TRO

On 27/04/2024 at 22:16, NorthEastVillan said:

I've just said the same thing. We just cannot play against Newcastle and Chelsea. I just think they're far too physical for us. Only sides who have really shown us up this season.

It happens. Just their style and press isn't something we can cope with.

Sigh! I'm just glad that's over. 5 more minutes and we'd have lost that.

I'll say it again.....we don't have the profile of player in the middle to help us with those teams.....They just run through us.

We have been plugging gaps, with attack minded players , in defensive roles, for yonks.....we need to fix it.

Unai talks about consistency, and his pursuit of it......the type of midfielder, I am referring to, would help with that.

He has worked miracles, with what we have in terms of profile....the next phase, needs strength and power in midfield, adding to it.

On 27/04/2024 at 22:18, switters said:

Struggled against a heavy press.

Some circumstances made it difficult, losing Youri early forcing a change and Diaby didn't find a way in to the game. Losing Martinez unsettled defence as there just isn't the same understanding. Digne being run into the ground with Moreno injured.

Rogers disappeared 2nd half, Watkins had very little supply but didn't take the chance when it came.

Problem is there was noone on the bench to affect where we needed in the centre of park to win the 2nd balls.

 

If Arsenal do the business tomorrow, and then Chelsea do us a favour midweek, this'll look like a vv good point. 

Spot on.....It needs to be fixed as a priority, in the summer.

On 27/04/2024 at 22:15, foreveryoung said:

Needed the shithousery, unsettle them.

We need a bit outfield too.

On 27/04/2024 at 22:15, ChicagoVillan1983 said:

Emi is the conductor of both our defence and attack.

Without him at the back to start the attack we were paralyzed.

I think you are right.....but I think we have to rely on him, a bit too much.....the fact we do, should illuminate other areas to strengthen.

18 hours ago, Pinebro said:

We barely have players left 

Season been unprecedented in terms of injuries 

That's not my point......my point is, how do we expect to be ambitious with one recognised holding player in the squad?.....that's not injuries, its forward planning.....when it comes to wingers, we seem to be unlimited as to how many we want?

I agree, Unai has no options, he has to fix that in the summer......but he has to bring in more players in midfield who can hold things together, and contain, in the times of need.....players who can stay on the ball, and resist a challenge.

We have games, like the last one where some players are painfully lightweight, in the challenge.....we need strengthening there.

I think with the profile of our squad, I don't know how we have done what we have....but I don't think, we can keep doing it.

Other teams have had unprecedented injuries too....it's a hard fought, arduous league.....all the more reason, why a few more quality, durable players are needed.

19 hours ago, Teale's 'tache said:

I think it is a tactical thing I think, Chelsea pose a big threat in behind, more so than most teams and we found that out first-hand in the cup game.

We like to play a high line, but with missing/certain personnel in the middle of the pitch we are less able to press the ball how we'd like to protect that high line, so I think we tried to play a bit deeper to negate the ball over top. It's something we've tried before against certain teams with mixed results, I think it's just the players aren't as well drilled at it, losing Teilemens was a big blow as well, and these things resulted in us being quite disjointed and leaving big spaces where usually we don't.

It was a poor performance, we should have kept the ball better, and we should have pressed them better as a team, I'm not sure the tactics were 'wrong' per se, just poorly executed. Other teams have had success by letting Chelsea have the ball, negating the space over the top and letting them beat themselves (Kenneth), especially with them missing the creativity of Enzo, we just did it poorly.

Overall it's a decent point from a poor showing.

I've no idea what Pochettino's problem is. VAR was put in place to get the right decisions in the big moments of games, he might be frustrated his team didn't win a game they probably should, but blaming VAR for making the correct decision is really not helpful. VAR has plenty of sticks to be beaten with, making the right call where a referee doesn't shouldn't be one of them. Shoulder to shoulder is fine, but shoulder in the back has never been fine, the referee should have blown for it straight away, it was so obvious and blatant, and had he done there would be no controversy.

I agree.

For what ever reason, there was some poor individual performances.

I was strange to me that our possession stat was alarmingly low, for a home game.....Gallagher and Caicedo was allowed to dominate us.

Dougie uncharacteristically seems to be struggling to stay on the ball....his dwelling on it, makes him a target for the presser.

The foul on Carlos is a worry, because many think it wasn't......For me, it was blatant, and obvious. If that is not a foul, I don't know where the game is going, and the referee should have called it without VAR.

Chelsea for me, was by far the better side, but in my opinion, we allowed them to be....too many players "off it"

In the cold light of day, in view of the above....it was a good point.....and on the basis of such poor officiating, we was lucky to get away with a cancelled goal......what and indictment, us feeling guilty, for a legitimate call.

Maybe Chelsea should have won on the balance of play.....but not illegally, Poch needs to factor that in to his thinking.

14 hours ago, KAZZAM said:

United, Newcastle, Chelsea

All seem to do well against  us. Defo a pattern there as they are all the teams outside of the top 5.

Unai needs to look at that. 

