news-engine

Preston North End made it back-to-back defeats in their first home game of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Losing 3-1 to Cesar Peixoto’s side, Jordan Thompson’s emphatic finish was merely a consolation as Fer Lopez ran the show with a brace and technical brilliance. Preston’s lack of inventiveness in the final third was characterised by their negative system which only sought to attack from the counter, even then squandering every chance they were given. Producing an xG. of only 0.58 compared to Wolves’ 1.58, the quality in the attack was staggering between the two sides and exposed how much work North End need to do in the last few days of the market. Shoehorning Alfie Devine onto the right, Callum Lang seemingly not looking settled in a forward position, and Jusef Erabi non-existent, there was a lot to be desired when it came to PNE’s forward men. A lack of ideas, creativity, and defensive ability, Wolves had their way all afternoon, allowing Fer Lopez to introduce himself as a bright prospect as he danced around the nee Deepdale dance floor. Key Moments It all began within eight minutes in Lancashire, as Preston and turned over possession to the away side after a lacklustre attack with Lopez receiving the ball just after halfway after spinning Lindsay onto the floor. The 22-year old proceeded to run with the ball with only one aim, carrying into the box and then burying the ball into the near post. Daniel Iversen should’ve done so much better, getting beat far too easily, albeit by a great finish. Wolves continued to pile on the pressure as Raul Jimenez’s back heel effort whiskered just wide of the post. The second half, the Black Country side turned on the style, with Mateus Mane coming close at the start with a well-worked effort from the left hand side. Then, some great passing play from Jimenez and Armstrong allowed them link up and pass around the Preston defence for the former Blackburn man to go round Iversen and put the ball into the net for a two-goal lead. The pressure continued, with the final blow coming in the 83rd minute as Tommy Doyle’s pass cut through the Preston block to find Lopez once again who buried it first time into the same near post spot past Iversen. Despite their efforts, Wolves still conceded a wonder goal from Jordan Thompson, showing that it’s okay to have a pop from distance instead of trying to work it into box. After receiving the ball on the edge of the box, the Northern Irishman unleashed one with his left foot into the top corner, perplexing everyone in the stadium and the goalkeeper himself. Daniel Iversen’s Near Post Kryptonite It was an afternoon to forget for the Danish shot-stopper, who didn’t do a lot of that. Making two saves and conceding three, all at his near post, his start to the league campaign has been nothing short of disappointing. With Lee Nicholls on the bench waiting for his chance, you would like to think that the former Huddersfield Town man is going to be given his opportunity against Everton on Wednesday night. If he impresses and affects the result, who’s to say that Nicholls doesn’t displace Iversen from his number one spot, the objective he was brought in to do. There’s a lot riding on the next few weeks for the former Leicester man, as improvement is a requirement from not only from himself, but his defence in front of him. It’s not entirely on him, the defence of Liam Lindsay and Jordan Storey were cowardice in their approach, affording space and time to brilliant one-on-one players and technical players which vastly improved their odds of scoring. Bringing us onto our next point… Centre-Backs Must Be A Priority It’s really telling that three of PNE’s back line have been at the club playing together since 2021, with the trio never getting the club anywhere near to the play-offs. Lindsay, Storey, and Andrew Hughes have been mainstays in the back line for PNE since then, although probably because the club has had no other options and not bothered to replace them. Going into the end of the transfer window, the club are targeting four more incomings before the September 2 deadline, with a striker seemingly top of their list. Milutin Osmajic’s departure prompted this response understandably, however a pair of centre-backs has to be a prerequisite. Harry Clarke, despite the loss, did okay on his debut for the club and wasn’t helped by his aligned midfielders nor his corresponding centre-back partner. A left-footed centre-back to take the reins from Lindsay and a left-back to give an aging Andrew Hughes’ the rest needed should also be their priorities alongside signing the Montenegrin’s replacement. Fer Lopez Is Special Deepdale might as well have bear witnessed to a star being born in the Championship, as the Spanish attacker ran the show on the afternoon. Two goals, three successful dribbles, four ground duels won, 94% pass accuracy, and sat Liam Lindsay for his dinner. His close control, first touch, dribbling, and intelligence on and off the ball was second to the none, operating on another planet compared to anyone else on the pitch. With three in three this season in all competitions, there’s a chance we could have been looking at one of the Championship players of the season. It’s frustrating to lose a game of football as always, but when you see an opponent such as Lopez, you can’t help to put your hands and say ‘fair enough.’ Conclusion North End are miles away from being mid-table challengers, never mind the top eight. Quality is lacking in all departments, from players on the pitch to the manager himself, who has seen the most significant investment out of any North End manager in history. Paul Heckingbottom just can’t seem to put together a team nor a system that doesn’t fear the opposition or promote a negative way of playing football. Shoving the club’s expensive and exciting signing (Alfie Devine) to the wing, where he can’t influence the game to the extent he’s capable of, is a pretty shocking tactical move. Yes, the club doesn’t possess enough wingers as of yet and the only who can play on the right is stuck in Oxford until January, but Callum Lang is more suited out there than Devine is. With Everton in the cup up next, even if the Toffees put out a second fiddle team, you’d be forgiven for not getting your hopes up of an upset.