header too. I'd take that every day of the week ahead of Woltemade not looking a threat at all in that position. I think it's clear that he's mainly just a poacher and probably won't offer much in general play, so when he's missing chances he'll look shite.

Elanga's performances are probs a worthwhile sacrifice to see KI get called a no-life snidey gobshite

Never looks like scoring, even earlier in the season when he literally was scoring. The chance towards the end is absolutely criminal for an attacking player never mind a striker. You absolutely have to try to get a shot away early there.

He was decent in the first half, anonymous again in the second. Thought his energy levels and pressing were good in the first 45, passing was tidy, without really offering a lot of threat again. He's growing on me but still has a long way to go IMO.

It'll never sit right with me that this lad is either benched or shoved to the right in huge games like this one to make room for Gordon. Yet again looked by far our best attacking player when he moved to the left.

Fair

Which part of it though? Even if we're going off daylight, there was daylight between his and Pope's feet. Again if we're going off the obstruction it's a tough one. It's soft, but he does interfere.

Thought he was dodgy for the disallowed goal. The actual second goal should've been defended, they just sliced through us.

He was offside, objectively, his foot is beyond Pope's so only Thiaw is in front of him. How it took 4 minutes to establish that, and how ITV still haven't, is beyond me. Whether it's an obstruction or not is highly subjective, but there's definitely a strong argument that he stops Thiaw getting to the ball.

That's awful by Nick.

I'm not even convinced that Var realise this given how long it took. His foot was clearly beyond Pope.

Aye, not sure why people are missing that.

His foot is behind Pope's. Therefore there's only one player in front of him. If they think he's obstructing, it's offside.