#ok I have a tendency to never shut up so final note before these tags get any longer. If we ever find ourselves in the same fandom again | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

natasharomanoffismywife · 4 years

Text

I Never Forgot You- Chapter 4 (Natasha x Y/n)

Tag List: @natasha-danvers @lesbian-x-blackwidow @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @disneykid125 @summergeezburr @nowthisisliving27 @subject7creed @sighsam

Word Count: 1,483

Natasha Pov

“Black Widow, agent Romanoff reporting to Ivan” I State into the phone to the operator of the Red room, I take off my high heels kicking them across the floor as I crick my neck waiting to be connected to the man in question.

“Widow, status?” The gruff voice orders me across the phone, his voice always sounding like he is swallowing glass.

“Made first contact with target, target still unknown of my identity” I lie through my teeth, knowing I have signed my own death warrant if Ivan finds out. If I had told him the truth then he would’ve ordered me to kill L/n right here and now, I believe I can gain more information and data from her. I will not have him take that possibility away from me, I hear him hum as if he was mulling over my statement in his head.

“OK good, what is your plan of action?” He asks, he knows that I am capable of following his orders but he enjoys it when I come up with better plans, he has a tendency to take those plans and run with them as if he had came up with them all along, not that I can say anything unless I want a bullet put between my eyes.

“Plan is to get close to her, make her drop her guard so I can get information on her team. Then once I am done with her I will terminate the target” I recite emotionless, as if I was talking about the weather rather than killing someone. That is the first thing they hit into you at the Red Room, emotion is weakness and weakness will be dealt with by death, after many years of going through the training and dealing with my targets I have lost all my emotion. I am like a killing machine but more efficient, machines require updates to work, I just need a gun and my body to the job.

“You have a week to kill her Widow, she isn’t the main mission after all. If you get compromised tell me, we must find what Dreykov requests for your target.” He sternly tells me, General Dreykov, the high up of the organisation is the person who will send me my instructions if I become compromised.

“Understood, Widow out” I sign out of the talk, shutting my phone off before walking over to my bed. I let out a soft sigh as I relax in the soft mattress, I’ve got a week to break one of the best Shield agents around, this will be one hell of a week.

Y/n Pov

“She knows who I am Clint, she knows I won’t back down either” I inform Clint, he is back home with his family so we are safe to video chat with each other. Seeing Laura and little baby Cooper instantly putting a smile on my face, the little chubby boy instantly calming my nerves and worries.

“Shit Y/n that’s not good at all, what the hell are you going to do?” The archer asks concerned, a worried look spread across his face. I can tell that he doesn’t like the fact that I am so far away without any backup, he always has been the protective type.

“I’m going to stay and complete my mission, if she get’s in my way well… I’ll be showing the famous Black Widow just how mean I can get” I tell him darkly, knowing that she most definitely will cross my path again, after all it looks like I am her mission.

“You do know how incredibly stupid that is right?” Clint spits out, a strong look of annoyance crosses his face as he looks at me through the webcam. I shrug my shoulders before sending him a cheeky grin and wink, I had just told Romanoff how un idiotic I am, guess I’m a good liar too.

“Well I’ve always been a bit on the stupid side” I joke out to my dear friend, he laughs out before he get’s pulled away from the call by the crying of Cooper.

“I need to go and help Laura with Coop, just be safe please” Clint tenderly informs me, I nod to him and bid him farewell before the room is plunged into silence. I take a few moments to think of my next move, deciding to try to do some digging on ‘Natalie’ I strip out of my dress opting for a more comfortable jeans and leather jacket, before making my way down into the hotel foyer. I look around the grand space, taking note of the people who are entering the establishment, all looking normal and checking in at the front desk.

I walk around the big open planned space, trying to see if there was anything out of the place that could lead me to the whereabouts of one Natalie Rushman. As I hover around the magazines I can see that the lady who checked me in is walking over to me, I turn around to give her my attention.

