Aston Villa (A) | PL | Post Match Thread

[Scoobz3]

I can understand most of what has happened this season (injuries, tired players, etc.) but I cannot understand the lack of substitutes when things are going bad. If you keep doing what you are doing you will get the same result.

After 55 mins I would have expected Debryne and Doku to come on (and Gundo to be at least one of the substitutes). This would have caused way more jeopardy for Villa and would have given the remaining City players a boost. But no, wait until it is too late to win the game and bring on a winger that carries the least threat (he is inferior to Doku) and leave the best playmaker, De Bruyne, who is one of the most motivated and motivating players, as an unused substitute .

His tactics, of holding off substitutions and then bringing the least effective players off the bench is giving a lot of encouragement to the opposition and also must be affecting our own team .

 

[DWIFF]

The midfield was missing. So he is replaced for one mistake with a player who has been consistent in making mistakes all season.

Pep confirmed he’s injured.

 

[i8rags]

I actually think we played worse here last year than today.

 

[RayCTID]

Palmer was needed we’d just sold Mahrez.

He decided to jump ship then rather than battle for a place in City's team....

 

[argyle]

Now we're losing, it's good?

Nowhere have I said its good

It's a fucking awful run. But people on here have lost their heads

 

[ancoats]

We won four titles in a row doing this.

Now we're losing, it's bad?

We won 4 titles in a row because we wanted the ball and players wanted it so badly

 

[flb]

And this post is absolutely bollocks haha.

He lives in a field of magic mushrooms

 

[Xhavenjoe]

The midfield was missing. So he is replaced for one mistake with a player who has been consistent in making mistakes all season.

It was an incredibly bad decision

He was taken off because he was injured

 

[kunaguero10]

I think Pep‘s done, the players aren’t playing for him anymore

 

[bearcityblu]

Got exactly what we deserved today. Villa very well organised in their defensive shape and we are too slow in our build up play that they always got back and kept their shape. We then run out of ideas. Instead of going back to basics get the ball to the wingers and quickly fire crosses in for Haaland to try and feed off.
Defence too easy to play through with high line and don't get me started on ours corners. The away team is more likely to score from our corners when we faff about and lose possession for the counter. Keeps on happening and lucky not to lose a goal today from one of our corners.

 

[BlueMonkey79]

So what is your explanation to this continues poor performance and results?

In my experience, when the 4 in a row comment doesn't get through, they come back with the "did you watch us under Pearce, Ball?" etc..

 

[RayCTID]

I think Pep‘s done, the players aren’t playing for him anymore

I doubt that. We would have been totally humilated if that was the case. 8-1 springs to mind. All our key players are either injured and out of form too.

 

[I'm Blue]

Has Pep said he's so so proud yet?

I hope not.
He usually protects his players but it’s time he called them out.
What’s the worst that can happen?
They stop playing for him?
Bit late for that.
Us dropping down the table doesn’t seem to be firing the players up so maybe Pep calling them out might do the trick.

 

[WestGorton]

We won 4 titles in a row because we wanted the ball and players wanted it so badly

Second to the ball all over the pitch today.

 

[The Blue Eh]

The lack of any pattern of play to our attack and defence is concerning. We have lost the one-touch build up from the back, and line breaking passes, as we used to do in prior seasons. This has been gradually degrading over the past two seasons. We now insist on the ponderous, multi touch approach that lets the opposition press us in the mid block and dispossess us at ease.

I imagine the lack of practice between games to keep the players fresh, and the fatigue (both mental and physical) from relentless games has played a part. But over reliance on those factors borders on making excuses and letting players and coaches off the hook.

 

[Fordyboy46]

I actually think we played worse here last year than today.

So we improved it by 3% today then?

 

[argyle]

We won 4 titles in a row because we wanted the ball and players wanted it so badly

Ah that was it was it?

Your tactical knowledge is wasted on here.

 

[eyalluvitt]

I actually think we played worse here last year than today.

Difference is we ain’t going 10 months unbeaten after this Villa park defeat

 

[madloaf]

Nowhere have I said its good

It's a fucking awful run. But people on here have lost their heads

I think the thing about the possession based football we used to play was that it had overlapping runs, through balls and a general urgency around scoring (i'd say apart from the last 6 months of last season, in which we bludgeoned people to death with it). This time it's possession with no purpose and comes with the added bonus of defensive suicide 4 times a game! I think that's probably what the original poster was getting at.

We're not playing the same football as 2017-2023 - its not even recognisable.

 

[Xhavenjoe]

And this post is absolutely bollocks haha.

At the moment what he is saying is true.
You sound like a bigger bollocks