Aston Villa (H) - Post-Match Thread

[Big Joe Corrigan]

I've just seen the highlights. The corner from Kev which Jack smashed goalwards hit a Villa player on the elbow, arm crooked out. Was that the VAR look for that pen that lasted five or ten seconds? Well, it was a pen. Clear as fuckin' day!

It’s only a penalty if you play in red.

 

[stonerblue]

Was the outrage of villa singing during the minutes applause when it was obviously a respectful moment castigated on tv like we were at the Wembley one we didn't know about?

No

 

[metalblue]

Could actually be a really difficult player to replace

I was thinking this yesterday, gonna be hard to replace. He must have gotten fucked off making runs for Mahrez to ignore. Quality player and a quality man. Gawd knows how good he was at spurs if they had the best of him eh?

 

[Roachy]

Surprised by this. Thought KDB played really well yesterday. Looked quicker and sharper than he has done for months.

Thought he played well, but has definitely lost some potency with his killer pass or cross.

 

[metalblue]

Keep seeing people saying that Villa's attempt at the end that hit the bar would have been a world class goal.

No it wouldn't have been, because Duran was about a yard offside when the ball came through. Our defenders did their job.

View attachment 68987

It was obvious he was a mile offside, even allowing for him to have his shot “just in case” the linesman should have put his flag up afterwards. It’s getting beyond a joke now.

 

[stonerblue]

Midfielders playing in, er, midfield.
Silva, Rodders, Gundogan and Kev is surely the way it should be.

 

[LongsightM13]

Incredibly difficult, 50m at the time looked crazy but he was proved to be a bargain.

Top class, consistent and the longer he has stayed the more of a leader he has become.

Reece James would be the one, but zero chance sadly.

Yep agree with all of that
We were mocked at the time for that signing, by a nation and its clueless football media who had no idea how important backs would become

 

[metalblue]

Proverbial game of two halves for me.

Very good to excellent first half, following by more of the garbage couldn't score in a brothel in the second.

Work in progress I think.

Was a strange second half. Everything felt a bit flat and off but it’s been like that for much of the season, a few blues getting on at each other to get behind the team - south stand was on form mind. Villa were there to be destroyed second half. Misplaced passes gave Villa hope and when we got on the break passing the ball behind which slowed us down letting Villa regroup. Still 3 points is 3 points and we weren’t ever in any danger of not getting them.

 

[ancoats]

I still have this feeling that it's Champions League or bust for the manager and players and club this season,
Silky, as it looks like we are just doing enough in the league to get a top 4 place, and it's game management by pep,
We want all the best players fit and fully charged up for when it comes around in a couple of weeks,

you could see it yesterday when we had 4 or 5 players starting that have been out over the last couple of months.
That first half, we just had far too much for Villa and the game was won, pep puts them back in the box and turns to just holding and passing it around and controlled the 2nd half,

The question is now can we still win the Premier League if we really want it ? The Arsenal game in midweek is Key,
We can go there fully take them apart and win the game and go top ? But then we have to defend the top spot for the rest of the season and play the main team every week and juggle the team in the FA Cup and Champions League,

if you offered pep and city Champions League title right now, they would bite your hand off, even if we finished 5th or 6th in the league and Arsenal won the title everybody would be happy,

SO BIG BIG game up next for all the reasons I have just quoted, we will see before and after the result what we have up our sleeves, 16 Premier League games, then a possible 7 Champions League games, 3 FA, cup games,

So I make it around 26 games if we want it all, Yes we have the squad of players good enough to do, if the game management has worked and pep has been protecting them, so we have legs in the run

 

[Chippy_boy]

For me, it's not about the players and whether they are in or out of form, or whether they still have the desire etc (although these things are of course a factor).

But mainly it's about our tactics. Someone else said that we play without taking enough risks and I totally agree with that. It's the main reason we are pretty average (at best) when KDB doesn't play: He's the only one who is always prepared to play first time balls, to try adventurous forward passes, to have a shot. The rest of them more often than not, slow the game down, retain possession and pass it around waiting for an opportunity.

An opportunity with decent opposition, that never comes. I get the impression we could play for 3 hours against the better defending sides and still not score. And of course when we finally make a mistake, they pounce and the best sides take advantage and we drop points again.

This is no system for winning the league or the CL. Carry on like this and we will win nothing. It MUST change. We have to start being more attacking and more direct. Get the ball in the box early and calamity often ensues, resulting in a goal. Pass it around aimlessly for 5 minutes and the opponents get organized and chances are few and far between.

 

[blueparrot]

For me, it's not about the players and whether they are in or out of form, or whether they still have the desire etc (although these things are of course a factor).

But mainly it's about our tactics. Someone else said that we play without taking enough risks and I totally agree with that. It's the main reason we are pretty average (at best) when KDB doesn't play: He's the only one who is always prepared to play first time balls, to try adventurous forward passes, to have a shot. The rest of them more often than not, slow the game down, retain possession and pass it around waiting for an opportunity.