“Miss Truman, a message was left for you today. Here you go” The lady says handing me a small note, sending me her trademark grin before walking away from me and back to the front desk. I look down at the note, unfolding the piece of paper to be met with cursive handwriting, it read:

Don’t be a stranger

26A Old Church Road Budapest

N.R

I stick the address into my pocket before making my way out of the hotel and out into the raining street, I put my head down and start to walk towards the address that I was given. It takes me about half an hour to walk in the heavy rain, feeling my nerves ice over with each hit of the cold droplets. I finally arrive to a large building complex, I walk up and make my way up the stairs to number 26A.

I knock on the door loudly but no answer came, after a few more loud knocks I decide it was time to bust my way in. I grab my pistol out of the waistband of my jeans before testing the door, finding it unlocked. I push open the door before slowly making my way into the apartment, holding my gun in front of me in case I need to shoot my way out of the place.

I move around only seeing dull, plain rooms, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. I make my room into the last room seeing nothing but a desk with a laptop screen illuminating the small office space, I walk towards the laptop seeing that it is playing my conversation I had with Clint playing on repeat.

My ear picks up a small noise behind me making me turn around hurriedly coming face to face with a young woman who punches my gun out of my hands. She pounces on me, trapping me on the floor as she whips out a knife trying to stab it into me. I press my head up, head-butting the girl hard in her face effectively releasing me from her hold. As she is stunned I punch her hard in the face, throwing her off balance.

I go to punch her again but this time she counters it before kicking me hard in the chest, winded I full back into the desk hard, wincing as the corner of the furniture breaks the skin of my back. She charges at me but I manage to pick myself up off the floor so I can meet each hit with my own hand, countering each blow with precision. I finally see an opening in her stance so after I counter one of her punches I jab my elbow hard into her ribs, making her recoil in pain I grab the gun off the floor, aiming it at her head.

“Who the hell are you?” I gasp out sternly, trying to catch my breath. The woman, who’s face is all bloodied, spits some blood at my feet before sending me a sadistic grin.

“You will fall to the Widow, the Red Room will rule superior” The woman spits out as she starts to laugh at me, Natasha set this up, she wanted to send a message.

Knowing that was all I was going to get from the woman I empty two shots in between her eyes, leaving her to lay in her own puddle of blood. I shoot the laptop before limping out of the apartment, wincing as the hard rain hits my cuts. Natasha wanted to send me a message, well two can play at that game. The dead assassin will be my message to her, it shows that I don’t die easily.

#I never forgot you #chapter 4 #natasha romanoff x reader #black widow x reader #slow burn #avengers fanfiction #fanfic

115 notes · View notes

blurry-fics · 5 years

Text

Study Date

Pairing: college!Josh Dun x Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1645

Request: This was a request from the lovely @applecakeradio who asked me to do a part two to Fire Alarm! It’s not super necessary to read that one before this fic, but it’s one of my favorites so I still recommend you give it a look!

Author’s Note: As mentioned above, Fire Alarm is one of my favorites, so getting a chance to write more for it was super fun! You’d think I would right more college!AUs considering I am in college, but I guess not... anyway, lots more sequels to fics coming in the next few weeks! :) (gif credit)

You slid your laptop into your bag and pulled it up over your shoulder, muttering quiet apologies to people as you brushed past them. Today’s lecture had been boring, as most of them were, but you were just glad to be done with it until next week. The only exciting part had been that Josh had sat a few rows in front of you, meaning that you had been able to stare at him instead of paying attention for most of the class.

You turned your music up as you followed the stream of people out of the lecture hall. Dark clouds filled the sky outside, but it wasn’t raining which you were thankful for. There was nothing worse than arriving back to your dorm soaked from the knees down.

Your roommate was nowhere to be found as you returned to your room. They had the tendency to stay out during the day, and as long as they made it back by the next morning, you didn’t really stress yourself over their whereabouts. Besides, who were you to complain about having the room to yourself?

You grabbed your laptop and took a seat at your desk, already flipping through pages of your anatomy textbook to find what pages you had to read. Your browser had just finished opening when there was a knock on your door. Figuring it was your roommate who had forgotten their keys, you quickly got up and opened the door.

