Aston Villa (A) | PL | Post Match Thread

HelloCity said:
Would Doku and Cherki on the flanks be the best way forward?
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I'd like to see Doku down the middle now and again. It worked for Foden's goal against the filth, dribble towards a central defender and we'll get a lot of free kicks or even penalties out of it.
 
argyle said:
We can talk about the midfield but the main reason we didn't win that game is because we're reliant on Haaland to score goals because no one else in the team can do so regularly.

It also won't change drastically any time soon. It will be something the club will have to address next summer.
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The setup is to feed Haaland at every chance, the wingers are used to open up the back 4 or 5, but nothing is coming from both wingers, so Haaland is left to do it himself,

Pep likes to call them forwards players in a fasle 9 not old fashion wingers with chalk on their boots
Sterling and Mahrez would come inside and run at the defenders, but Doku and Savinho are not getting around the back enough and then just pass the ball backwards

I have a feeling in the league cup game midweek Pep will use the false 9 with Marmoush Foden Cherki rotating the front line and Haaland on the bench
 
uwe rosler 28 said:
I would like to see both fullbacks over/under lapping the winger not once yesterday did nunes go past the right winger when they had the ball.
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He was clearly told to be part of a back 3 with Dias and Gvardiol when we had the ball allowing Stones to step into midfield, then when O'Reilly came on he was asked to step in with the same back 3, and im no fan at all of Nunes just clearly wasnt asked of him yesterday.

Happy to agree its an issue weve got but weve got to stick that on the manager
 
We had a physically imposing team for that unbeaten spell. They need to play when available. They are donneruma , khusanov , gvardiol , oreilly , rodri/nico, Doku and Haaland.
 
balotellishaircut said:
It’s how you lose that irks many blues on here including myself, we are a soft team with many players accepting defeat without putting up a fight.
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Think this is where I struggle also. I have no problem losing if we've had a proper go at it, but we simply didnt yesterday.

There was a move in the first half, Villa LB (?) has it on his own touchline, theres 3 City players close to him. They all ponce about for a bit, no one makes any real attempt to make a challenge, next thing its a shot on our goal (which I think the big man had to save). Inexcusable, and thats why I think so many get wound up, its out of character. If you go back through Pep's tenure, we've generally always tried both on and (more importantly in my opinion) off the ball. Its when we just cant be arsed that the pelters come.
 
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Father Paul said:
Unless we see more from Bobb and Sav over the next couple of months I think changes may be made in January. Bobb in particular could find himself out on loan if an opportunity to buy a quality replacement emerges. Now they might improve but currently Marmush would seem to offer more out wide than they do.
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while I agree on the Bobb and Sav analysis....I dont think Marmoush is the answer outwide...he may be better there for the moment but his best position is as a central striker/second striker and we simply dont play like that.
 
I seem to be in vast minority but I thought we were pretty good in the 2H. Villa were hanging on for most of the last 30 mins; we had a penalty shout denied; Marmoush was marginally offside on his cross to Haaland and Savio's shot was blocked with the goalie beaten (in fairness might have been hitting the post). On another day we could easily have won this (as we did at Brentford). I laugh at exp goals as much as anyone but on this occasion it doesn't lie. We created much more than Villa.
 
uwe rosler 28 said:
I would like to see both fullbacks over/under lapping the winger not once yesterday did nunes go past the right winger when they had the ball.
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Yeah, clearly under instruction to allow Stones to be in midfield. Was absolutely crazy to have Bobb on the right with nobody to overlap for him
 
simon23 said:
while I agree on the Bobb and Sav analysis....I dont think Marmoush is the answer outwide...he may be better there for the moment but his best position is as a central striker/second striker and we simply dont play like that.
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Agreed. Making him a strange signing as it’s difficult to see where he really fits in. Granted he might play from the left a fair bit currently to add some goals to the side
 
The tactics at the moment are back to passing side to side. Doku will take his man on now and again. Sav rarely. It’s coached and instructional for sure to keep possession. Problem is, Phil isn’t quite on it and there is no other technician in the side capable of picking a pass in the tight spaces. I am hopeful about Cherki in that role. At present though our tactics are ok against the dross but (as our results in last 2 years show) wanting against true better sides
 
Pep wants other players to contribute with goals, but it was him that has moved us to this system where we play as this ultimate one player team.
 
The signing of Donnarumma seemed to give everyone a lift but yesterday’s shitshow has taken the wind out of our sails. The next real test is Liverpool who are likely to find form and take us to the cleaners. Maybe the whole 115 thing has fucked Pep, the sooner it’s done with the better.
 
Norbert D said:
The signing of Donnarumma seemed to give everyone a lift but yesterday’s shitshow has taken the wind out of our sails. The next real test is Liverpool who are likely to find form and take us to the cleaners. Maybe the whole 115 thing has fucked Pep, the sooner it’s done with the better.
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Actually the next real test is Bournemouth next week.
 
Norbert D said:
Nunes is more understandable as he’s played out of position and actually puts in a fair few decent performances. Savinho and Bobb have been wank pretty much every game. As unlikely as it seems, maybe Pep could have got a tune out of Phillips if he had shown the blind faith in him he shows in others. Foden is a luxury player but unfortunately the only one who looks like creating a goal.
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Pretty much on the mark matey:-)
 
pepguardiola'smoustache said:
I agree entirely with this.

For me, as with our poor run last season, yesterday was down to injury.
When we have no fit holding midfielder all the other players have to adapt their game and it really is a huge struggle for them, no matter how much they try, it is different to how they are normally asked to play, yet they get totally slagged off.
Stones going into midfield to help out when we had the ball only seemed to leave us more open at the back when we lost the ball.
As soon as nico g. came on we looked more like our usual shape, although he clearly wasn't fit (and he got a bloodied nose for his efforts).



Exactly. the ball that fell to their goalscorer wasn't intended for him and as often has happened to us in the past, a decent shot from distance scuppered our defence.

On any other day, 9 times out of 10, the villa defender's block from savinho's 2nd shot ends up deflected into the back of the net. just one of those days.


This. and had haaland put it away early doors when he was one-on-one it's a different story altogether, yet the conclusion of many posters on here is that we are wank and have been for a long time now, completely ignoring the fact that if you create a league table for the 2025 calendar year (i.e. the last 28 games) we are top of the table.



This was easily the highlight of the game.


Cheer up fellow blues. i agree that we need some hard bastard in midfield like fernandinho but we are not as bad as is being made out by some folk on here.
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After that long analysis and 100% agreement with my post, you could at least have given the original a "like"!!!
 
HelloCity said:
Would Doku and Cherki on the flanks be the best way forward?
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.....................Haaland.............
Marmoush....Foden.......Cherki....
.........Rodri (if fit).......Nico........

If Rodri isn't fit then Kova sits in with Nico. Back to basics. Double midfield Pivot. Be compact. Let the front 4 forrage around for goals.

And lastly. Flat back 4. None of this wandering into midfield. Full backs job is to handle the opposition wingers..
 
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