LordSepulchrave

http://www.sportsdirectnews.com/football-transfer-window/36961-aston-villa-delph-catching-tottenham-s-eye.php#.UqRcM_RdXXQ

Moussa Dembele looks likely to be on his way out of White Hart Lane this season

Uh...

I think we may be Southampton's natural predators. Their high tempo pressing game and high line are dangerous against pacy counter attackers as incisive as us. They like the game to be played in the opponent's half, but we also prefer the game to be played in our half. Since neither of our teams really have a plan B, it was going to be our Plan A vs their Plan A.

If Pochettino had learned from Rogers - who recognised the danger we represented and adapted accordingly - and dropped his high backline deeper, they would have been able to cope with our counter attacks. Hell, their Plan A probably would have worked if he'd been able to field the double pivot of Wanyama and Schneiderlin. Without the especially important Schneiderlin, however, I reckon that Lambert won the tactical battle.

I can't tell if we're seeing the oddest tactical revolution in modern day football or not. Mental.

It comes back down to this perception that either you are Barcelona or Stoke.

I'm particularly sure we're neither.

Away against a side that is playing well? Seems like exactly the type of opponent we'd do well against.

Fancy us to be entirely outplayed a sneak a cheeky win in near the end.

Our players aren't the most comfortable on the ball, but the pitch is one of the bigger in the league. Not a good match-up really.

Fergie's a free agent.

Didn't get any help from Sylla. He was the sole guardian of the right flank.

He also looked great in an attacking sense when we went 5-2-3. Was a mixed game, but it's unfair to totally slate him.

My worry with Kozak is how he fits in with us tactically.

He was clearly a better player than Benteke on Monday, yet subbing him off rather than Benteke was 100% the right decision. With Kozak in our side we lack the same balance that we have with the front three of Tekkers, Weimann and Ags, and our style of play isn't helping create the right sort of chances.

I'm not worried about his ability, I'm worried about Lambert's ability to create a play style that he can thrive under. Early days yet though, and it's no bad thing that we have players who can offer us something different.

I'm exhausted after that.

Good point - disappointed they looked so superior to us technically, but we raised out tempo when we needed to and just overwhelmed them at the end.

Benteke looked better as a midfielder than a striker here. Not great.

Seems like Lambert wanted to keep things tight until the final half an hour and then hit them with Delph, Weimann and Ags. Got it half right today, but considering the injuries you can't blame him for that line-up.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

BOOM.  Come on Villa, we can get at least a point here.

Jesus christ Sylla - I dislike laying into players in general, but I wish he'd just stay anonymous.

Still, we need to keep believing.

Alright Villa, you've had your shite half, now give us a good one.

At least KEA and Westwood are offering something, however minimal. Sylla is the one who really just isn't in it.

Worried by how deep Benteke is ending up. Not gonna be getting back into his goal scoring form if he is playing as a midfielder.

Shane Long is killing us. This is gonna be a long, long night.

Holy ****.

Defensive, defensive, defensive. Not a terrible idea tactically, but not gonna be a great spectacle methinks, at least maybe for the first hour.

Edit - Came off a little too condescending, tried to cut that out.

If nothing else, the fact that this lad offers us a bit of width in midfield/attack is pretty valuable. Pretty much everyone else we play wide - Gabby, Weimann, Bacunna - are players who will drift nearer the centre of the pitch.

He works hard, so I don't think we're losing anything by playing him, just hope he can step up his game soon.

 

Agreed, possession is overrated. There's more than one way of winning a football match, and everyone wants to be Barca overnight without considering that it took them quite a few generations of players.

 

Personally, I'm with Klopp on this one. Possession football can be really boring.

Strange that the game of possession wasn't overrated during our run in last season.

 

Except that it was. Possession has been overrated for a while now, pundits haven't stopped banging on about it for seasons. A couple of seasons ago the media were drooling over the fact that Roger's had got a system going where their back four basically kept the ball for a whole match.

When we were good at the end of last season, it was because of our pace and incisiveness on the break, and the speed at which we could transition from defense to attack.. It definitely wasn't because we were dominating possession.

What do you guys think is a "better" brand of football? It's not clear from this discussion.

Bare in mind, the counter attacking Dortmund is Lambert's biggest influence, so do you have a problem with that style on the whole, or just the way we are doing it at the moment? Should he drop the style and try to do something more possession based or does it just need refining?

Agreed, possession is overrated. There's more than one way of winning a football match, and everyone wants to be Barca overnight without considering that it took them quite a few generations of players.

Personally, I'm with Klopp on this one. Possession football can be really boring.

 

I think should be aiming for 10 points from the next 8 games

 

Doable even being conservative IMO

 

WBA (A) - Draw

Sunderland (H) - Win

Southampton (A) - Loss

Fulham (A) - Win

Man Utd (H) - Loss

Stoke (A) - Draw

Palace (H) - Win

Swansea (H) - Loss

 

That'd be 11 from those 8, having us on 25 after 19 played which is a reasonable enough mid table return

 

Seems realistic. Too realistic...