Ipswich 1 Wolves 2 - Liam Keen and Nathan Judah analysis
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00:00Hello, I'm Nathan Dewdryme here with the Wolves of Portadis, Mr. Liam Keane, Liam Hicks. We've
00:13just found one, but we've come to wonder as to what a turnaround. When they needed it
00:16the most, Pavlos Arabia and Jorgen Strohm-Larsen. They delivered, baby.
00:21Absolutely. Both of them combining for both goals. The first one, Larsen, was really,
00:25really well to pluck the ball out of the air. A little one over the top in the box. Chipped
00:29it back into Arabia's path. That was a little bit of luck. He goes to play Rodrigo Gomez.
00:32It pops back into his path. But the finish with his left foot, which we know he's got
00:35quality with, was really cute and really smart. And then for the winner, it's a lovely, lovely
00:41first-time pass from Arabia into Larsen. He makes a very, very intelligent striker's run
00:47and bundles it over the line.
00:49Now, once he got through, a little bit of VAR concern. It was pandemonium in this team.
00:55I've lost all breath. It was a breath of a second half, to be honest. And that away end
01:00went mental.
01:01They were a really good second half, weren't they? They needed to come in at half-time.
01:04Obviously, Vito Pereira was very close to us in the press box today, but he could have
01:07gone into the dressing room. I'm sure he did. And I'm sure there was probably a bit of a
01:10hairdryer treatment as well, because they weren't at it with it. They were a bit passive
01:13first half. They allowed Ipswich to dictate the pace. They were 1-0 down. They had chances
01:17themselves. There was always openings there. But it was a completely different Wolves in
01:21that second half.
01:23This Wolves seemed better than Ipswich, but when they weren't quite at the races in that
01:27first half and the crowd were very much in it, it levelled the playing field a little
01:31bit. Wolves, I don't think, dealt with the atmosphere that well in the first half. I
01:35think they struggled a little bit with the occasion. And after that, in some ways, fortunate
01:42to get through to half-time, just 1-0 down. They did have a few chances, as you say, but
01:46I thought Ipswich was certainly the better side going into half-time.
01:48But Wolves did exactly what they should have done coming out in the second half, and they
01:52killed it as an atmosphere completely. Dominated possession, passed it around the back very
01:56nicely, looked after it and started to create chances. And they should have taken some before
02:00that. Ait Nouri had a massive, massive chance that he should have taken, but they got over
02:05the line. Maybe slightly fortunate in the way they did it, but they created two really
02:09good goals, had a fantastic second-half performance, and are now top points clear. I mean, Wolves
02:14are almost there, almost over the line.
02:16Vito Pereira talked in the pre-match press conference about mentality, about mentality,
02:19mentality. And to show that grit, that determination, that mentality that they did in that second
02:25half, I don't think that was there three months ago, Liam, I really don't. And the job Vito
02:29Pereira has done to turn this around, and turn it around in so much style that they're
02:33looking towards 40 points, they're looking towards West Ham, they're looking towards
02:36Spurs now, they're looking towards Everton. They can start, almost, the pressure's off
02:41now. They can start playing football and... Almost.
02:44No, the pressure's off, mate, they're fine.
02:45Almost.
02:46But what a magnificent return. Three wins in a draw without Mateus Cunha. It's been
02:51fabulous. Beyond all of our expectations.
02:53It really has. And it's based on individuals stepping up. Larsen, again, with another goal,
02:58has stepped up. Belagard, maybe not quite... I didn't think he was bad by any means, but
03:02maybe not quite at his best as he has been in recent weeks. But over the course of these
03:05four games, he's been very, very good. Srabia, off the bench today. He doesn't always put
03:10in the best performances, but when he does, his quality shows.
03:13Well, a lot of people thought Geddes would have come off the bench today, and he didn't.
03:15It was Srabia. And I think there was a lot of people going, oh, goodness, why is Geddes
03:18not coming on? He was ready to come on. But fair play. Look, it's been a very underwhelming
03:22spell from Srabia overall. I'm sure he won't be continuing in a Wolves shirt after this
03:25season. But if that's his last main production, then it'll be remembered for some time to
03:29come because this was the clarification they needed to finish this job.
03:32Yeah, and he's done that on occasion in his Wolves career. He's had the odd really, really
03:36good game that's changed it for Wolves. And if that's his final contribution in a Wolves
03:40shirt. Meaningful. Yeah. Contribution. Honestly, our heads completely gone. He doesn't football
03:47focus and he's mushed. He's mushed. It was so stressful watching that game. I just thought
03:52my head's completely gone. If that's his final... I don't know why he's stressed. No, true,
03:57true. It was just a big game. It was a big occasion. But it's an occasion that would
04:01have got the better of them. Yeah, exactly that, exactly that. And Srabia, I think, you
04:04know, whatever he's remembered for in a Wolves shirt, this was a massive moment. And fair
04:09play to him. He was excellent off the bench. He really, really was. And, you know, we mentioned
04:13Larson getting another goal. I'm really pleased for him. So to have the individuals stepping
04:17up at a time when your best player's not there. I mean, let's be honest, it's given Vitor
04:21Pereira a decision to make for his team selection against Spurs, hasn't it? He certainly has.