It wasn’t your roommate.

“Hi,” the boy smiled, pushing his curly brown hair back from his face. “I’m glad this is the right room.”

“Uh, hey, Josh,” you returned his smile.

You and Josh hadn’t spoken much since the fire alarm incident last week, aside from a few shared smiles as you passed each other in the hall or glanced at one another in anatomy class. The whole situation had already been written off as a fluke in your mind and you had returned to admiring him from afar.

“What’s up?” you asked, breaking the silence that had formed between the two of you.

“I was just wondering if you wanted to study with me in the lounge,” he shrugged.

“Oh, um, yeah! Let me grab my stuff.”

Josh took a small step inside your room as you gathered up your study materials. His eyes wandered over all the posters and photos that covered your side of the room. It was hard not to feel at least a little embarrassed.

“Alright, I’m ready,” you said as you desperately tried to balance all your belongings in your arms.

“Great. Do you mind if we stop by my room?”

“Not at all.”

You followed Josh down the stairs to the third floor. He snapped his fingers as he walked down the hall, finally stopping at a door towards the end. Two name tags were stuck on it, although Josh’s was starting to peel away at the edges.

“You can come in, if you want.”

You took a small step into Josh’s room, too nervous to venture much farther. His roommate was sitting on one of the beds, tapping at keys on an electronic keyboard. He had headphones on, so he didn’t immediately notice when you walked into the room.

“This is my roommate, Tyler,” Josh said, gesturing to the boy on the bed. He looked up and waved at you with a smile. “This is Y/N, we have anatomy together.”

“Nice to meet you,” Tyler said quickly before sliding his headphones back on.

“He’s not big on talking,” Josh said quietly to you as he grabbed a textbook. “But he’s cool.”

You nodded and looked at the stuff on Josh’s wall. It was mostly posters for bands that you had never heard of before, but there were a couple pictures of his family and friends scattered around. Tyler’s side was a lot cleaner than Josh’s.

“Alright, let’s get out of here,” Josh said, grabbing his keys from where he had tossed them on the bed and walking out of the room.

You and Josh headed downstairs to the lounge that was on the first floor. There weren’t many other people there, so you had no problem snagging a couch. It only took a few seconds for it to become covered in textbooks and papers.

“What are you working on?” Josh asked.

“Just the reading for anatomy. Not very exciting.”

“Is any homework exciting?”

“I guess not.”

Josh pulled out a folder that was covered in a variety of stickers. Most of them were for bands or local radio stations. You thought Josh had mentioned something to you about working at your school’s radio station, but you couldn’t be sure.

“What is that?” you asked as he pulled out sheets of music.

“A lot of stuff,” he laughed lightly. “Some of it is for classes, but there are a couple pages from music Tyler has written. He wants me to figure out some drums for it.”

“That’s really cool. Do you mind if I take a look?”

“Go for it.”

You grabbed a nearby page and began to look over it. The word “Forest” was scribbled across the top in messy handwriting, accompanied by a few other little notes. The sheet music didn’t really make any sense to you since you weren’t a drummer, but it was still nice to look at.

“I had no idea you were a musician,” you said, handing it back to him. “I just thought you liked music.”

“I mean, I do,” he grinned. “But I’ve also been playing drums since I was little. Tyler and I have been talking about starting an actual band, but we’re not sure that we can do it with just two people.”

“Sure you could. Plenty of people perform on their own, so why couldn’t you two do something just as good?”

Josh seemed to like that answer, “You have a point.”

You smiled and flipped to the assigned reading in your anatomy textbook. It actually seemed like it might be decently interesting, unlike most of the other chapters you had been stuck reading over the last few weeks.

“Have you finished the lab for anatomy?” Josh asked. He was still sorting through his papers.

“Yeah, I finished it up last night.”

“How was it?”

“Not too bad, all things considered.”

“Do you think you could, maybe, help me out with some of it? I tried to finish it last night, but I got stuck on labeling the diagram.”

