Aston Villa (A) | PL | Post-Match Thread

[Chi-town blues]

Here’s a tune for all you ‘believers’ ;-)

And PS, and a pre 2008 supporter, can you let me know how many points we have to drop before it becomes not embarrassing to make a critical comment or two? What would your trigger point be?

Personally I’m not sure there’s always a direct correlation between result and individual player performance anyway. Some players can have great games when we don’t win, and others subpar performances even though we’ve won.

Banger

 

[stonerblue]

Here’s a tune for all you ‘believers’ ;-)

And PS, as a pre 2008 supporter, can you let me know how many points we have to drop before it becomes not embarrassing to make a critical comment or two? What would your trigger point be?

Personally I’m not sure there’s always a direct correlation between result and individual player performance anyway. Some players can have great games when we don’t win, and others subpar performances even though we’ve won.

Choon....

 

[big gaz]

There is no point in complaining about the time added-on. We had 73% possession and made 750 passes in that game. That's sufficient enough for 3 goals.

But 700 of those passes was Stones to Rubens and back to Stones ;-)

 

[CityDean]

Walker is being asked to play a role he isn’t familiar with and doesn’t really match his skill set. He proved his worth (to any doubters) when we didn’t have him for the whole of the Real Madrid tie. He’s brilliant at defending his side of the pitch but is obviously finding it difficult having to come more inside and play the ball out more often. Not sure he deserves to be ‘dropped’ for an inferior player because of it.

He hasn't looked fit to me in his defense (?) but obviously it's impacting his performance and the team aswell. Yeah this new position really isn't bringing the best out of him but like I said I don't think our midfield is giving our defence much protection at all. The system is all wrong, hopefully Pep can address it. Kyle has apparently got a minor injury so maybe a little break is what he needs to come back to form.

 

[chedinho]

That Alvarez didn’t get game time was shocking. Mahrez is totally out of form so to take Bernie off for him was baffling. Anyway, bad day at the office, we move on

I didn’t really want Bernardo to go off. But he was getting kicked every time the ball went near him.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Walker is being asked to play a role he isn’t familiar with and doesn’t really match his skill set. He proved his worth (to any doubters) when we didn’t have him for the whole of the Real Madrid tie. He’s brilliant at defending his side of the pitch but is obviously finding it difficult having to come more inside and play the ball out more often. Not sure he deserves to be ‘dropped’ for an inferior player because of it.

He's also very good at hugging the touchline, and bombing up it to overlap Mahrez or Bernardo to give them the option of an outside ball — or a defence-splitting ball between opposing full back and centre half — for Walker to pop over and into the box, and generally create chaos. He may have lost pace but we can't really judge at present. He is not a midfielder, and doesn't have a midfielder's ability or vision to spray the ball around. Has Pep asked him to perform this inverted full back role because of what he's seeing in training? I just don't know. But Walker doesn't look comfortable with it.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Leicester got 81 points.

No way that’s enough this season to win it.

In 68 we won the league with 58 points! True, there were only two points for a win at the time. But 42 matches to play!
We lost fully ten games that season.
But I take your point. Different times. Nobody will win the league without at least 85 points, very possibly more.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Shit, completely forgot that we also went ahead against Newcastle. Not gonna lie, feeling a bit more disgruntled than I was.

 

[Octavian]

In 68 we won the league with 58 points! True, there were only two points for a win at the time. But 42 matches to play!
We lost fully ten games that season.
But I take your point. Different times. Nobody will win the league without at least 85 points, very possibly more.

Don’t need to tell me mate, I was at about a dozen games that season.

Different times now, despite how good mid table clubs are getting, the elite Prem teams are just so good compared to even 15 years ago.

 

[chedinho]

No but he could have come on for foden who was poor.

Foden wasn’t poor. In fact, the team as a whole were well in control until we give them something to cheer.
Bernardo was getting kicked off the park and I think that was why he was hooked

Last fifteen we lost control of the game. We were anxious and indecisive.
And doing random bizarre stuff. Booting it long and aimlessly.

Gerrard called a time out with fifteen to go. So that may have had a bearing on the way we responded.

 

[pavelsrnicek]

I think Haaland has masked a few deficiencies for us, we’re not quite as in control at the moment. I don’t think we’re fully up to speed, we still look like a side with very little preseason. We’ll get better as we play more.