An opportunity with decent opposition, that never comes. I get the impression we could play for 3 hours against the better defending sides and still not score. And of course when we finally make a mistake, they pounce and the best sides take advantage and we drop points again.

This is no system for winning the league or the CL. Carry on like this and we will win nothing. It MUST change. We have to start being more attacking and more direct. Get the ball in the box early and calamity often ensues, resulting in a goal. Pass it around aimlessly for 5 minutes and the opponents get organized and chances are few and far between.

You do realise we coild be top in 3 days? Have scored the most goals and have the best goal difference.

 

[Chippy_boy]

You do realise we coild be top in 3 days? Have scored the most goals and have the best goal difference.

Funnily enough, yes, I do realise that. But if you're suggesting that means all is well and we shouldn't have an opinion otherwise, then I do not agree.

Carry on like this and we will win nothing, for sure. The question is, will we carry on like this, or will we - as we showed a bit in the first half - get our shit together.

 

[AirbagsOptionalTheReturn]

We played well in the first half but not excellent in my opinion. Still too slow and not enough risks taken. When we do pop it about we always look dangerous. Bernie for me slowed things down too much, but was playing in an unfamiliar role. Haaland made run after run and was not picked out. In fact only in the second half did we get wide and put balls across that if he was still on the pitch he could have had a couple of good chances (I think Jack and Bernie out two crosses in with no one in the middle).
We need to get our heads up earlier and see Haalands runs, we don’t have to try every time but as per Gundo’s goal, it will lead to a chance or failing that might make them defend differently, therefore giving us more space.
Wednesday will be a very interesting test

 

[blueparrot]

Funnily enough, yes, I do realise that. But if you're suggesting that means all is well and we shouldn't have an opinion otherwise, then I do not agree.

Carry on like this and we will win nothing, for sure. The question is, will we carry on like this, or will we - as we showed a bit in the first half - get our shit together.

All is not a great as some recent years and we all can see that, but to suggest if we carry on as we are are we'll win nothing is way off. We might not, but chances are we'll win a pot or two, and re-energise the midfielsd in the summer.

 

[kaz7]

Brilliant , just what was needed , the boys want to show the world , harsh pointing fingers at any players after that game , dont be twats

 

[Gray]

Was a strange second half. Everything felt a bit flat and off but it’s been like that for much of the season, a few blues getting on at each other to get behind the team - south stand was on form mind. Villa were there to be destroyed second half. Misplaced passes gave Villa hope and when we got on the break passing the ball behind which slowed us down letting Villa regroup. Still 3 points is 3 points and we weren’t ever in any danger of not getting them.

The misplaced pass by Akanji when he had all the time in the world was appalling.

 

[Gray]

Funnily enough, yes, I do realise that. But if you're suggesting that means all is well and we shouldn't have an opinion otherwise, then I do not agree.

Carry on like this and we will win nothing, for sure. The question is, will we carry on like this, or will we - as we showed a bit in the first half - get our shit together.

I am with you, that second half performance was not game management it was just laziness by the whole team.

If they keep doing that we will win sod all.

 

[kaz7]

P,s who knew kev, bernie and gundy can work together ...

 

[HelloCity]

Funnily enough, yes, I do realise that. But if you're suggesting that means all is well and we shouldn't have an opinion otherwise, then I do not agree.

Carry on like this and we will win nothing, for sure. The question is, will we carry on like this, or will we - as we showed a bit in the first half - get our shit together.

You’re one of those people that won’t be happy unless we win the league every single season. We’re no worse off now, better positioned in fact, than when we finished 2nd in 19/20. We followed that season up with another back to back title show.

Ultimately, we won’t win the league every year and when we don’t win it, it’ll be because we weren’t at our best. It’s impossible to win the league every year and success usually brings a small drop off in desire across the board. It’s human nature. It’s why most PL title winning managers have been sacked the year after winning the league over the last decade. Pep is the only one to manage to retain the title (x2) and our ‘bad’ season sees us drop to the lowly depths of 2nd. What an absolute disaster.

Guess what? If we don’t win the league, we’ll come back as strong as ever just like the last time. We certainly won’t be dossing round in mid table like Liverpool. So many people, like yourself, only see what’s happened right now rather than being able to look at the bigger picture. What happened before, is it like now, what might happen in the future going off past events etc.

The big picture in case you can’t work it out is that we’ll carry on being the most successful club in the league regardless of a season or two where we aren’t at our best. Just prepare to be really really unhappy in the odd season we don’t win it. :)

 

[BlueBanger]

I wanted our players to come out and smash it. It was okay i guess second half played with a MASSIVE midweek fixture in mind.

STILL fuming at gundogan for refusing a simple pass to Haaland for an easy goal...especially when Haaland delivered a much more difficult ball to give Gundo his goal later on.