Aston Villa (A) | PL | Post Match Thread

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

I cant help but think O'Reilly can do a job in our midfield, certaily would bring a bit more presence to it anyway. I dunno, obviously Pep doesnt fancy him in there

For sure. Or maybe even Nunes. Reijinders is a fantastic player - but he is perhaps the worst possible choice we have at starting DM.

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

were may have been unbeaten for a number of games and our performances had improved but were we ever really playing very well.?...we beat some average teams and the moment we come up against someone decent our true level was shown imho

This team will fight for top 4 as it stands. Can we win the league...yes but there is a lot of work to do and big improvements to be made. We need Rodri back...we just dont have a midfield without him at present...Nico G has played well and tbh if Rodri is back and plays Nico G plays as well....Reijnders isnt cutting it at present at all.

We need a right back...still! - Nunes has done well but we need to have Khusonov there at least but in January if the club were to be considering buying anyone it must be a right back (Im sure we wil get linked to the next Brazilian wonderkid who will get everyone excited and then subsequently disappear into obscurity!)

we need more from all of our attacking players baring Haaland....ever single on of them needs to step up way more than they have been doing...Sav, Doku, Marmoush, Cherki Bobb..... start to put their bodies on the line. Im getting a bit bored about hearing of potential.......Baring Marmoush NONE of them have proved anything in reality....The club/manager/coches need to be way more brutal with some of these players....

Summer wasnt good enough - we are too nice....its time to turn to the likes of Stones, Ake, Bernardo and thank them for their services..give them the send offs they deserve and then go out and buy some real quality...go and actually compete in the transfer market. There is no hiding that we havent been as clinical in the transfer market as we should have been ...too many projects and plan B's and C's. The club also shot itself in the foot when it overpaid for Grealish...it moved the bar for what we are willing to pay for a very average player that was never worth it and never was going to be.

Stones is class and worth keeping.

B. Silva is overworked - but in mid I think he's still excellent when rested. Still, Silva's expiration date is nearing.

Ake... agree. Fantastic player for our side - but time to sell him on.
===
As for Grealish... "the club also shot itself in the foot when it overpaid for Grealish...it moved the bar for what we are willing to pay for a very average player"

That's way off base. Grealish won a spot in the PFA Team of the Year award for the 2018-19 Championship season. We paid full value for Grealish, and then started him out-of-position again and again - with mostly average results.
===
For whatever reason, there seems to be a disconnect between what players will most benefit Pep's desires, and our actual signings.

 

[simon23]

Stones is class and worth keeping.

B. Silva is overworked - but in mid I think he's still excellent when rested. Still, Silva's expiration date is nearing.

Ake... agree. Fantastic player for our side - but time to sell him on.
===
As for Grealish... "the club also shot itself in the foot when it overpaid for Grealish...it moved the bar for what we are willing to pay for a very average player"

That's way off base. Grealish won a spot in the PFA Team of the Year award for the 2018-19 Championship season. We paid full value for Grealish, and then started him out-of-position again and again - with mostly average results.
===
For whatever reason, there seems to be a disconnect between what players will most benefit Pep's desires, and our actual signings.

not going over the Grealish argument....he has found his level at Everton..small fish in a smaller pond - he was no more than a 5/10 for us

I sort of agree on Silva (he is one of my favourite players in the last decade) BUT there is a change in footbal that has been occurring (Like it or not)....He is an exceptional footballer and if he was younger then he would still have a place in the starting 11 BUT physicality has taken over (or at least now needs to be a part of a players make up) - he wont get better in that sense...

Stones is unreliable...Ive always described him as a rolls royce of a player but his injures are catching up...the club need to be proactive in replacing players. We have a very recent history of holding onto players a bit too long....KDB, Walker being two examples. This is where our transfer system struggles a bit.....we need to be offloading players better...we cant have any feelings of sentiment here. I know how the club treats its players is important and its what attracts new players to the club BUT i think its a bit imbalanced at present. We are a little too nice

Completely agree on you last sentence....big disconnect

 

[Roachy]

were may have been unbeaten for a number of games and our performances had improved but were we ever really playing very well.?...we beat some average teams and the moment we come up against someone decent our true level was shown imho

This team will fight for top 4 as it stands. Can we win the league...yes but there is a lot of work to do and big improvements to be made. We need Rodri back...we just dont have a midfield without him at present...Nico G has played well and tbh if Rodri is back and plays Nico G plays as well....Reijnders isnt cutting it at present at all.

