Indigo

What's going on with Bailey? He looks completely crocked. Whatever about his quality but one thing that couldn't be denied about him previously was that he was rapid, but he's looked totally laboured every time he's moved.

I think there were a couple of extreme examples - Watford and Brentford off the top of my head - with the availability of players Smith had that possibly skew perception. Those being so early in the season were probably quite a contributing factor to how it ended up going for him.

Teams generally don't get relegated with the amount of points we already have so I'd imagine there's nothing to worry about, Villa being Villa though I wouldn't trust anything. Would be pretty funny mind if having written off the season weeks ago and not really being arsed anymore I now had to be worried about a relegation battle. Terribly Villa.

Yeah I don't really think we play particularly similarly to Liverpool to be honest. There's a similarity in terms of full backs bombing on but beyond that not too much else from what I've seen.

Some selected tweets from a longer thread below on how tough a job it is for Luiz or whoever plays in his position in this system. Does suggest it's a lot more complicated than just signing a Phillips or Bissouma and presuming that it's job done. https://twitter.com/TalkinTactics/status/1513525684299313155?t=pdBFUS7_bObPJEau3vd-Yg&s=19

Sign me up for Ginter. For no real reason in particular I started keeping an eye on Mochengladbach a few seasons ago, particularly around the time when the Bundesliga was the first major league to start back up during the pandemic and he's always been a key cog in what has been an impressive team up until this season where things have started to go a bit stale for them (as well as some other key figures leaving). Good experience, captain, quality footballer and available on a free - almost certainly too good to be true and will end up going to Bayern or Inter or a team like that.

To be fair Gomez isn't exactly in the Brewster or Ibe category considering they had barely played any minutes for Liverpool and were completely unproven, he on the other hand was starting and playing excellently for a side that accrued some of the highest points tallies in the history of the Premier League. His injury record is of course of huge concern though and would probably render it not worth the risk. It's a shame because he'd probably comfortably be Villa's best CB otherwise, then again if not for it the possibility of signing him wouldn't even be a point of conversation.

More than willing to see how it plays out rather than being a complete negative Nancy, but I do get worrying vibes that we're just going to roll with Gerrard throwing the squad under the bus and none of the coaching apparently be an issue, and see some signings such as those mooted that make you wonder what the point of Lange or the move towards a "data-based approach" even is.

Wasn't a popular opinion at the time but I found him grossly overrated for much of last season too, but this season has been another level below entirely. He just doesn't really do much good at all, he's in the bottom 10% of CBs in so many areas from defensive stats to passing to carrying the ball etc, he's never been the best defender st Villa much less of England standard. There isn't a position on the pitch that can't be improved on but RCB would be one of the easiest to do for me.

Never understood the love in for Konsa anyway but it looks especially misplaced of late. I'd be having Chambers over him all day.

Not that it's news to anyone but Souness really is a dreadfully lazy pundit. Gets asked about Coutinho playing for Villa and the best he can muster up is saying he doesn't reckon he tries hard enough when he doesn't have the ball, they proceed to wax lyrical about Son who incidentally has lesser defensive stats than Coutinho. Total parody at this stage.

Not that it'll ever happen but I wouldn't mind seeing something like: Martinez Cash-Chambers-Mings-Digne Luiz-Nakamba Bailey-Buendia-Coutinho Ings/Watkins Possibly speaks to being stuck in mid-table obscurity but I've haven't been paying attention enough to even know if Digne or Ings will be back involved, think it's a way of getting both of the most creative attackers in while also not completely sacrificing pace in the process.

I'm not suggesting that he shouldn't be given time or that it isn't the case that the players are more so the issue, but there's only so long you can hang them out to dry while also making questionable decisions yourself. I actually think he's been good on the whole and it's reflected in how Villa have climbed the table, but there are plenty of coaches out there that get more than the sum of their parts out of a team, whilst Gerrard is making a bit of a habit out of getting overdramatic and attributing every poor performance to the lack of mentality or whatever else in the players. It'll wear thin quite quickly is all, particularly if he does get whatever overhaul of the squad he desires and the results don't come with it.

I'm a bit fed up of all this whinging about the players letting him down to be honest. What if he gets given this brand new - and presumably hugely expensive - squad and the same issues persist?

Great player and changed the game today, but it becomes a catch 22 then starting him because it'll only happen with Coutinho and then we suddenly lack any kind of pace and are terribly open out of possession. Actually think he could work well as an 8 but not sure I can ever see that even being experimented with.

World class at gesturing that everyone else is letting him down.

Not even having a go at him but I don't think I've ever seen the "doesn't get service" excuse used as much for a player that misses the chance he does.

It genuinely isn't a coincidence that Villa look half the team without him there.

At least we'll get a half time team talk filled with "home truths" and probably some nice soundbites in the post match interview to make up for the performance.

I know folk want to single out the player they have a particular dislike for but this has just been a general disasterclass since the goal.

Interesting one, no real natural sitting midfielder in there but I like that Sanson is getting his chance regardless.

Not being English, from the outside lookiing in it should seem mad that a player with something like 13 clean sheets and only 4 goals conceded in 16 caps gets as much stick as he does. It's a shame that it seems par for the course instead considering what he gets at club level, much less international.