“So that’s why you wanted to study with me,” you laughed.

“No!” Josh smiled, rubbing at his arm. “I swear, I actually just wanted to study with you. It also just so happens that you’re really good when it comes to anatomy.”

Don’t make a dirty joke, Y/N.

“I’m just teasing. I’ll totally help out.”

“Thank you so much.”

He grabbed his laptop and began to open his lab report. You, meanwhile, skimmed over the assigned chapter and wrote down some of the bolded terms and their definitions. Midterms were drawing near and you needed to make sure that your notes were as comprehensive as possible.

“Alright, here’s what I have so far,” Josh said, setting his laptop down between the two of you.

You scooted over a little so that you would better be able to see what was on the screen. To your surprise, Josh did the same so that your legs were now pressed up together. It was hard not to smile at even the smallest amount of contact.

“What you have so far looks right,” you said. “What were you having troubles with?”

“I was just getting the arm and leg muscles mixed up in my head.”

“Did you try using the textbook?”

“Yeah, but that diagram looked totally different and I couldn’t tell what was what.”

You spent the next twenty minutes helping Josh figure out which muscle was which and how to tell them apart for future reference. Thankfully, he seemed to be picking it up pretty quick.

“I think you should teach the class,” Josh laughed. “That taught me more than our professor ever has.”

“I took anatomy in high school so most of this is just a repeat for me, but thanks.”

Josh grabbed his laptop and scooted away from you, leaving your leg feeling a lot colder than it had been. Now that he no longer needed your help, you went back to reading through the textbook.

The two of you stayed in the lounge for the next couple hours, occasionally asking each other for help or taking study breaks that involved telling high school stories or things that had happened in your other classes. You were genuinely enjoying time with Josh outside of class, and you were hoping that maybe this wouldn’t be the last time you two studied together.

“Well,” Josh said, shutting his laptop. “I’m starving so I think I’m going to head to the student union to grab some food.”

“Oh, ok. Thanks for inviting me to study with you.”

“Yeah, it was fun. We should definitely do it again sometime.”

“Agreed.”

Josh grabbed the rest of his things and started to walk back to his room. You decided to stay in the lounge for a little while longer, at least until you finished the reading, before heading back to your own room to make some food. Of course, this plan was short lived because Josh was quick to grab your attention again.

“Actually, would you want to come with me to grab some food?”

“What were you going to get?”

“Not sure yet. I’m open to suggestions.”

You smiled, “Yeah, let me just drop my stuff off in my room.”

“Meet you back here in five?”

“Yeah.”

Josh walked off and you quickly gathered up your things. Maybe you wouldn’t have to admire him from afar, after all.

76 notes · View notes

shelivesinthewoods · 6 years

Text

Anxious (Mr. Sinclaire x MC... sort of)

Ok, so, it doesn’t actually include my MC, Isabel. This is a little piece that came to mind that I couldn’t get rid of for Mr. Sinclaire and the Earl. This takes place... sometime... after the opera.

Tagging: @katurrade and @tinygooplandroad and @bexlyp

Rating: G

Word count : 1660 ish and I can’t make read more work tonight, so long post 😭

Not quite the era I wanted, but hey...

The day was beautiful and temperate; a lovely early summer day, warm, but the breeze carrying a crispness resemblant of spring. While waking up the familiar lane, his hands were damp; the palms a little sweaty. He stepped up to knock on the door; then hesitated— and then, a second time. He blew out a breath, muttering, “This is ridiculous.” As he finally knocked at the door, “How many times have you spoken to the Earl of Edgewater? After father died, you nearly spent more time here than at home.”

The heavy door swung open to reveal Mr. Woods; the steward greeted him with a bow, “Mr. Sinclaire! Good morning!”

“Good morning, Mr. Woods, is— is the earl still in?” A tiny part of him hoped the answer was no.

“Yes sir, he is. Allow me a moment to inquire if he is amenable to a guest.”

“Please express my deepest apologies for arriving unannounced.”