04:25Absolutely, he has done. I've got to have a word for Emmanuel like we do today. I thought
04:28he was excellent. I really do. I mean, it's one of the signs of the season. He's almost
04:31like, you know, every week he's an absolute animal. He looks like he's played in the Premier
04:33League for five or six seasons. He looks so comfortable. And by the way, Liam De Lappe,
04:38quality-wise, I think he's a fantastic footballer. I think he's taken at Wolves at heart. He's
04:43fantastic. He's difficult to play against. He's scrappy. He's a little bit nasty. I don't
04:49mean that in a negative. I think some signing strikers have got to be that. He's a little
04:52bit nasty as well. He was trying to scrap with a few Wolves players. And Agbedo, chest
04:57out, he's confident. He stands there and he takes all of it and he just gives his best
05:02back. I mean, he's a fantastic signing. The club and the recruitment team deserve a lot
05:06of credit for bringing him in. You've got to remember as well, they tried to go for
05:09Kevin Danzo. Didn't happen. They were looked at other targets. Injured already. Injured
05:12already, yeah. Of course, Agbedo would have been a player they liked, but they've got
05:16to try and find the right deal at the right time. All of a sudden, they come across this
05:19player who has been magnificent. Massively, massively impressed. And once again, just stood
05:27tall to the test of De Lappe, which is a tough test.
05:3112 points the gap between 17th and 18th. 18 goal difference. Look, two points behind Spurs
05:42now in 16th. It's done. It's game over, isn't it? Yes, it should be. No, no, no, come on.
05:48You know, you've got to go and play Chelsea, Newcastle, Arsenal as well. It isn't going
05:55to happen. It's going to be the end of this month with the Leicester game, probably, unless
05:58anything happens. But Wolves get some, you know, if they win the next two, obviously,
06:00they could happen earlier. It should happen. It should be mathematically done. But for
06:04Wolves to even be in this position, considering where Vitor Pereira found them in December,
06:10is a massive turnaround. It really is. Eight points a need from the last seven games to
06:14get 40 points. Unbelievable, isn't it? They've got Leicester to play as well, who are just
06:19in time. And you're taking an Andre selfie as well. Mate, honestly. That's unbelievable.
06:25Obviously, I saw Steve Maley's tweet and I hadn't seen the broadcast, obviously,
06:30when the goal goes in, we're all tweeting and going. So I'm like, this can't be true.
06:33I retweeted, like, please say this is true. All of a sudden, loads of screenshots and he's there
06:37with the car. It's brilliant. That's brilliant. By the way, he was brilliant again today. We both
06:42said during the game, I don't know what's quite wrong with him and I don't mean that in a nasty
06:45way, but he's got a bit of a bite. Oh, I like it. He's fighting with everyone, he's scrapping
06:50with everyone. He's getting buggy first. Don't do that again. You liked it, didn't you? I didn't
06:55mind that. One final word. And we've said this almost every week as well, but Yao Gomez, I thought
07:02was terrific today. Particularly in the very, very final few minutes of that game. And Wolves
07:07are just trying to see the game out, manage the game. He's so clever with how he looks after the
07:12ball. He's so clever with the passes he makes and he brings himself into the ground. And actually,
07:15I said final word. I want to do another final word. One more. One more. Marshall Monezzi
07:20has had his critics in the last couple of weeks. Maybe not wholesale, but just the odd little bit
07:25too in there. But at the very end of that game there, he is running himself into the ground
07:32to get Wolves over the line and try and win the ball back. Now, there are things to improve,
07:36but I think he's been a really good signing and I think he needs to have his flowers a little bit.
07:40He works so, so hard. He's an absolute ox and beast. Yes, they are. Ox is a beast.
07:47Thank you. You're a beast. We've lost it. Yeah. You've lost it.
07:56Quality wise, in terms of that finishing, a couple of little things, there's things to improve,
07:59but I think he's done a good job and he's added to his team. And I think it was important to
08:03mention that. But this Wolves team got over the line today and it's a massive, massive thing.
08:06Yeah, a joke about my superb aim. We need to get a new contract, don't we?
08:10Easy work, mate. Light work. Job done. Job done. Easy work, light work, heavy work.
08:14Anyway, you enjoy. See you later. Here's just one more of all the post-match reaction.
08:18Make sure you log on to expressandstar.com.