Paulie

Piggybacking off this - tactically Dean obviously got it right after the lockdown, but we really looked rock solid once: Luiz took ownership of that deep lying CDM role. He has great instincts and pace to break up play, is comfortable on the ball and in distribution. Before lockdown he was shuffled around, played in the more forward CM slots where Hourihane and McGinn were. Konsa paired with Mings. Both have bundles of pace and moving forward should be able to cover our overlapping wing backs the way Dean likes to have them push forward. Getting the tactics right is one thing, but how often have we seen villa managers play players out of position... getting the personnel right is the other half of the equation. Both Luiz and Konsa looked comfortable in their roles and with their instruction - it made all the difference.

He's 22 and banged in 20 goals as a 20 year old (FOR US) in the championship, and put in 15 in the top flight. He fulfills the target man role and is a finisher that we need to pair with all the chances Jack creates. Don't care if he has feet like horses hooves, he puts the ball in the net and has done it in our side. It's a fantastic fit and has instant chemistry.

all signs point to benrahma

The days of selling players who are getting consistent appearances in our starting XI should be over. Especially selling at "market value". If we are to aim higher, selling vital cogs of our starting XI and then having to spend that money to replace them like-for-like is spinning our wheels. That is a losing game. Eventually the turnover catches up with you, and you stop finding gems, and end up with a squad like we had in 2015/2016.

Hello, Been following the villa from the States since 08-09, been lurking on the forum for a few years and have just recently decided to start contributing to the discussion! having posting access would be great as im starting to plan my first pilgrimage to VP in 2020. Find me on twitter @NateJCB. UTV!