Jump to content
Just visiting?

Monkeypuzzle

Full Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    475

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Monkeypuzzle

    Moussa Diaby

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    I don't mind not playing well as long as we win. No team can play well all the time, the trick is to keep winning. Tonight we didn't play great, but then, we didn't have to. We never got out of first gear and won 5-0. It's actually quite hard to play your best when your opponent is nowhere near your quality. This is true in many sports. A top table tennis player can beat a not so good player with no flashy shots, no heavy spin, just moving the ball around the table. He might even drop a few points by hitting the net or missing the table. It would be virtually impossible to play at the top level as the other player just doesn't produce the shots that you use better techniques against.

    Summer Transfer Window 2023

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    Since someone mentioned Inheanacho from Leicester, can anyone explain why Ndidi is still there? I'd have thought he'd have been snapped up as he and Tielemans worked really well together. Their best two midfielders by far. I'd consider replacing Dendoncker with him and I'm a big fan of our Belgian brick wall. Am I missing something about him?

    Lucas Digne

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    18 minutes ago, Zatman said:

    Great crosses but we wont play Hibs/Everton level every week and only inept managers will allow him that space and at our level he isnt dynamic enough for his wages

    He got a stupid yellow card for example

    If only he could do more, like, I don't know, score free kicks against Man Utd or other tougher clubs!

    • Like 2

    Tim Iroegbunam

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    Apparently Unai didn't really want Philogene-Bidace to leave but the player, understandably, wanted regular first team minutes. I'm guessing that Iroegbunam will follow them out the door with a buyback. It seems to be a great way to test them in the Premier League (not in Philogene-Bidace's case obviously) but there is a possibility that Unai wants to keep him to compete for those DM and CM spots. I guess it also depends what the player wants.

    Team shape, tactics and personnel

    in Villa Talk

    Posted · Edited by Monkeypuzzle

    22 minutes ago, duke313 said:

    Agree with the incomings, a striker, right back and a left back if Digne leaves.  Think we are light at LM with Buendia out, Ramsey will be back and McGinn can fill in, but I wouldn't be relaying on Coutinho in that position.  Zaniolo/Diaby/Bailey could possibly play there, but they are better further forward.

    Yes but we are only light in defence and LM temporarily! For one season, or a few weeks in Ramsey's case, we can cope with what we have. I don't even think a loan is vital in either position!

    • Popular Post
    • Popular Post

    Team shape, tactics and personnel

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    A quick analysis of the players we have for each position we play (not new formations that we don't use).

    GK - Martinez, Olsen - Nothing to discuss. We all know who is first and how much the drop off is in quality.

    RB - Cash, Chambers - Cash has been great for us since he arrived but has injuries and dips in form where it would be nice to rotate him with another quality player. Unfortunately, we have Chambers, who can fill in for a few games but I would not want to face a season with him as our starting player. * New player needed.

    RCB - Konsa, Carlos - Two great players competing and rotating with each other. Carlos can even comfortably fit in the other side if needed, perfect with Mings'injury.

    LCB - Mings, Torres - As above. Sadly Mings is injured at present but between Torres and Carlos we have cover. Most teams cannot boast the quality of our three fit centre backs, let alone all four when fit. No new additions needed here. Technically we still have Hause too, but he's injured and not in Unai's thoughts I don't think.

    LB - Moreno, Digne - Moreno we a signing that few people thought we needed but he has revolutionised the way we play. Digne is a great competing player, offering a slightly more defensive, crossing alternative to Moreno's driving runs! If Digne leaves, as reported we need an equally good player in to replace him. If he stays, great!

    DM - Kamara, Dendoncker - Two great defensive midfielders, with one clearly ahead in the pecking order. However either is perfectly capable of playing against a top team.

    CM - Luiz, Tielemans - Two amazing players who can dictate the play in a game. Both are potential match winners and this choice makes you want to play both each game! We also have Iroegbunam, who we think is injured, but I think he is more likely to be sold with a buyback clause based on recent transfer behaviour.

    RW/RM - Diaby, Bailey - There's no doubt that Bailey plays better out on the right than when he was used as a CF behind Watkins. So far Diaby has been used in the CF role but with Zaniolo's arrival I can see him playing on the right or competing for that CF role still. He may even do both within a game. McGinn can also play here but looks even better in that CF role. Same can be said for Zaniolo. There is also Traore, but I think he will be sold at the first opportunity as he is now 4th/5th choice for this spot.

    LM/LAM - Ramsey, Buendia - Two quality players with different styles but both to great effect. Ramsey carries and drives in to the box with the ball, Buendia plays great through balls with amazing vision. Both work their butts off to press and harass the opposition when out of possession too. Sadly, with both being injured at the moment we are playing McGinn here and he is closest to Ramsey in style. Going forward it may well be a three way struggle between them for this spot! Coutinho can also play here or at CF but his constant injuries have seen him out far more than he is available and fit to play.

    CF - Zaniolo, McGinn - As stated already this is a position currently played by Diaby, and boy does he look good there. Maybe it will be Zaniolo who plays on the right instead, we will have to wait and see. McGinn was playing great on the right last season but with Baily struggling in the middle, they swapped, and what a difference it made, with both players improving. This seems to be our captain's best position but the versatility that we now possess makes for mixing and matching across the three positions behind the striker. Technically we also have Coutinho for this role if he can stay fit but I think he will be sold ASAP as he is never fit!

