Villarocker

Kamara, Digne and Chambers have been really poor today. Watkins, Buendia and Bailey really need to work harder to stop the ball coming forward from their defenders. They aren't getting any service going forward so the very least they can do is put themselves about. Ramsey has been anonymous apart from their penalty. I can't believe that Unai hasn't changed it at half time. Take Ramsey off for McGinn who at the very least will put a foot in.

Yes he was. He should have gone for that.

He never got the ball there, it just got stuck between their legs. His first leg takes out Bailey. Yes, Bailey should've done better but there's no doubt that he got taken out by Dias there. Dias was last man too so should've seen red.

As much as I think he's not as good defensively as Digne, I'd like to see Moreno on as it's clear that the only space we're getting going forward is down our left side and Digne is doing nothing with the ball.

I'd like to see a Villa player actually make a challenge. Just dancing around us like we are dummies on the training ground.

The problem we have today? No Mings! He handled Haaland well last time we played these but, already, you just know he's going to get one or two today with Chambers marking him. In defence of Chambers, he's no left-sided centre back, he's mostly played right side. He looks nervy today and this doesn't look like it will be a good game for him. Our forwards have been very poor so far. We won't see much of the ball so when we do get it we have to protect it much better than we are. The forwards have to hold on to it and wait for re-inforcements to arrive and cut out the fancy hopeful flicks.

He's great and I really want him here but, we need a natural out-and-out goalscorer. Ollie gets chances that natural finishers would be testing the keeper with, at least.

I think today showed he's trying to still find his feet with these players. My worry about the transfer window was that maybe the club got a bit too comfortable with our league position. We know most of these players are vulnerable to collapse. I just hope that Unai doesn't get too carried away with these players and tries to get them doing things they're not capable of or competent at. I thought the decision to change Digne was odd. I didn't think he deserved to be changed. This isn't me saying that Unai isn't good enough or doesn't know what he's doing etc. I am merely saying that I hope he doesn't put misplaced trust in some of these as they may well let him down.

There's something about a defender when he always seems to be the last man that makes me think he's not doing something right. Today, it looked like he was playing sweeper but, in a back four. For me, Ty made too many errors today. It's a trait of his game to mark space rather than pick up someone. He did that today for Ihenacho's goal. He followed him into the box perfe tly, cleared the ball then, for some reason, ignored him and walked moved towards the near post to mark nobody and Ihenacho just pretty much stood and had a free header. I saw people blaming Digne but he was with another Villa player picking up two Leicester players at the back post. Far too many times I see Ty marking space. He's done it on corners, free kicks, crosses into the box etc. His job is to defend and stop players from scoring goals or creatinf them. Space doesn't score goals - players do.

Why though? What did he do in that first half that wasn't as good as Moreno in the second? Please don't mention the third goal - that was on Mings.

Can anyone understand the Digne substitution? Involved going forward and was looking fine. I'd rather he'd have taken Mings off and put someone on who marks players instead of space.

I think we need to line up someone else instead of punning all our hopes on Guendouzi. If Marseille get Champions League qualification why would he want to leave them? Also, his price will probably be driven up and others will be in for him too. I'm not saying we should give up totally on him but, I do think we need to have our alternatives planned. Chelsea and Arsenal aside, not many other clubs have done a lot of deals. I don't think we will be in a scrap for survival but will maybe drop down the table a little, especially if we get injuries to the likes of Martinez, Kamara or Watkins. Hopefully, we set our sights high and hit our targets early in the summer.

That ad is tacky. Fancy allowing those shirts!

I always wanted to be a vase

This is interesting, if accurate. Maybe Unai wanted to keep his powder dry for a big summer spend on better targets? I can see us signing 3-4 new first teamers in the summer. Out of what we currently have I'd say that a right back, creative midfielder and a proven goalscorer could be three positions to improve on. We then need a new no.2 keeper. Maybe a better CB than Chambers for cover?

I hope that someone at the club gives some kind of explanation as to this transfer window business. What the general aim was in regards to dealings. I think it would be helpful. A lot of us have spoken about "deadwood" leaving but, in reality, how many of our unused players have actually left the club? Two loanees have gone back to their parent clubs. Guilbert was released. But, the rest are only loans. I'm not including Ings in that group as he's been used a lot this season - however, I can sort of see why they took the money and eased the wage bill there. The squad should be enough for the games we have left. I'm not actually that bothered about European football right now as we simply don't have the quality or depth to be playing those extra games. I think the positives will be: Watkins in the number one striker so now needs to show if he's up to it. Bailey has serious pressure for his place with Traore returning - when he's fit. Traore gets a fresh start with a proper coach. The rest will all be about showing who Unai sees as good enough for starting places and who he can rely on to back them up. I'm fine our window as long as we don't suddenly do a Villa and go into a free fall looking like headless chickens. But, in the summer, I'm expecting two new attacking players, one of which needs to be a proven goalscorer. I also would like to see a new number two 'keeper and maybe another creative midfielder as Buendia and Coutinho simply just don't create enough. In Unai we trust!

With the squad you have now, what is your target for this season?

Did our business relatively early in this window. Makes me think that we will do our summer business early into that window too.

Marseille already have some roster of midfielders. They've already bought one from Verona that they've loaned back and now look like signing Vitinha for 30m. I'm not sure that a deal for Guendouzi won't be done. If it isn't this month, I think we've got something in place with them to sign him in the summer.

Who, if any, could we be looking at who would fly in from Madrid? Unai took Dani Ceballos on loan to Arsenal at the start of his second season with them. He's at Real Madrid. What about agent Emi Martinez having a word in Angel Correa's ear and convinced that Villa's a big club mate?

The exits don't really bother me. Augustinsson = 3rd choice loanee - enough cover at LB. Bednarek = 4th choice loanee - enough cover at CB. Guilbert = about 5th choice RB - enough cover there and was loaned out for two seasons. Sanson = about 6th choice CM - enough cover there. Archer = loaned about because hardly got any game time so seemingly not thought of as good enough? Prove them wrong, Cammie! Ings = 2nd choice striker - most concerning exit but, at his age, with those wages and, for that fee, it absolutely made sense. Cover? Watkins and Bailey up front. If one gets injured we will maybe play 4-3-3? The lack of a third (first) striker in the squad is the main concern for me. Seems like they're waiting for a big target but, what if they don't want to come here? That's the worry. Just realised I forgot about Duran. Hopefully he can fill the void until summer?

I think that Unai really does rate and want Guendouzi and he is our number one target. I reckon the stumbling block would be the fee as Marseille are doing so well right now they're surely not going to let him go cheap, especially given the fact it is us and we took Kamara for nothing. I think Marseille are probably playing hardball with us and want a sizeable amount for than we are probably wanting to pay. Don't Arsenal also get a percentage of the fee? I guess if he really wants Guendouzi, Unai us going to have to do some serious arm-twisting in the accounts department. With regards to other signings; I think we really do want a new number 9 but, I think we will wait until the summer and break our transfer record.

Just trolling us with the Swedish link.

I didn't look mate, to be honest. I mean, at that point we were just watching it land and wondering who it could be and why land there. None of us suspected it could be anything to do with Villa at the time. It is only tonight that I just thought asked myself if it could be anything to do with Villa. Seeing that the Doug Ellis sports centre is next door has just added to the bloody suspence for me now.

Maybe they would want to avoid any potential journos hanging around there? I agree that it is probably nothing but, again, who would be so important to land there and why?