“Of course, sir.” Woods replied, pulling the door shut behind him, and gesturing to the settee. “Please have a seat.” Woods then turned on his heel, heading further into the estate, in the direction of the Earls study.

Ernest stood for a moment, contemplating the settee, before he took up pacing. He spoke with the Earl all the time—for pity’s sake, the man had been kind enough to help him learn to run his own manor, and to take care of his family business. He’d become a mentor to the younger man, and a good friend.

“Why, Mr. Sinclaire, shouldn’t you be in London?” The shrill voice if The Countess made him stop in his tracks, “I do hope nothing untoward has befallen my husbands bastard.”

The heat behind her words nearly made him wince. He had entertained the idea that Lady Isabel had exaggerated the Countesses disdain; but clearly it had been an understatement. “I’m quite certain that Edmund or Miss Sutton would let you know immediately, Lady Henrietta.”

Her expression was pinched, “One would hope,” she agreed, “However, I’ve been hearing less from both of them recently. Pray tell, how has the season been so far?”

Mildly, he stated, “It has been pleasant enough. The entertainment has been most impressive.”

“And the companionship? I’ve heard that Miss Holloway is utterly delightful and seems quite interested in you. It would be a good match. Quite respectable.”

“It could be s good match,” he agreed— it would be a wonderful match, if he wanted s marriage like his first. That was not what he was the least bit interested in. “Except that I have no inclination to marry Felicity Holloway.”

The Countess‘ mouth pursed, “No? I have heard she is a lovely girl.” She forced a smile and he noted that it looked a little pained. Honestly, the Countess had never deemed him important enough to speak much with. Only pleasantries; and she had never actively seemed him out. “Any other ladies who have caught the attention of our elusive Mr. Sinclaire? Perhaps that is why you seek counsel from my husband?”

Ernest was relatively certain that his facial features were properly reflecting his feelings on this conversation, he started with a tense voice, “You so is both a disservice by—“

Mr. Woods returned, “My apologies for the delay Mr. Sinclaire, the earl is ready to receive you.” His eyes briefly flicked over the the Countess, “My apologies, madam.”

Sinclaire gave the steward a small closed mouth smile, “Thank you, Mr. Woods if you’ll excuse me,” he added to Henrietta as he followed the steward to the familiar study where he said, “Mr. Woods, *thank you* again.” Mr. Woods nodded once before knocking on the study door again.

All of a sudden, his palms were damp again, his nerves raging to the forefront again as Vincent called for him to come in. He took a deep breath , opened the door and slowly stepped inside. “Ernest! So good to see you.” He stood and walked over to shake Ernest’s hand. He was jovial today despite the amount of paper on his desk. “Very pleasant to see you, but I’m sure there’s a reason for this visit? I know you typically don’t return home during the season unless there’s a reason.”

Ernest blanked— not ready yet, for the conversation he came to have. “How have things been here?”

Vincent winced, clearly not the topic he should have chosen, “You shouldn’t worry over such things.” He paused, “Your first dinner party was a success, yes?”

Ah, that first dinner party. He had known since the garden party in Lady Isabel’s honor, that he’d been in trouble. He hadn’t— until she’d arrived to his dinner part— realized how much. He had simply been driven to distraction by her. Everything about her- from the beautiful red dress, to her teasing him about being a closet romantic— but it was when she followed him outside, when none of the people whom he might call friends would have (or did)- even knowing it could be perceived as improper... Well he hadn’t expected it, nor the conversation that came after. She had expressed concern for him. She’d told him that if the parties he hosted made him miserable, that he should stop. Concerned about his happiness and welfare. She was so unlike the others of the Gentry- likely due to her modest upbringing- she was genuine. Even if she were bound polite society and manners, if she was not pleased, you could tell- if you were paying attention. And he... he found himself paying far too much attention. “Yes, I would consider it successful... Duke Richards decided to... honor...us with his presence.” He just managed to keep the sneer from his voice. The man had always set his nerves on edge— Lady Isabel’s presence only made it worse.

