villianusa

I have counted him in the Sheff Wed game as we were already losing by the time he left the field, and we average 1.63 with him. We are averaging 1.80 without him, but I'd still have him back in.

A big error is something that leads to a goal or at least a good chance to the opposition. To both of them, I would say no. Every player in any given game is going to make a mistake every game over 90 minutes. A big error, I would say not. sadly for Whelan, he made two in back to back games, so a number of people forget all the good work he has down.

Yep!

Welcome back to the Beast, great game today!

He had a couple of big errors that cost us a number of points,, but it doesn't make him a bad player. He did well for the rest of the season, and help us get into a good position in the league. Glad he wasn't playing today though as Jedinak is a better player.

We can certainly say he is one of our most creative players, but Johnstone best goalkeeper, Terry best defender, etc... It takes a team. I agree with the just got back thing.

There's running and there's walking fast. Jack has walked fast at players for most of the games I have seen him at. Today, he was flat out and players could cope with his movement and speed. He looks like he may have been working at his straight line speed, he seems to be faster.

It shows what pressure can do, not pressure on the Villa manager or players but on the opposition. We never gave them a moment to settle, and we hounded them as a unit, I posted somewhere on here about that a couple of weeks ago. Players weren't working together to close the ball down and not give the opposition a place to go. We did that today and received the ball further up the field to attack their final third. We did it at pace and pushed them onto the back foot. Great team performance all round and a special mention to Jack, I have called him a luxury player but put in a performance that sets the standard he should only rise from. P.S. Also finally got some cross into the box. Halleulua!!!

Yes, you could be right if players like Hogan, Grealish, Jedinak hadn't been injured for a good part of the season and still playing their way back into form. Add Terry and Kodjia to that, and you know what you get? Mass Hysteria!!! Happy New Year!

He gets better every game.

I think Jack has finally worked out, or someone has told him that defenders don't like players running at them.

All that may be true, but fact was he was our leading goalscorer last season. He adds enough to the team that we miss him when he is gone. Bold* This could be fact or fiction, or it could be that we just don't have another player like him. I'd rather have him in the team than not.

What he said^^^

Idrissa Gueye, Jordan Veretout, Adama Traore, and Scott Sinclair say hi. I wouldn't mind that 4 across midfield.

Yet we have an average of 2.13 points per game when he is in the team this season, and 1.14 when not. Seems he has some sort of impact, and we might be missing him a little bit.

Fatigue sets in at the end of the game and that's when you are more likely to tear something. You can pull one early on if you haven't warmed correctly or more of a sprinter, but Jack certainly isn't one of those. Ideally, he would have probably wanted to play him for 30 or so, but that's only if needs must, sadly they did.

Not creating enough chances for the natural ability he has, but held onto the ball towards the end of the game very well, and helped us collect three points.

His best game of the season.

But then he was injured and since he returned to side our points per game have dropped. It very well may have been the plan, but as we have seen injuries happen.

If we were Man City and players of similar quality around him I would probably agree.

It seems Adomah is fit from latest reports so that is a bonus. I'd bring him in for Grealish and put him back on the bench. Our points to game ratio when Grealish has played a part has dropped from 1.73 to 1.33. He is our most gifted player out of our present first team squad but a luxury we don't seem to be able to afford. I feel he could play as a wide left, or behind a front two. I don't think playing him at #10 behind a number 9 is working. His work rate has picked up from last season, but for the most part, he slows down the game and hangs onto the ball for too long at times. I wouldn't just blame Grealish for the points to decline ratio as other important players are missing. With Terry's absence the ratio dropped from 1.63 with him to 1.50 without, but more alarmingly, it has dropped from 2.13 to 1.31 when Kodjia is out of the team. We need them both back ASAP.

When Kodjia came back, it was pretty much Johnstone Hutton Chester Terry Taylor Snodgrass Whelan Hourihane Adomah Davis Kodjia It was the start of our best run of the season before Kodjia was injured and we went back to more of a 441. We tried it once with Hogan and Davis but lost to Sheff Wed. We played well that game, but got caught cold at the start with a wonder goal, and then Terry got injured. The games were Barnsley 3pts Forest 3pts Burton 3pts Bolton 3pts Wolves 0pts Sheff Wed 0pts I think losing the last two games and Kodjia, Hogan, and Gabby all injured, forced Bruce to move back to a 4411. I hope Bruce goes with it tomorrow back to it and give the teams better options in attack while still having plenty behind the ball.