Yes there is.

They run at us....and we don't have enough players, comfortable with that scenario.

bar from a handful, all our players are attack minded, they haven't got the natural nous, for stopping opponents....I mean clean skillful challenges, and turn overs, where we come out with the ball..........how many times do we see half hearted attempts to seize the ball...its passive.

Kamara was a break from tradition..... we have been short of this type of player for years.

We play with one ( with defensive nous) the other one, is more suitable to attacking, but is deployed there......some teams have 2 and a few spares in the squad.

We simply cannot contain games, going in to the lead, without the necessary skill set, to do so......deploying attack minded players in defensive duties, is the main problem IMO.

14 hours ago, holteend1982 said:

I dunno how we can be 2 - 0 up at half time then come full time I'm happy with a point. Awful second half, we didn't bother playing again until they equalised, as long as spurs don't win tomorrow it's not the end of the world. 

The signs were there in the first half...its was coming, all around me, said it's coming.

You simply cannot play that passive, and expect to win anything.

You have to compete in this league.....and that does not mean retreating in to a low block, and yielding territory, it means going after opponents with conviction.

I get the mitigation of injuries, and too many competitive games, but we have to remember, we went out of the domestic cups early......and the cup game against Chelsea, had overtones of that second half, where they played through us once again...so what do we learn?

I am not expert on player energy, so if we are running on fumes, we need more players to rotate.....and those players we need, need to be able to compete, as a pre-requisite......if we keep, citing energy as a issue, our ambitions will be curtailed.

My concern is..We have some talented players, who don't seem to like traffic and when the going gets tough, go missing, they become passengers.

How can we play like we did against Arsenal, and then muster that sad show.

Unai often talks about consistency is his aim......I think the summer recruiting, consistency, will be foremost on his mind.

We some players in the squad, who can negate the threats of opponents, and nullify their enthusiasm and intensity....and regain the initiative, when we lose it.

14 hours ago, andym said:

I suspect summer recruitment will have mentality as a key factor

Just like Brentford, we go 2 up and the players put their feet up thinking of the european game later in the week

We've got too many who are very good players, great when their on it, but when they get the pressure on them they go invisible. And i include the captain in that.

 

when teams have a sniff, that we are not on it......by not pressing, not being first to the ball or not challenging......that's when their confidence grows, and we have seen in so many times, where we have literally invited  teams back in to the game.

We can blame the keeper all we like, probably because Emi has bailed us out so many times........the issue is in midfield.

We simply don't have enough players in the squad, who can hold a 2-0 lead......players who can contain, and nullify, ours are inconsistent.....and every one of them has an attacking bias.....without Kamara, the only defenders we have are in the back four.

We are crying out for another holding midfielder.

when all you can offer is a 28% possession stat at home.........I would say that's a magnificent point.

13 hours ago, NorthEastVillan said:

Second best for 97 minutes. Dunno what it is with playing Chelsea and not performing.

Losing Youri and Martinez killed us tbh. Dougie is looking a liability and has for a while.

Unai set up completely wrong for this one and takes some blame.

Too many bad performances and lack of composure. Rogers motm but so many 5/10s out there.

So frustrating.

yep.

13 hours ago, WallisFrizz said:

The good news is that Chelsea also have to play Spurs. Let’s hope this Chelsea turn up and not the one that played Arsenal the other day.

I think you are assuming/ hoping, that Spurs "stand off" in the way we did......Chelsea was good, because they was allowed to be.

16 hours ago, T-Dog said:

The more I see of him, the more I love him. He lives for winning, and he clearly loves the club. I think we're very very lucky to have such a great manager and I hope he becomes a legend at VP over the next few years

I think he might be already.

On 25/04/2024 at 21:46, MotoMkali said:

This is pretty worthless without emery's taking to go with it. 

That used to be like a shopping list, I had from my mom, when I was a kid.......took me 6 hrs to go shopping.

On 25/04/2024 at 12:51, Teale's 'tache said:

It is a really interesting article and it highlights some of the points I've mentioned previously about conserving energy.

It gives me hope that what we are doing is more sustainable than the likes of Newcastle, a high-intensity press resulting in a lot of chaotic high-energy games is not sustainable, as they are finding out with injuries/tiredness and additional games in Europe really having had a detrimental effect on their season.

We've also had a bad season for injuries, but it does feel more like bad luck than anything else, Mings, Buendia, Ramsey and Moreno's injuries were all pretty much before the season started, so not through being overworked, we've had a few muscle injuries (Torres, Digne) but nowhere near the extent of Newcastle and I'd imagine less than most teams. Kamara's injury could happen to anyone at any time really. The fact we are still going strong at this late stage, without really being able to rotate much because of injuries is incredible when you think about it. Emery is very experienced in managing league and European workloads, and it's really impressive how his system accommodates these rest periods in-game. 

I hope articles like this crop up a bit more and continue to educate the fans about what we are trying to do, I think the crowd have got a lot better at understanding the need for playing it out from the back, and are a lot more patient than they used to be.

