Match Thread | Aston Villa vs. Man City (21/12/24)

[RayCTID]

Villa haven't had it all their own way despite their bright start. We have to be sharper in dealing with their counterattacks.

 

[Blue and true]

jack tracking back is excellent tbf

I agree. But highlighting a player's tracking back as excellent is a sign of how stark our drop off has been. If that's the one positive to take then we're in serious trouble.

 

[skillman]

Find it hard to believe Stones hasn’t been told to man mark that bloke he followed into midfield. He’s experienced enough to know not to do that.

I assume it was Kovacic’s fault ultimately

 

[willipp]

Seriously what the fuck is stones doing for their goal. We play so high we can’t have a CB charging 20 yards out of position to nick a ball of a central midfielder. Fucking suicide football.

 

[Fordyboy46]

Grealish the only one looking to make something happen. Gundo, Bernardo need to be hooked at half time, will they will they fuck

 

[Petetheblu]

Got to feel for Haaland, CB and a DM dropping back. He's basically the footballs equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle.

Needs support, someone who can take some responsibilities away from his young shoulders and score.

Gunny gets the ball going forwards and immediately looks to pass back.

Bernado wasted on the wings.

Is their no one from our youth who could play alongside Erl?

 

[Ric]

We only have 3 players out !!!!

Five technically (Rodri, Bobb, Dias, Ederson, Nunes) but I just mean back to full fitness/sharpness.

 

[1961_vintage]

10 fouls to 1 in their favour - they are either fouling us without a second thought or they are snapping into decent tackles.

We can’t match their physicality in the middle of the park and ultimately really struggles to deal with their transitions.

Far and away the biggest thing we need is energy and legs. And we’re needing to buy that type of player in.

I think the word is out that we can be bullied. Add to that the usual myopic twat refs and this is what you get.

 

[Alexia_Ko]

We only have 3 players out !!!!

It’s 4 actually but that doesn’t make a difference. Too many players have been awful and it’s because they’ve been overplayed because the board and Pep thought it would be a smart idea to go into another season with no recognised, backup 6 or 9 and with the average age of our squad 29+. Every issue stems from complacency and poor planning. On top of that we’ve got too many average/injury prone players.

 

[ninjamonkey]

Awful. Lots of possession to con the blind that we are playing well but we aren't, Villa are controlling this game comfortably without needing the ball.

Villa are deliberately closing ranks and giving an acre out wide to grealish because they don't see him as a threat and they're correct. he's had more of the ball than anybody, every single one of our attacks is forced to go through him and it's resulted in a grand total of 2 weak as piss efforts at goal. Get doku on the left at halftime, if they continue this plan of vacating the left, Doku can actually do something out there with that space and if they close off the space it will open up some space for others to do something, anything.

I expect no changes until they grab that inevitable easy second goal and then we chase it late and lose by even more.