I still think we’re a man short in midfield, we have Gundogan, KDB and Bernardo for 2 positions and they’re going to have to play a lot of football. Philips needs to get fit quickly, he would have given us some energy late second half yesterday.

 

[PragueBlue]

I think Haaland has masked a few deficiencies for us, we’re not quite as in control at the moment. I don’t think we’re fully up to speed, we still look like a side with very little preseason. We’ll get better as we play more.

I think that's largely down to the inverted FB system we've been playing. Lots of the ball but it's mainly with the CBs and Walker. I love Walker as a RB but he isn't a centre midfield player.

I would like to see a midfield 3 of Rodri, Gundogan and Bernardo with a more traditional back 4 where the FBs can overlap. That would provide some help to the wide forwards as well. I think that would see us get more control of the game and give us better balance and more solidity.

 

[its grim up north]

Have to agree with this unfortunately. Foden has changed alot over the years and it's not for the better I must admit, He used to be a dynamic winger, A ball carrier that liked to have a go at the full back...All our wide men now do the same thing it constantly goes backwards, I'd like it of they were allowed express themselves now and again and have a go at the full backs.

Having said that, The days of a ball carriers is a dying breed. It's all possessed football now.

And with Phil playing so wide its cutting Cancelo's effectiveness down, forcing him more infield.

 

[Coatigan]

All true I don't disagree.. But as my dad used to say..."if the dog hadn't stop to shit it should have won the race". Hindsight is a great thing....and I wish I'd had it with the Euromillions numbers on Friday night! ☺

It isn't hindsight to notice that bringing attacking players off the bench, when needing a goal, most often results in finding that goal. And not changing anything usually reaults in nothing changing. That's just doing the obvious.

 

[VOOMER]

Not by September we didn’t.

Ahh bless, ickle soldier stubbed his toe?

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Ahh bless, ickle soldier stubbed his toe?

You’re an odd poster.

 

[Alcatraz]

Could not understand the decision to bring on Mahrez, it didn’t fit tactically and he is in such poor form.
there were much better options.
That said, we had chances in the 1H and did not take them. Too many poor performances.
Best forget this one and move on ….

 

[blueparrot]

It isn't hindsight to notice that bringing attacking players off the bench, when needing a goal, most often results in finding that goal. And not changing anything usually reaults in nothing changing. That's just doing the obvious.

Does it result in most often finding a goal or does it disrupt or is that just a perception, maybe it more often leads to disruption that leads to conceding again, are there figures for it ? Most times teams change things so we notice when that makes a difference but don’t when it doesn’t.
We only notice not making changes when teams lose not so much if they turn it around but there is no way of knowing whether they‘d still lose if they made changes. So really its an unknown .
That’s the judgment managers make, Pep says he doesn’t like substitutions to chase a game but then made them against Villa last game, so we know he will if he thinks he should.

 

[Coatigan]

Does it result in most often finding a goal or does it disrupt or is that just a perception, maybe it more often leads to disruption that leads to conceding again, are there figures for it ? Most times teams change things so we notice when that makes a difference but don’t when it doesn’t.
We only notice not making changes when teams lose not so much if they turn it around but there is no way of knowing whether they‘d still lose if they made changes. So really its an unknown .
That’s the judgment managers make, Pep says he doesn’t like substitutions to chase a game but then made them against Villa last game, so we know he will if he thinks he should.

It most definitely most often results in finding a goal. I hate those 'football is not for you' throwaway remarks, but if you have to even ask that, makes me I wonder you have been watching.

Not just under Pep, not just our team. Has always been the case, and always will be. Long before Pep decided to be stubborn about it, long after you and I are gone.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

I think Haaland has masked a few deficiencies for us, we’re not quite as in control at the moment. I don’t think we’re fully up to speed, we still look like a side with very little preseason. We’ll get better as we play more.

I still think we’re a man short in midfield, we have Gundogan, KDB and Bernardo for 2 positions and they’re going to have to play a lot of football. Philips needs to get fit quickly, he would have given us some energy late second half yesterday.

Very risky signing him with his injuries last season and it’s proving to be the case. Rodri can’t play every game