    ST - Watkins, Duran - Watkins has been great under Emery and we are so lucky that he hasn't had any big injury absences. Duran is young and raw but we have high hopes for him. The drop off in quality is quite big at the moment and maybe another striker is planned, especially with Archer leaving. * New player needed.

     

    So in summary:

    • Better reserve keeper to replace Olsen would be nice but not a priority it seems.
    • New right back to replace Chambers seems obvious but no apparent links?
    • New left back seems to be in the mix, but not an obvious requirement to most.
    • Iroegbunam possibly moving on when fit with buyback clause inserted, based on other outgoings.
    • Traore, Hause and Coutinho can all be moved on with no need of replacement when everyone is fit.
    • Possibly a new striker whilst Duran is developing.

    In theory, with Mings, Moreno, Ramsey, Dendoncker, Buendia all fit we have a great squad with two players for each position with only three obvious drops in quality at GK, RB and ST in that cover. Worth mentioning that those three (Olsen, Chambers and Duran) all have international experience! We are very lucky to have this squad guys. Any new additions are just cherries on the top. No wonder players like Ramsey, Philogene-Bidace and Archer have to be sold as the depth of quality is so great at the moment.

    • Like 4
    • Thanks 2

    Summer Transfer Window 2023

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    Just now, Kiwivillan said:

    Maybe Emery rates Cash more than some people on this forum do?

    Not to replace Cash! I'm one of his most vocal supporters here. I mean as a second player to compete for that role. If he gets injured we have Chambers and Konsa. Konsa is being used in the middle and I don't think Chambers is of the same quality as Cash, so I'd like another right back.

    • Like 4

    Summer Transfer Window 2023

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    Archer leaving really makes me feel another attacker must be planned. Just like last January, many of us are thinking why are we going for a left back when it's a right back we need? I'd like to think we will get a right back too but right now I'm thinking left back and forward are what we will go for this window!

    Leon Bailey

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    25 minutes ago, StanBalaban said:

    Has any other player been criticised before for getting to the byline and cutting it back for an assist, or capitalising on a forced error before burying the finish?

    "Go on.... Go on. Finish it!!!

    Not like that."

     

    As a school boy I used to play water polo to a high standard. The best school team in the country at that time was Grantham. They were like professionals playing against semi professionals, they were that good and consistent. However, I will never forget one tournament, we were watching them from poolside as they destroyed another team and one of their lads got the ball, rolled past his marker, shimmied sideways, sold a couple of dummy shots before throwing it like a rocket into the top right hand corner of the goal.

    What happened next will stay with me always. Their coach, Jim, yelled at the scorer in outrage "James! No! Bottom left!" All we could do was laugh as he soon afterwards got subbed out and yelled at some more. I guess some people are never satisfied.

    • Haha 1

    Tim Iroegbunam

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    Have we had any updates on Tim Iroegbunam recently? Haven't seen anything official about an injury, not even rumours about at transfer and no idea if he is part of the main squad or another who will be sold with a buyback clause when he is fit.

    • Like 1

    Jeremy Doku

    in Other Football

    Posted

    35 minutes ago, villa89 said:

    Another Bertrand Traore you mean...

    Bertie has shat on enough opposition teams to make this statement ridiculous. He scores plenty when he plays for us.

    • Like 2

    Marcos Acuña

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    4 minutes ago, ender4 said:

    If a loan club takes him on full wages with no loan fee, then we save the £6.5m wages but he still costs us £7.1m amortisation for the year he's not at the club.

    Then next summer we have the same problem of what to do with his £13.6m annual cost.

    Gotcha! Thank you. So selling him this summer for £15 million would be a very small profit and free up huge wages. Loaning him for no fee but full wages covered, then selling him for £7.5 million next summer costs us £7 million in transfer fee but saves us £6.5 million in wages, so just about breaking even, followed by freeing up huge wages.

    I get your point, but I still think saying we're screwed is a bit extreme. We stand to break even on a guy we paid quite a lot for and put on huge wages, as he approached the latter part of his career. Meanwhile we have had plenty of good performances out of him and have just gone fore someone on lower wages, hopefully without a drop in quality.

    If Digne had virtually never played for us, then left on a free at the end of his contract I would agree fully. However he has played lots, often played very well and we don't need a ridiculous transfer fee to break even on him. It's just not the perfect transfer, but better than lots of others!

    Marcos Acuña

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    21 minutes ago, ender4 said:

    £25m for 3.5 years is £7.1m amortisation per year. Wages are around £6.5m a year. So he's costing us £13.6 million a year.

    I don't have a point, we're screwed on this player whether we keep, loan or sell.

    Based on this we make a profit on him if we sell for £15 million this summer. £7.5 million next summer. We'd also save a fortune on wages. How are we screwed if any loan club has to cover his wages in full as suggested?

    Jaden Philogene

    in Other Football

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Philosopher said:

    He is better than our under 21's. In fact before Sunday, I'd be starting him on our left instead of Bailey. He's ready.

    Bailey plays on our right. McGinn has played on the left both games so far. I know this doesn't alter your point, it's just that I'm pedantic!

×
×
  • Create New...
Â