Our most successful formation this season has been 442, I would revert back to that with: Johnstone Hutton Chester Elphick Taylor Snodgrass Jedinak Hourihane Grealish Hogan Davis Subs Steer Whelan O'Hare Elmo De Laet Hepburn-Murphy Onomah

Aston Villa - Formations and Players - Part 1 I would like to start with this blog, with these words, "The Numbers Don't Lie." Steve Bruce has used five formations this season, with varying amounts of success. He has used 26 different players with varying success. This blog will look at which formations and player selection work. The formations used are 4411, 3421, 433, 442, and 4231. The table below looks at the formations and Points per game, Average Passing Percentage, Average Possession Percentage, Total Number of Shots, Total Number of Shot on Target, Average of Shot on Target versus Total Shots, Total Goals Scored, and finally Average Goal Conversion versus Total Shots. Bruce has persisted with the 4411 for most of the season, and as the stats show it hasn't been overly successful. The most successful formation has been 442 after Kodjia returned from injury. The formation often seen outdated was also very successful Leicester in the Champions season in the Premier League. Fans may ask how a small alteration can affect the results so drastically. The average passing and possession percentages are very similar, but that is where the similarities end. The two important stats are the conversion of shots to goals and the number of points per game. At the present rate, the 4411 formation will have the team ending the season with 66 points that would leave the club in 10th place in last years standings. The 442 formation would have the club finish on 92 points that would have been an automatic promotion spot. The formation has had an effect but so have players. Much as been mentioned about the numbers of Aston Villa have had this season, especially to key players. The table below shows the effect that Terry, Kodjia, and Grealish have had on results. Captain Marvel John Terry has been missing for the last eight games, and during that time points per game have dropped from 1.63 to 1.50. Even though it isn't a massive difference, it is the difference between 7th and 9th in last years standing. The clubs star forward from last season as missed all but six games this season due to injuries. The introduction to him into the team this season alongside Keinan Davis in a 442 formation took our average points per game to 2.13 versus 1.31 when he hasn't played. This is a difference between champions form or mid-table obscurity. Much as been said about Kodjai this season, he is selfish, and he hasn't been missed, the stats don't support that and he will continue to be missed until he returns from ankle surgery. Bruce has only tried the formation once since Kodija was injured against Fulham, and that was in a 2-1 defeat at home to Sheff Wed. This was the same game where Villa was stunned by a goal wonder goal in the first minute, and Terry left the field after 20 minutes through injury. With the shortage of forwards due to further injuries to Gabby and Hogan, Bruce has resorted to his less successful 4411 formation. Before the season started, Bruce said he wanted to build the team around Grealish. An unfortunate kidney injury kept Grealish out of the first fifteen games. Since then, he has played six games as a substitute, and two games where he has started. Since is return to the team, Villa's points per game have dropped from 1.73 to 1.33. Bruce may need to rethink how he uses Grealish and see if he can use him in a 442 formation. The most successful team (442)this season has been, Johnstone, Hutton, Taylor, Chester, Terry, Snodgrass, Adomah, Whelan, Hourihane, Kodija, and Davis. With a number of the players out injured, and some needing a rest maybe Bruce can use players such as Elphick, Jedinak, Grealish, Omonah, Elmo, and Hogan to fill some of the holes and move back to the succesful formation. Injuries have played their part and seen a drop in points when key players are out. This may make Bruce look at his recruitment because no team is going to go through a season with just eleven players. He needs to make sure he has ready-made replacements. In part 2 of this blog, I will the difference between the 4411 and 442 formations.

Today, I would get the team in who played yesterday, and the U23's in and play a full blooded game. Play the same formations and tell them , the best 18 will play against Boro, the rest of you come in for extra training at the same time. Sod reputation, and get those who want to dig deep and win and put them on the field.