We need a right back...still! - Nunes has done well but we need to have Khusonov there at least but in January if the club were to be considering buying anyone it must be a right back (Im sure we wil get linked to the next Brazilian wonderkid who will get everyone excited and then subsequently disappear into obscurity!)

we need more from all of our attacking players baring Haaland....ever single on of them needs to step up way more than they have been doing...Sav, Doku, Marmoush, Cherki Bobb..... start to put their bodies on the line. Im getting a bit bored about hearing of potential.......Baring Marmoush NONE of them have proved anything in reality....The club/manager/coches need to be way more brutal with some of these players....

Summer wasnt good enough - we are too nice....its time to turn to the likes of Stones, Ake, Bernardo and thank them for their services..give them the send offs they deserve and then go out and buy some real quality...go and actually compete in the transfer market. There is no hiding that we havent been as clinical in the transfer market as we should have been ...too many projects and plan B's and C's. The club also shot itself in the foot when it overpaid for Grealish...it moved the bar for what we are willing to pay for a very average player that was never worth it and never was going to be.

Can't disagree with most of that. Personally the Villa result feels like a big setback when in reality it probably isn't, disappointing nonetheless.

 

[simon23]

Can't disagree with most of that. Personally the Villa result feels like a big setback when in reality it probably isn't, disappointing nonetheless.

yeah disappointing but not unsuprising if you look at performances and not results.

We will do ok this season and will be in there but I just dont think we have enough quality throughout the team to make a real push for winning the league....

 

[East Level 2]

I don't remember us finishing 4th in any division around the time ...

Edut: just checked ..you mean 1972. ..?

Yes, we lost at Gigg Lane early in 72-73.

 

[Gundoggin]

And have done for several seasons winning the title in at least three of them. More if you remember earlier performances against 8-man defences.
But we no longer have the top-class players required to break down such defences, and still attempt tactics that need Sterling, Sane, KDB and Silva when we have Savinho, Nunes and Doku.

Hence my original post ……..
Our current wingers do my head in !

 

[East Level 2]

Hence my original post ……..
Our current wingers do my head in !

As do fans who think doing ok against Wolves, Burnley and the rags is the sign of a great player.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

Stones is class and worth keeping.

B. Silva is overworked - but in mid I think he's still excellent when rested. Still, Silva's expiration date is nearing.

Ake... agree. Fantastic player for our side - but time to sell him on.
===
As for Grealish... "the club also shot itself in the foot when it overpaid for Grealish...it moved the bar for what we are willing to pay for a very average player"

That's way off base. Grealish won a spot in the PFA Team of the Year award for the 2018-19 Championship season. We paid full value for Grealish, and then started him out-of-position again and again - with mostly average results.
===
For whatever reason, there seems to be a disconnect between what players will most benefit Pep's desires, and our actual signings.

Nobody.and I mean nobody.should ever say that Jack Grealish is an " average player"
Fans have to remember he was picked to play for us, on his weaker left side.
Many folk can't grasp this simple fact
The club brought him from Villa. And Pep chose to restrict his abilities
And let's be fucking clear here...

JG is a wonderfully talented Footballer.

But Pep chose to play him on his weaker side,for the good of the team...
Ill let others say weather it worked or not...
But nobody can ever describe JG as an average footballer.ffs.

 

[Corky]

Nobody.and I mean nobody.should ever say that Jack Grealish is an " average player"
Fans have to remember he was picked to play for us, on his weaker left side.
Many folk can't grasp this simple fact
The club brought him from Villa. And Pep chose to restrict his abilities
And let's be fucking clear here...

