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Stevomanila

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    Christian Benteke

    in Other Football

    Posted

    Come on Hairy H. I have a beer in hand and am looking forward to it tasting even better at around ?pm!??

    Can you give us some clues as to what this good news will be?...

    Thought the day couldn't get much better after Lowton signing a new contract!...

    Why do YOU support Villa?

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    Well, my Dad must have chosen my first match carefully as I was 8 years old and he took me to what is still our biggest league cup win I think, the 8-1 victory vs Exeter in October of 1985. I was also with my gran who had apparently patted all of the players on the back as they walked up to receive the FA Cup in '57 and my sis. Have loved the Villa ever since and always will. My daughters who are 6 and 4 also now know that Aston Villa are by far the greatest team the world has ever seen.

    Where will we finish ?

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    And I thought I was an optimist. 4th? Provided Martinez isn't a disaster I think our best realistic hope is to be next behind Everton in 8th.

    Yep I agree with this, I think the top 7 from last season will remain unchanged, I see no reason though why we can't be the best of the rest, and then over the next few years build a challenge again against Everton, Liverpool and probably Spurs for a top 5/6 slot and with it a route into Europe. Sadly, I cannot see us mounting a realistic challenge for a top 4 spot in the foreseeable future.

    Match Thread - PLEASE DO NOT TALK ABOUT STREAMS IN THIS THREAD

    in PL: Sunderland h

    Posted

    I think taking 4 points from our next 2 matches will be enough to see us safe...just. (I even think we might nick a point against Chelsea?! or is that just the beers talking?)

     

    I think Wigan will lose to both Spurs and Arsenal- conceding a fair few in the process, thus making their goal difference worse than ours and I don't think they will have enough to catch us in the end.

     

    For the Sunderland game I'd go:

     

                    Guzan

     

    Lowton Vlaar Clark Baker

     

     Sylla Westwood Delph

     

    Weimann Benteke Gabby

     

    And if we play to the best of our ability, I think we will get 3 points in the bag.

     

    Come on you Villa boys!

    Match Thread - PLEASE DO NOT TALK ABOUT STREAMS IN THIS THREAD

    in PL: Man Utd a

    Posted

     

    The thing is with this fixture is noone is expecting anything from us, many assuming we will lose, so we may as well go **** at them, but look for a few uglier tactics such as long ball from the back over the top for Weimann to chase but also keep it tight with a more defensive line up...

     

    So I would go:

     

                     Guzan

     

    Lowton Vlaar Baker Bennet

     

                    Clark

      Sylla  Westwood  Delph

     

         Weimann & Benteke

     

    With the option of bringing on Bent, N Zog and Gabby as game changers with 20 or so minutes to go if it's still tight and he feels we could knick it.

    Wheres the width going to come from?

     

    Yeah I know it's not ideal Paul, I just don't see us getting anything out of this unless we 'park the bus' somewhat as has been suggested and I think that both Benteke and Weimann can run the channels too with balls either over the top or played through the midfield, I just think being a bit more direct on Monday night is the only way we are going to get anything out of it- keep it tight, try to hit on the break and put balls into the box from any set pieces we get...use the pace of gabby later on in the game, bring on N-Zog too if we think we can nick something...

     

    Hopefully if results go our way later, there will be less pressure on us on Monday night..? Here's hoping.

     

    Anyway, up the Villa

    Match Thread - PLEASE DO NOT TALK ABOUT STREAMS IN THIS THREAD

    in PL: Man Utd a

    Posted

    The thing is with this fixture is noone is expecting anything from us, many assuming we will lose, so we may as well go **** at them, but look for a few uglier tactics such as long ball from the back over the top for Weimann to chase but also keep it tight with a more defensive line up...

     

    So I would go:

     

                     Guzan

     

    Lowton Vlaar Baker Bennet

     

                    Clark

      Sylla  Westwood  Delph

     

         Weimann & Benteke

     

    With the option of bringing on Bent, N Zog and Gabby as game changers with 20 or so minutes to go if it's still tight and he feels we could knick it.

    Rating and Reactions: Villa 2 (3) - 1 (4) Bradford

    in LCSF2: Bradford h

    Posted

    Gutted.

    The team, including Lambert, in fact maybe Lambert most of all, panicked.

    First half was exactly the way we should have played against Bradford. Solid at the back, and a tidy midfield all comfortable on the ball and who can all pass.

    We controlled possession, frsutrated Bradford, patiently created chances and didn't give them a look in.

    OK we weren't amazing in the first half, but we created a handful of decent chances and I genuinely believe if we'd kept that 11 on the whole game we'd have gone through.

    The problem came when Bradford scored. Again our marking from the corner was awful. But that aside, it was their only real chance up until that point. Completely against the run of play.

    Now if the team and Lambert had kept their cool, realised that what we were doing up to that point was working, then we'd have been fine. But they didn't. It showed inexperience from both the players and the manager.

    The midfield who, up until that point, had dominated the game, was slowly dismantled and from there we showed the most bizarre tactics I've ever seen.

    I don't blame Lambert so much for bringing on 2 more strikers. We were chasing a goal. but he shoul dhave ensured they kept some sort of shape.

    But the midfield lost any shape, and every attack ended up with the 4 strikers on the pitch literally standing in the D of Bradford' penalty area.

    There was no way we were going to pass through them, and now the midfield had disappeared leaving no one to play the ball around.

    It was never going to work.

    Anyway, the only positive I took was that I enjoyed the first half. Atmosphere was great. Second half ruined it though.

    Some ratings

    Given - 6 - didn't do anythign wrong. Couldn't stop the goal, had nothing else to do really.

    Lowton - 6 - Good. Caught out a couple of times but on the ball was excellent.

    Vlaar - 7 - Lovely to have him back. I'm told he lost his man for the goal (haven't seen any replays and it was the other side of the ground) but in a way I don't care. Look much more solid and organised with him there. Credit for having th eballs to come to the Holte and apologise afterwards too. I didn't see anyone else do that.

    Clark - 6 - Fine

    Bennett - 6 - Not amazing but credit for a lovely assist

    Delph - 7 - First half he was excellent. Struggled a bit after the midfield dismantling

    Bannan - 6 - Started poorly I thought, but got better.

    N'Zogbia - 6.5 - One of his best games in a Villa shirt, imo.

    Ireland - 6 - Again, Good first half, not so good after the break

    Benteke - 5 - Despite the goal, offered very little all game.

    Gabby - 5 - Not one of his better games

    Subs:

    Bent - 6 - I'm giving him 6 because of the 4 strikers on the pitch at that time, he seemed to be the only one trying to organise the attack. He seemed furious that they al ended up in the same place and was trying (but ultimately failing) to orchestrate some bodies in the channels. At least it showed some intelligence. But the way we were set up he was never going to score

    Weimann - 6 - Credit for the goal

    IN conclusion, the substitutions cost us the game I think. Being braver and taking Benteke off for Bent or ultimately keeping the diamond midfield would have been the better option, imo

    This for me too, well said.

    Match Thread - PLEASE DO NOT TALK ABOUT STREAMS IN THIS THREAD

    in LCSF2: Bradford h

    Posted

    To just aimlessly throw on strikers in hope of scoring and completely losing any sort of team shape and the chance to give strikers any chance of doing anything has really, really, really.. for the very first time put serious question marks over Lambert for me. There's no team out there now, just a rabble of players not knowing what they are meant to do.

    Agreed, Bradford's shape is a lot better than ours

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