Indigo

To be fair as I already said i don't blame Gerrard at all really but I disagree with the assertion that if he didn't make the Nakamba substitution and the same result happened he'd be berated for not doing it. It's a type of change that makes little sense to me, if you're already under a heap of pressure in a game then it's counter-productive to introduce a player that offers you more or less zero ability to be calm on the ball and offer even a hint of extra control on the game. It just invited City on even more than they already were.

He has an incredible ability to get himself into dangerous situations - more so than most players - but in equal measure lacks the real quality necessary to make the most of it. So frustrating.

That game today just sums up Villa full stop really, never mind this season. Can't really hold him accountable and I just hope he can be the one to change the whole culture at this club because it's more than tedious at this stage anticipating collapses like that.

Wow.

Think I've posted in the past couple of seasons' transfer threads about how I wish we were further along progression-wise to have been able to attract a player like him, never mind being able to get him on a free after such an underwhelming season from us. Not getting too carried away until it's actually confirmed but would be a mad signing to get done. He's exactly the kind of player needed.

Can't really complain a huge amount about tonight in isolation as outside of a daft moment from Buendia and a Nick Pope stormer (...and some help from Mings along the way) that was a win on any other night, but I have to say I'm so far from convinced with what we've seen so far. Needless to say will be patient and see how we start next season but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned.

On this note, one of the funniest things I've ever seen on VT was the collective fawning over Benrahma for well over a year, until people actually watched him play a full game when Brentford played Fulham in the playoffs and everyone decided he was suddenly not very good.

It's a shame he's so lacking in the kind of end product that'd be required at Villa because he has attributes that'd make him a complete handful at any level. A mate of mine who is a season ticket holder for Forest tells me all the time how much they love the guy and you can see why. Would be great to see them go up and for him to get a permanent move there, seems a great fit for him.

Centre backs are generally quite difficult to gauge in terms of stats because there's so many factors involved that can influence their defensive output etc (as in VVD is obviously better than say Grant Hanley, but looking purely at stats Hanley has more tackles, blocks etc because Norwich has far more defending to do than Liverpool), but regardless I saw this posted and thought it made for interesting reading, especially as Villa and Wolfsburg aren't hugely dissimilar in terms of league placement and things like amount of passes, average possession and so forth.

So not utterly useless either then.

This guy is excellent isn't he. I think if he was a bit more of a natural athlete in terms of pace, strength etc then there wouldn't be a chance of him not playing for a top side still.

I don't think it's excuse making to say he probably looks better with a more comfortable midfield behind him that can hold some kind of control over a game. Most of his best work for us has been his end product and general quality in and around the box, you lose that when he's dropping to the centre circle to try to dictate play and this league is too high a standard now to rely on a guy to do that for you. If this is the system Gerrard is playing with though then outside of fitness I don't know how he can justify keeping a place ahead of Buendia who is just excellent at the moment.

Imagine Firmino playing in his false 9 role with two 10s behind him. Would just be Digne and Cash overlapping to whip it into the box for...absolutely nobody.

I think part of the issue there is that Brighton play with a back 3, so when listed out on paper the midfield is then flat when in practice it can be a lot more fluid than that, which Brighton are an example of. SofaScore provides heat maps and average positions on their app, if you go onto pretty much any game he's played for Brighton this season and view the average positions of the game he's been playing as a defensive midfielder. As far as I remember this was the case last season too. These are a couple of examples from just his most recent appearances (would attach more if I was able to) - he wears #8.

People say that he isn't a 6 but if you look at the average positions of the team in more or less every single game he's played in for Brighton this season he has quite literally been playing as a defensive midfielder. He's the deepest player in that area of the pitch and along with the CBs and keeper is generally on average positioned in their own half. That's pretty much as 6/DM as it gets, regardless of any ball carrying ability he also possesses.

Last season Konsa per game made less blocks (shots and otherwise), clearances, tackles + interceptions than Mings, was significantly worse in the air than him, as well as almost all aspects of possession from how many touches he had, how far he carried the ball, how progressive his passing was and so forth. It isn't just that Konsa is having a dip this season, Mings has always been a better, more important player than him that is much less replaceable.

I think it's an issue with the majority of the spine of the team not being hugely comfortable in terms of ball retention etc rather than any one specific player. As great as Martinez is, as you allude to his distribution is an aspect of his game that is probably a bit lacking at the highest level, then in terms of the centre backs Konsa is statistically among the worst in Europe in possession while both Chambers and Mings are to varying degrees in the middling range (Chambers more consistent, Mings more erratic at times but also more versatile in terms of being able to carry the ball I'd say). In midfield Luiz is probably the only one that's a natural at this as both McGinn and Ramsey are more so ball carriers that don't make many passes over the course of a game, and we all know the story with Nakamba. Coaching can obviously help but I think it's also just a reality of our personnel that they aren't a group of players particularly suited to being a possession-based team that can easily play out from the back, so you end up in situations where Konsa is playing teammates into trouble or Mings has a lack of options so hits it into the channels for Watkins to chase down etc.

His movement paired with Buendia's creativity seems like a perfect combination. Shame we haven't been able to see more of it given the form they've both been in of late.

Definitely an error for the goal which was unfortunate but he has more than enough credit in the bank given his performances in recent months. I appreciate what people are saying about if we're to reach "the next level" than his spot in the side should come under scrutiny, but to be honest there are extremely few players in the squad that does not apply to, and he certainly isn't a priority to upgrade on in that sense. He's been the best CB at the club since he's arrived, feels like there's a lot more pressing issues to address before replacing the guy that's largely held the defence together given how they've gotten on when he's not been there.

Unlucky really, definitely a more encouraging performance in defeat than we've had even in some games we haven't lost. Can't complain too much given the ridiculous quality Liverpool have, they make some things look terribly easy that are anything but, from Mane's finish to general play.

One thing he actually did well previously was winning fouls but now...

I love this guy, when you see him pick up the pocket of space he did for the assist you already know exactly where it's going before he even receives it, makes it look easy but the weight and angle on those through balls is something most players struggle to do at all, much less with the frequency he does. He was just lacking a ruthless streak previously in terms of scoring himself, hopefully he's on the right track in that sense after today.

Whatever about the goals return as he probably could improve in that regard, the idea that he needs to boost his assists output is bizarre considering that relies upon the player he passes to actually scoring themselves. His key passes, xA and all that jazz is healthy enough, and 6 assists in what amounts to around 18 games worth of minutes (that's what I read somewhere earlier anyway) has him amongst the best in the league for them on average regardless.

Not gonna happen but I'd like to see: Martinez Cash-Chambers-Mings-Young Luiz-Tim Bailey/Traore-Buendia-Coutinho Ings