I think any team that wants to consistently challenge the top 4 places has to be very savvy in the transfer market, because you can't compete with those above/around you thanks to FFP, and you have to manage the gruelling Europa, or Conference League campaign that you invariably get on your way up the ladder. Emery has proven to be brilliant at both so far.

He's just doing an incredible job and deserves every bit of praise that comes his way.

 

I must confess, how I have been one of those fans, educated by him on energy conservation....and many other things.

I have always taken it for granted.

I am also enlightened, by his reference to projects.....saying winning the next game, plays a huge part in the project, so that's always his main focus.

He has allegedly told the owners the here and now, is the main project, without winning the long term never comes. I think he makes an excellent observation.

The here and now, creates the long term......Consistency is what Unai, always talks about, and it is that, that takes us to the holy grail......There will be no final destination of sorts, without winning.

As every day passess, Unai Emery, shows instances, where he is so aware of what is required, to take us to the top......it is that, that makes us realise, that the long term, will be our destination....and the man knows how to get there.

Sure things still take time, but winning games are the building blocks, to our final destination of consistent top 4.

What a manager.

6 minutes ago, sidcow said:

I seem to remember in the early days something about them being acquaintances at some billionaires club and started watching The World Cup together where they each recognised their love of sport and hatched a plan to buy a football club together. 

A bit like your mates might decide to buy a few shares in a racehorse together in order to enjoy the sport more, only costing a few hundred million extra. 

The Billionaires Boys Club eh!

I will say, he will be a full England player , at some point.

So he's big pals with Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham.

Chooses his pals, wisely.

47 minutes ago, Villatillidie95 said:

An extremely knowledgeable man, I’ve seen him on Bloomberg a few times and you can see how he came to run money and build up fortress, a very analytical and strategic mind. As mentioned upthread, his long term approach/patient capital will Reap rewards in multiple industries, notably Aston Villa! 

How did he and Nass come together?

21 hours ago, striker said:

Great for club and manager so he can continue to build his own dynasty while interested parties now know they'll have to pay a fortune to prise him away.

Have to admit I had more than a little trepidation when he was announced as Villa manager due to opinions from Arsenal supporters. However, I'm very glad to say I was very wrong about him.

Fantastic manager!

I had no idea, he would be this good.......I just defaulted to my usual stance.....give them a chance, and see what they can do.

Its like ..."open the box " on "take your pick show"......you never know whats inside, it could be a booby or a star prize.....but we do now....Unai is our Star Prize.

2 minutes ago, tinker said:

I'm convinced that once this season is over we will have some big announcements that are the building blocks to bring our revenue up to match our on field performance.

NWSE are no fools , they have the opportunity to cement us as top 4 challengers season after season and they Will not let the commercial side fall behind, its their area of expertise.

It will make it much easier, for the commercial dep't to do that, with Unai raising the profile.

There is a close relationship, between football performance and commercial revenue.....Unai is making their job, much easier, and in turn, that will make his job, much easier....in theory.

Its synergy.

19 minutes ago, Xela said:

You are right, but up until a month ago or so I would have said A Ramsey and Rogers were in the same boat - lauded as elite academy players, but yet to make a mark in the big time. Rogers has taken that chance brilliantly, aided as you say, with a bit of luck with injuries. Thats all you need sometimes. 

I was just merely musing if AJ had stayed, whether he would have had chances after Buendia ad JJ's injuries, and Philogene's sale. Who knows? Sliding door moments are everywhere in football. 

I do see your point, and I agree.

I know, I will get criticised for this, but teams like Bournemouth, Brentford and others....won't let you play, so you have to have sufficient muscle to fend them off in addition to the necessary skill to play the game. Officials won't protect players anymore, you have to fend for yourself.....they will just read it as going to ground too easily.

Morgan has proved he can, and he won't be bullied off the ball, without attracting yellows for the aggressor.....sadly, thats where football is.....and physical prowess is not a fancied feature....it's a must.

There are plenty of fine young players, with bags of skill, who will not make the top flight, because of their inability, to let that skill, feature or take effect....they get negated, by stronger players.

Our boys showed on Sunday, they will not be bullied out of the game........that was not the case a while back.

It's all well and good, us all being attracted to the frills of the game.....but it has to be accompanied, by a robust mentality, as we did.

We all know our team is talented.....but, they are now applying it, through a refusal to be out muscled....I say Bravo.

4 minutes ago, rodders129 said:

Does anyone know where he’s settled in Brum? I know a lot of the players live in Little Aston and Four Oaks etc. 

Yes, he lives by the old crown four oaks, but I can't say the name of the road, it's unfair.

I want him to have plenty of sleep, and peace of mind....there would be grown men, "doing trick or treat"

I think, he is having a house built on BMH, to save travelling time.

Ps I could just imagine, when it's done,  Ollie throwing stones at the window, to get him up.

Just now, villabromsgrove said:

TRO .... In all the time I've known you this is the first time you've upset me .... Give him your season ticket if he asks .... take one for the team!

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Its my baby.