Keener window-cleaner

Showed his exquisite passing once again, the pass to Bailey was inch perfect.

What a strike that was, one of his best goals for us imo.

5 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Can anyone confirm that he was looking up for the goal?

Yes, and a super finish it was!

Fantastic skill for the goal, did everything in one smooth movement. He looks rapid and with a spring in his step, a bit like when he first came here before his injuries.

Just now, MWARLEY2 said:

You can add Pau to that as well i reckon. 

Yeah, I'd say Pau and also Konsa and to a certain extent Digne are really good "defender"-passers. But I'm not sure how well they would cope with the quick feet passing and using both feet that a central midfielder needs to command. 

Only saw second half, but I thought he looked good, quick and a spring in his step. Ok he misplaces a couple of passes, but overall his passing is top notch. With Coutinho loaned out and Buendia injured, I'd say that he and Luiz by some distance are the best passers in the squad.  

I only managed to see the second half yesterday, but I think he looks better suited on the left wing, it looks more natural when he runs at defenders and it's more unpredictable if he will go inside or outside. I get that he can't cut in and take a shot with his left foot, but overall he looks more comfortable there. In one of his best games for us, Brentford at home last season, he played on the left hand side if I remember correctly. Also in one of his first games for us when he scored a cracker I think he played left wing.

5 hours ago, Jas10 said:

 

Great news! Would be interesting to know how long and what wages.

Who is the one to left?

Perhaps that Champions League goalkeeper at Sevilla could be something!

I have an idea! Perhaps he can sign up on Villa talk and interact with the fans? Go by the nick General Charles, sorry, Chris Heck perhaps?

Then all would be fine again.

It’s in moments like these I’d rather see Archer, Philogene-Bidace, A Ramsey etc run around with enthusiasm and perhaps getting beaten, than seeing big earners underperform.

One of our better players today imo.

I think he is played out of position, he is not suited to the advanced midfield role, he is a playmaker with great vision and passing, should be played as one of the mid two or not played at all.

Some lessons learnt, a defence with Olsen, Cash and McGinn and big Donk in midfield is not suited to playing out from the back. Tielemans should be played in central midfield and not out of position. We need to be able to up the tempo and play with more urgency at times. Konsa and Luiz need to be rested more.

1 hour ago, OutByEaster? said:

I'd take any of the dozen badges we've had for the last fifty years and keep it for the next fifty - and if it's my least favourite, then at least i'll know that over fifty years it'll be ours, it'll be us - I want kids to grow up with one badge - one they point at and say "that's Villa that is" even if its not perfectly in fashion in 2024.

It needs to be Villa's badge - not Lerner's badge or Purslow's badge or Heck's badge - it needs to outlast a few CEO's.

Fully agree with this, though I would be open to making some very minor adjustments every decade or so.

Changing the badge is a bit like a country changing its flag.

4 hours ago, StefanAVFC said:

He says in a post-game thread where we won at Stamford Bridge with a clean sheet

I dont understand why that would render mocking from you, reading the posts there is not a shadow of a doubt that @TRO is very happy about the result as we all fellow Villa fans are. Saying that he has a slight worry about the defence when even Emery afterwards says that we needed our goalkeeper isn't that unreasonable is it?

Personally I think we looked very good defensively compared to the last game and compared to Liverpool and Newcastle, I'm particularly pleased with Pau's progress and I love Konsa, even Cash who I have some doubts about was really good. Having said that, we did at times struggle with Sterling and Chilwell running through, which perhaps is unavoidable, but if we strive for perfection as I'm sure Emery and @TRO are doing, then that's something to have a look at and improve on.

I thought he had a good game, gave us some bite in midfield. It's interesting the way we buiild up on the right hand side with Kamara sometimes dropping back to right back, Cash pushing forward and McGinn playing more centrally. I get the feeling that he gets a bit squeezed in that position, or perhaps it was more Chelsea playing close to him.

It's great to have Ramsey back now, it will be interesting to see who is going to take the two starting places of McGinn, Zaniolo and Ramsey. Very good competition, and when Buendia comes back we will have many good options there, with Traore and Bailey as wild cards as well. 

And the thing is that he has been playing like this over the last seasons, he is starting to become one of my favourite Villa defenders ever.

It was nice to see how happy he looked after he scroed, he looked really relieved.

Hopefully he will gain some confidence now and kick on!

Sometimes I get worried that his legs are gone, but today I thought he had a spring in his step, got stuck in and won many battles.

I'm a bit curious why Emery often plays him in more advanced positions, I hope that it isn't that he thinks he isn't good enough defensively.

I still think a mid two with him and Luiz would boss any opposition in the league. Would be a bit fragile defensively, but would boss it.

Very encouraging that he is improving game by game, clean sheet against Chelsea away is very good, had a solid and good game.

One thing that shows that he is a top player is that he hasn't needed any time at all to adapt, goes straight in to the PL and performs, this time against a very good team. Very intelligent player, good and careful passer, has a trick and a thunderstrike in him, and is also a real handful. Also love that he seems to make at least one nutmeg a game! 

He was all over the place in the first half, very dodgy positioning, but I think he improved in the second half and looked more solid. 

He looks a bit like Elphick!