JG is a wonderfully talented Footballer.

But Pep chose to play him on his weaker side,for the good of the team...
Ill let others say weather it worked or not...
But nobody can ever describe JG as an average footballer.ffs.

I don't want to rain on your parade but he still plays there for Everton, and played left sometimes for Villa too including a few wonder goal cutting in on his right.

He has never played right winger for any spell so that isn't his "side" just left and central, and as we mainly played 4 1 2 3 and he couldn't play deeper as he proved at villa, and wasn't a centre forward, where would you play him? He showed he wasn't an 8 and we don't often play a 10.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

I don't want to rain on your parade but he still plays there for Everton, and played left sometimes for Villa too including a few wonder goal cutting in on his right.

He has never played right winger for any spell so that isn't his "side" just left and central, and as we mainly played 4 1 2 3 and he couldn't play deeper as he proved at villa, and wasn't a centre forward, where would you play him? He showed he wasn't an 8 and we don't often play a 10.

Your not raining on my parade pal.
I'm just highlighting the fact that some ,supremely talented footballers,who would be better off in centre mid,bossing the game,are selected ...out of position,if you like ..to fit into the coaches idea of how his team should play..
That's it.in .a.nutshell.

 

[bluestevei]

So villa had there cup final last week

 

[ninjamonkey]

So villa had there cup final last week

Not really. They didnt play particularly well against us, we just played awfully and directly into their hands. United are the only side in the top half that we've actually beaten so far.

 

[CΛL]

Stones is class and worth keeping.

B. Silva is overworked - but in mid I think he's still excellent when rested. Still, Silva's expiration date is nearing.

Ake... agree. Fantastic player for our side - but time to sell him on.
===
As for Grealish... "the club also shot itself in the foot when it overpaid for Grealish...it moved the bar for what we are willing to pay for a very average player"

That's way off base. Grealish won a spot in the PFA Team of the Year award for the 2018-19 Championship season. We paid full value for Grealish, and then started him out-of-position again and again - with mostly average results.
===
For whatever reason, there seems to be a disconnect between what players will most benefit Pep's desires, and our actual signings.

We played Grealish in the position he played most of career in, on the left, whether he had less license to roam or not he’s never been a playmaker and definitely not a number 10.

Piecing together all the stuff Pep has said about him, I take it that he was a Txiki signing.

My take on Grealish is that his style suits playing for teams who do not dominate the ball as much, or press as high up the pitch.

He cannot take his man on unless there’s space to run diagonally into. He’s not fast enough off the mark.

He hasn’t got the vision to play as a 10 either, he could never pick a good cross or forward pass into packed areas like KDB.

Everton and Villa suited him as naturally, he has few and more concrete passing options to choose from when they do break because it’s even and fewer numbers.

Not having its Peps fault, got the absolute best out of him during the treble and it’s on Grealish that he couldn’t keep that up.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Not really. They didnt play particularly well against us, we just played awfully and directly into their hands. United are the only side in the top half that we've actually beaten so far.

And they were bottom half when we beat them.

 

[citymad]

Not really. They didnt play particularly well against us, we just played awfully and directly into their hands. United are the only side in the top half that we've actually beaten

Shame Martinez didn’t have a shocker against us last week.

 

[Ken92]

Not really. They didnt play particularly well against us, we just played awfully and directly into their hands. United are the only side in the top half that we've actually beaten so far.

pretty much the same story as last season ,that needs to change soon, starting today and continuing next sunday ,but thats a lot to ask currently.

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

We played Grealish in the position he played most of career in, on the left, whether he had less license to roam or not he’s never been a playmaker and definitely not a number 10.

Cheers - my wording "out of position" is, in retrospect, not the ideal wording. By "out of position" I meant that Grealish didn't have license to drift inwards frequently - in which position he creates.

As a City player, he too often hugged the touch line instead of being able to roam inwards - on or off ball.

As for blaming Pep for this... I think it's a disconnect between Pep and whomever is/was in charge of signings. As an obvious for-example, why did we sign Kalvin Phillips?