“The Duke... does have a tendency to do what suits him when he wants to.” Vincent’s hand unconsciously went to a letter on his desk, crinkling the paper slightly.

Ernest’s head tilted slightly, “The Duke has contacted you?”

“It is a matter I am not eager to respond to. It requires no urgency on my behalf. While your visit is a pleasant surprise, Ernest, I surmise you did not come for small talk, or to discuss the Duke.”

“No sir, I did not.” ‘Why is this so difficult?!’ He wondered. He hadn’t hesitated when talking to Evelyn’s father before their engagement— he hadn’t been worried, as it had nearly been arranged for years prior to it actually happening. Their families had been close but while Ernest had always been fond of Evelyn, if her father—or she— declined, he wouldn’t have been as hurt as... as he may be now. This— this was entirely different. Ernest was afraid. Afraid he could lose the friendship he’d built with the earl, as well as Edmund but his biggest fear; the one he found hardest to face was the potential of losing her. The most beautiful woman in the world to him, the most challenging, the most worthwhile. The only one he could picture himself spending the rest of his life with. “I...” ‘Why won’t the words come?!”

Vincent gave him a very kind smile, gesturing to the chair across from him, “it’s a rare sight to see you struggling for words, Ernest.” The younger man face him a small smile, “Is this about Isabel?”

The smile came more naturally this time, as he nodded once, “Nearly everything is since she’s joined our lives.”

The earl chuckled, “She does have a way about her, doesn’t she? Even Edmund has taken a shining to her.”

“Yes! She’s helped draw him out.”

“Only him?” Vincent asked, and at the heat that lit across the younger mans cheeks, he added, “I’ve both seen and heard that you’re a changed man, Ernest. All for the better of course.”

“Thank you sir.”

“You are... fond? Of my daughter?”

Ernest sucked in a breath, studying his hands a moment before he met the elders gaze, “You know me well enough to know I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t.”

Vincent rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “Exactly what is it you wanted to discuss, my friend?” His attention was fully on him now.

After gathering his thoughts for a moment, Ernest plunged in, “I want... I want to marry Isabel.” Where as his voice started out a little hesitant, he had ended confidently, “I came to ask if you would allow me the opportunity to make her my wife.”

The Earl stared at him for a long moment, his features unreadable- long enough that Ernest questioned if he’d made a mistake- misjudged their relationship. Ernest stood, the earl did too- his mouth pulling into a huge smile, as he pulled the younger Gentry man into an embrace, “Nothing... Nothing would make me happier. Back at her garden party, even I saw something between you.” When the earl pulled away, Ernest saw that tears had pooled in his eyes, “I did not want to force Isabel into a marriage, let alone one like mine. All I want is for her to be happy. I wish... I wish I had been strong enough to pursue what would have made me happy. You believe you will grow to love her?”

“I already do... If she will have me, I will spend the rest of my days striving to make her happy and proving that love to her.”

“Then go, my boy. You surely don’t have the time to coddle an old man. Go and claim your fiancé.” He took the paper he’d tattered on his desk, “The Duke. He has also asked for Isabel’s hand.” Ernest sucked in a breath again, “ I have... delayed my response, but he will not be put off for long. I was uncertain how to tell him no, without offending- or saying that all my Isabel could write about in her last missive was the incredibly charming and handsome Mr. Sinclaire.” He winked at him, as heat erupted in his face again, “Now I can honestly say that there have been other offers and Isabel is a woman of her own mind. Go claim her.”

#desire & decorum #mr sinclaire x mc #mr sinclaire #playchocies #choices: stories you play #the earl of edgewater #long post

103 notes · View notes

freebestbettingtips · 5 years

Text

Premier League: Wolves 0-2 Huddersfield

New Post has been published on https://bestfreebettingtips.com/premier-league-wolves-0-2-huddersfield/

Premier League: Wolves 0-2 Huddersfield

Artwork by @chapulana.

