Stratvillan

It's so nice not worrying whenever a ball is crossed. We've been blessed with some great keepers. Emi is up there with the best of them.

Best performance for ages.

Thought Bielsa was great. Even in defeat Leeds were like watching the Dutch in the 70s. Oh, Villa played as well. Quite like Leeds, hate the obsession of the commentators

We should start a pre match poll on the team selection. Weve 6 midfielders, everyone wants barkeley dropped, he is. We have to use 3 out of 5. Apparently everyone is ok with ramsey and nakamba, now smith is a muppet for preferring McGinn over luiz. Aaarrrggghhhh!!!!

I think this is where transfer windows become difficult. We are no longer replacing rubbish. We are trying to upgrade all over. Wingers Cdm Additional striker Additional centre half. It wont be cheap.

It's never been Smith's strategy to bawl out players in public. I genuinely don't understand why people are surprised that he is defending Barkley. This idea that hes stubborn etc is weird. We saw last year with our summer 2019 signings, it takes time to bed in. Does anyone genuinely believe that hes going to start ramsey, (1 start), Samson (no starts) and nakamba (1 good game), against Leeds. Tge problem is the lack of a genuine quality DM. We dont have 1. I would rest Barkeley for Sanson, but having said that I'd play 442 today!!!

Of all the people and things to google, why would you choose Alan Smith?

I think we could raise the capacity to 50 and sell it out. One of the problems is where it is. It's in one of the poorest parts of the midlands. We would have to redevelop the whole area not just VP.

That implies I dont know how good he is. I'm not going to give up hope because he is injured. Of course we'll miss him. I dont think crying about it is going to change anything.

Some of the responses here are pathetic. We're Aston villa FC, not Jack Grealish FC. Every team in the league would be weakened without Grealish. The lack of faith in Emi, Konsa, Mings, Luiz, Watkins, is bizarre. What are some of you going to do when Jack leaves, take up fishing? We may lose today, we've also lost with Jack in the team. If we lose it doesnt mean we are a 1 man team, barkeley is crap, or Smith has his favourites. It'll mean that Leicester City were better than Aston Villa.

I'm sure there was a poster who suggested his son does it? I'm sure he picked someone who didnt play one week. Theres almost this belief that it's the role of villa, west ham WTC to act as nursery clubs for the supposed big 4. Palace haven't sold zaha, west ham haven't sold rice, we haven't sold jack. The worlds changing, theres so much money clubs arent under the same pressure as we were with Milner etc. Obviously if the player wants to go...... But Emi, to mancity /pool I dont think so.

I do think we need to do more for our ex players. Theres a belief that footballers are rich, but that's a modern thing. There's fans who tidy up graves (fortress villa? Etc). I know there's an ex players group, but we should do more than a photo on a screen at the end of the season. We can sing HEITS which is lovely, but we could and should look after the people who made our club. The current team stand on the shoulders of giants.

Go on. Dazzle me with the stats. I'll say again I dont rate Barkley, I wouldnt sign him. I just love the general notion of stating things based on 10ish games. I dont even know how many games hes played, and I dont care. I love all of VT btw.

All managers use subs late. How many sub at half time? You have a superior knowledge of ds than me if you've followed his subs, pre villa.

Or brighton tired and ran out of ideas? I'm not disagreeing but there are alternative explanations.

Where?

I'd agree on Barkley, I'm not a fan. Are you genuinely saying we would have won tonight if we swapped nakamba and Barkley?

For every one of these complaints tgeres an answer, but not necessarily a better team. Our subs bench was worse than Brighton's. Yeats where we are. I agree we could start nakamba or swap Barkley, but it is much of a much ness . Put pep in charge of that team, honestly what would be different.

Thought emi was excellent clean sheet 12, 1 behind man city. Thought back 4 were good. I'm not a fan of Luiz, but thought he was the better of the deep 2. Do we need a deep 2? Thought the front 4 didn't see enough of the ball to make a judgement. To me playing Barkley and Traore causes us problems. Like a pre lockdown performance, with a better defence.

I read that quickly and thought you said wesley!

Mare not mate.

I agree, it's not that Barkley is having a mate, it's the formation isnt allowing us time on the ball. Sanson or nakamba would help.

Could we drop Ross, and play Dougie, SJM and marvellous. One of our few week stats is shots conceded. Playing a number 10 like Ross (not blaming him), but it leaves us open. Marvellous sitting and the other 2 taking it in turns to go forward?

Let's face it, we can argue about team selections etc, but realistically 7 of the team pick itself, back 5 and jack and ollie. This means theres only ever 3 mid and 1 winger up for grabs. We've 3 wingers, traore is probably better than trez and el ghazi, but rotation will happen. In midfield there's luiz, mcginn nakamba, ramsey Sanson, barkley. Sanson needs to settle in, ramsey needs sub time, so it's really 2 out of the first 3. I really dont get how people can be so up in arms when 1 gets dropped - I don't there's much difference between the three of them tbh. The one that surprises me is Barkley, ive not been massively impressed of late. I think we'll find he had covid, and had it bad. He looked like a bloke playing 5 a side on a stag do weekend, in the West Ham game. I wouldnt have started him today.

Good balanced post. A voice of sanity in what I'll imagine will be a sea of crazy.