StanBalaban

Conversely, it could be the player feeling that after last season, he wants to play regular football somewhere. I would hope that we loan him out whilst extending his contract.

Olsen has had 9 months or so with Unai and the coaching team, and is fully integrated from a training perspective into our style of play. The problem we have is that people are comparing the drop off in quality to Martinez. What we should be looking at is the difference between the current understudy, who's settled in his role, and any potential replacement that would come to the club knowing they'd rarely play. That person is not going to be Martinez quality either, and will also cost us points (like any non-elite keeper), and will also cost us money to bring in.

If Man City have him as a priority, then surely they'd just make a bid rather than risk losing him to another team. I have little doubt that he may be on their list, but I'm surely that list contains many of the world's best players.

Olsen would be a #1 keeper for many Championship teams, and I predict would look a lot more comfortable than Steer at that level. You mentioned before that it should be easy to replace Olsen, but what top keeper would want to play understudy to Emi Martinez? I genuinely think that people think anyone coming in to replace Olsen would be able to adapt to Unai's way of playing, and have only a few minor flaws in their game. If that's the case, why wouldn't they want to be a number 1 somewhere instead of coming here? The coaches must feel they're better off investing their time into Olsen, helping him improve whilst knowing that he's not going to disrupt the harmony in the camp when he not playing. Unlike anywhere else, this is not a position where someone can realistically challenge Emi to be first pick.

He looked like a footballer that hasn't played football in a long time. This is effectively the beginning of his pre season, and got some minutes into the legs. I'd expect to see more of him against Lazio.

I'm watching the replay of the game again as we speak. Every single mistake, miss, broken down bit of play, goals against... is a teachable moment. You can bet Unai will study these games in forensic detail and then work with Ollie to ensure his finishing from a cut back is on point, or work with the defence so that the high line never veers into our own half again. At times yesterday we controlled the game in a manner that I've never seen in a Villa side before. Last season, I think we were undefeated in our pre season games, but it felt more like luck than judgement . Very promising signs so far.

You're thinking of PSI, but we don't hear much from him these days as he's under a lot of pressure.

Yesterday, it looked as if his close control and crossing have improved. Had a good run out and took his goal really well.

Yep, clear offside.

Having replays with the original audio playing will never not be confusing.

I think either Pau or Tyrone will be playing as a 'centre' back out on the left, rather than as a full back.

Trouble is it's difficult for our scouting team and coaches to assess how good some of these potentially available players are, as they rarely get a competitive game. Dealing with the pressure of the match is a key component for a good keeper. Emery knows what he has with Olsen and hopefully, with his backing, he can find some confidence and form if called upon.

That's fair, but maybe now that Unai has had time to work with him, he's happy enough that he's adequate as cover. I'll say again that it's not an easy position to fill. A keeper good enough to slot in when needed, but simultaneously happy to sit on the bench. Not many to choose from, which explains Heaton and Carson being at top teams.

He's not top notch, and the drop off to Emi is sizeable, but I think many are expecting some mythical keeper to come that doesn't have notable weaknesses to their game, and be content to rarely play. We don't watch any of the other reserve keepers play, mainly because a lot of them at other teams haven't played a competitive game in ages. Anyone called upon to play after sitting on the sidelines for months is going to be rusty. At least Olsen has had a good amount of time and a pre season with Unai and the coaches. I think people simply think "anyone but Olsen" is the solution.

You said it would be simple to replace him, but what top quality keeper wants to come and be second choice? Would anyone that did actually be better than Olsen? Why do you think Man U have a 37 year old that hasn't played in years as their backup?

I think this is the key bit here. They all have notable weaknesses in their game. Otherwise they'd be a #1 somewhere. Any player that gets practically zero competitive match time for months will look rusty when they eventually do play. I'd say Olsen is about the level of other reserve keepers at the top teams.

You're asking to prove a negative here. You're comparing Olsen to the first-pick keeper in Heaton, that played the last of his 20 games for us 3 years ago and not the 37 year old keeper that never plays after a very serious injury. I honestly think some are expecting to get David Raya in as back up. It's not an easy position to fill, otherwise why would May U not have better than a shot-out 37 year old. I'll say again - Man City still employ Scott Carson.

Have any of us seen Heaton play since he got his injury with us?

Assuming John Townley is right, if it's not difficult to find a better keeper why wouldn't Unai do it?

The 'problem' with having such a dominant #1 is that any player willing to be back up to him is going to have weaknesses in their game. Most, if not all reserve keepers have flaws in their play otherwise they'd be challenging for a regular start. No one comes here with the genuine belief of challenging a fit Emi - therefore we'd be replacing a player that we know and can try to work upon, with another player that the coaches need to learn from scratch. With regard to Heaton, have any of us seen him play since his injury with us? Who knows if he's still the same player.

I can't say I know too much about other team's second keeper. Which teams do you think have better reserve keepers than Olsen?

Ultimately Unai will be working with a squad where everyone has something to offer. Players won't be getting any game time if they don't impress the Don.

Yeah, went on to Nike by You. I used the US online store as it's not available locally here in Dubai, but available locally in the UK. Not all the styles have the colours I wanted, but the Blazer 77 range carries both claret and blue.

I think that's the nature of a backup keeper, otherwise they would be challenging for the top spot somewhere. From a distance, Olsen looks fine on paper and ticks a lot of boxes, but it's only seeing him upfront that we get to see the weaknesses in his game. The next guy that looks okay from a distance will also have his own weaknesses - we just haven't watched him regularly and can only see what's he's like on paper too. Hopefully Unai and his team believe some of those weaknesses in Olsen's game can be improved upon.

Unless we're bringing in a keeper to challenge Emi for the #1 spot (which would take a huge investment), there is always going to be a drop off in quality. The cost of bringing a new reserve keeper in wouldn't be massive though, so I'm confident that the finances aren't stopping him bringing someone new in. Unai obviously thinks that Olsen can improve and adapt to his playing style. Being honest, how many keepers that would come here to play second fiddle do we actually watch on a regular basis? If Nyland was still here and we were replacing him with Olsen, we'd be delighted, but we wouldn't know much about his regular game other than the odd game and his CV. Pick any viable name, and we'd know as much about their strengths and weaknesses as we did about Olsen when we signed him. Emery knows Olsen, sees him every day, and it appears he believes he can do the job of a reserve when called upon. It's not an easy position to fill - Man City still have Scott Carson on their books.