Out of darkness cometh light. One of the sayings that epitomises Wolverhampton Wanderers and has been a tagline for the club for as long as one can remember. At this particular moment in time, after a fourth defeat in five, it’s difficult to see the light for Nuno’s Wolves. Now, it is a far cry from the disastrous double drop that Wolves suffered when they ended up in the third tier of English football and a million miles from when the Molineux club fell to the fourth division, however, at this particular moment in time, it’s a blip. Very much like eternal darkness. Since beating Crystal Palace in early October, Wolves have failed to find the form which got them off to such a good start this season.

Huddersfield, on the other hand, were great value for the win and while Wolves’ defensive problems will be analysed in this piece, we will evaluate the Terriers performance as well. Arguably the best way to sum up the first half at Molineux is that it was Huddersfield’s best 45 minutes of the season and Wolves’ worst (maybe with the exception of Watford). Wagner’s side pressed the home side in all the right places and didn’t let the once acclaimed ‘Champions of the World’ have any time on the ball at all. Before we get into the game itself, let’s see how the two teams lined up.

Team News

No surprises from Nuno with the Wolves starting XI. Jonny, the only absentee from the point at Arsenal, replaced by Ruben Vinagre as expected. Wagner sprung somewhat of a shock by selecting Tommy Smith in a back three rather than Stankovic who was thought to be replacing Zanka. Durm came in for Lowe, in Huddersfield’s only other change.

Much like Watford before them, Huddersfield recognised that Wolves tend to struggle if the midfield is packed and that’s exactly what happened. That accompanied with Nuno’s reluctance to sacrifice his system and beliefs ensured that once Huddersfield went into the lead, it was going to take something special for Wolves to get back into the game.

Same Old Issues Arising

Going back to Nuno’s reluctance to change the system, you could maybe attribute that to Mooy’s first goal. If we played with three central midfielders in either a 3-5-2 or 4-3-3, it would have been someone else rather than Cavaleiro ‘tracking’ Mooy. Before that, Doherty is at fault as he fails to track his man which might sound familiar and that’s because it is. Without even having to think, that’s goals against Spurs, Watford, Brighton and now Huddersfield that he’s been at fault for. As opposed to singling out Doherty, let’s take a look at the phases of play that led up to Mooy’s opener, which came inside the first ten minutes.

Good pressure on the ball from Jimenez.

As we looked at in the preview, Huddersfield have a tendency to play the ball around at the back before panicking and then lumping it long. In this instance, it was no different as Lossl is pressed by Raul Jimenez. Due to the positioning of Costa and Cavaleiro, there is no pass on for the keeper as Jimenez cuts off the possible pass to Kongolo on the far side.

Nothing To See

Mooy and Pritchard both press after the ball finds its way to Coady.

Coady remains composed enough to play a lofted ball to Ruben Vinagre. There’s not much going wrong at this point, although this normally seems to be the case. It only takes something very small to go wrong and then the domino effect begins.

This is just one example of where Wolves’ wing-backs were restricted by Wagner’s side.

Mooy and Hadergjonaj shut down the young Portuguese wing-back, bearly giving him space to breathe, let alone do anything constructive with the ball. It will come as little surprise that Vinagre was dispossessed as play turned over.

Again, not too much of an issue.

A slightly wayward pass from Pritchard put Mounie on the back foot meaning that Moutinho could easily play the ball backwards to the Wolves back three and another attack could be born. Boly’s positioning is perhaps a question mark as he too far from Coady and Bennett (who hasn’t got a name tame tag), nevertheless, it’s not too problematic as of this moment.

The Turning Point

A simple pass into Bennett from Coady.

Rather than playing back to Rui, Coady opts for the straightforward pass to Bennett which is fine in itself, but its there where the errors start being counted. Admittedly, Pritchard (Huddersfield player closest to Coady) was hot on his heels, but if the Wolves captain plays it back to the keeper and gives him an angle, the goal might not have happened. There are a lot of what ifs involved, mind. Let’s see how it unfolds.

Bennett plays it safe.

Ok, there are three options here for Bennett. Number one, play the ball out wide to Doherty. Number two, play the ball centrally to an out of shot Helder Costa. And number three, drive beyond the oncoming Mounie and then reassess. Bennett opts for number two. On the surface, none of the options are particularly right or wrong, however, Bennett was never going to do number three as Coady and Boly would have done. That’s one of the reasons why there have been mentions of Dendoncker, he would’ve beaten Mounie and then played the ball. Bennett knows his limitations and that’s a great trait to have, all the same, how much longer can Dendoncker be kept waiting? Keep an eye on the circled Mooy.

Wrong Pass

Doherty doesn’t think about it.

Costa received the ball where the black circle is or thereabouts. He was tightly marked meaning he couldn’t spin which in turn meant he had to bring Doherty into play. Doherty’s aim is to put the ball back to where it came from, Jimenez the target. The Irishman plays it first time and unsurprisingly doesn’t get enough on it and Billing says thank you very much, I’ll have a bit of that. Hindsight suggests that a pass to Moutinho would’ve been the better option. Quite how Doc was expecting to get enough on his pass from there with the amount of backlift he had will remain a mystery. Mooy is still on the blindside…

Yes, there’s quite a bit going on in this image.

Right, so after Billing intercepts Doherty’s pass, he plays it to Durm on the left-hand side before receiving the ball back from the German. Durm then bypasses Doherty and Billing before having the ball back off his teammate. Moutinho should be taking charge here and telling Bennett to drop off. That’s probably up for debate, one thing that isn’t is Doherty’s tracking back or lack of it as the story goes. Bear in mind where Durm and Doherty are on the above image. Also, Mooy has still got far too much room and nobody has noticed him for ten seconds.

Mooy Makes Wolves Pay

All the time and space in the world.

Durm is now five or six yards ahead of Doherty. That is potentially because Bennett gave him a shout and told him that he had the situation under control. Either way, one of them was in the wrong. It’s unclear whether or not Durm meant to pull the ball back to the edge of the area, we shall give him the benefit of the doubt on this occasion. The ball goes between Neves and Moutinho and before you know it, Mooy is passing the ball into Rui’s bottom right-hand corner. If Nuno matched Wagner from the start and played with a third midfielder, there is a possibility that someone would be a damn sight closer to the Australian than Cavaleiro is. I guess we’ll never know.

Mooy Makes Wolves Pay Again

Mooy’s second of the game which effectively killed the game as a contest was a well-executed free-kick. Quite what the wall were doing is worth a moment of everyone’s time as it is most bizarre. Costa stood away from the rest of the wall which left a gaping hole. In many respects, it was Rui’s way of saying to Mooy, go on then, try me. Mooy did try him.

Through the gap.

Costa responded to someone on Twitter asking what he was doing there and his response was “because that’s where I was supposed to be” – one can only assume that Rui has put him there to prevent Mooy from getting any real bend on his free-kick. That worked well.

Wolves only had a couple of decent chances of note, Jimenez’ had a header fantastically cleared off the line. Goal line technology ruled there was 0.18mm in it. Wolves’ other chance also fell to the Mexican, he should’ve taken the shot on himself after being played onside by an injured Huddersfield player. He chose to square the ball to absolutely nobody and Wolves’ best chance of the afternoon was gone.

Final Thoughts

Huddersfield had more of the ball, more shots, more shots on target and were ultimately the better side. That’s the second time on the bounce that Wolves have lost 2-0 at home after an international break. It’s also the second time that it’s been an awful first half performance that we’ve struggled to recover from. Food for thought indeed for Nuno. Huddersfield face Brighton at home next as they look to put some real daylight between them and the relegation zone. Wolves travel to South Wales to face Neil Warnock’s Cardiff. Will there be light at the end of the tunnel there for Wolves? We shall see.

Until the next time.

If you love tactical analysis, then you’ll love the new magazine from totalfootballanalysis.com – 118 pages of pure tactical analysis covering topics from the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga and many, many more. Get your copy today for just £4.99 here!

0 notes