Rightdm00

Just re-watched the game and I still cant figure out why dropped so deep in the second half. It just kind of happen. After Mings run down the left Arsenal got a couple minutes of sustained possession and we just kept dropping deeper and then stayed there. We tried to play out of the back a couple times in that span but the ball stopped sticking. Smith definitely could have taken that moment to shore up the MF or throw on Keinan to help provide another outlet up top. Having watched how drastically our performance changed 1st half to second I am fully convinced that it's a fitness issue. There were a couple of attacks early in the 2nd half that not one of our midfielders got anywhere near Arsenal's 18 yard box. Arsenal didn't even really up the tempo we just kinda let them have it. Third team (Spurs, Everton, and Arsenal) where our defensive line was almost forced into our own 18 yard box. If you want to say its a nerves thing, like as the game goes on we just try hold what we have, I can believe that but I definitely feel our stamina is not where it needs to be.

Wow he is literally playing off of Wesley's shoulder as a second striker. I don't have a problem with Mcginn playing that way it has obviously reaped benefits for us but we really need another CM for cover. That just leaves way to much ground for Grealish and Nkamaba to cover. What's the point of playing 2 wingers if one has to drop in the midfield to compensate for your actual CM venturing forward. Maybe it's time to try a double pivot with 3 in front and Wesley as the lone striker. Mcginn needs to do his thing up top but it shouldn't be a winger having to cover for his forward runs.

Smith said in the post game that the team set deep in contrast to his instructions to move up and press Arsenal. If that was the case then why not make the changes necessary to help his team push the line up. Instead he just watches us drop deeper and deeper. So yeah some of those inflexible tactics he showed us in the Championship are starting to rear their ugly head again.

Blaming anyone on defense for this loss is daft. We were setting our defensive line 5 yards in front of the 18 yard box in the second half. Eventually even the best defender will make a mistake. Engels and Mings both cost us a goal but that's fully down to the complete inability of our midfield and forward line to even give them a minutes time to regroup after a defensive stop.

I think it's partially conditioning but honestly his possession retention just stinks at this level. He is a beautiful sight with the ball charging at the opponents box but he lacks the ability to lose his man if he receives the ball deep. He tried the butt/hip move at least twice in the 2nd half and both times he was easily dispossessed. In the future if we are protecting a lead sub in another MF and push him further forward. When teams start pressing he is way to easy a target to pick on.

He looks it right now. Can he figure it out, sure. It's not all doom and gloom but man some of these decisions have really hurt us. The lack of subs, allowing his team to sit so deep.... That's the one that drives me mad. The naivety to think you can sit almost on your 18 yard box and defend for 30 minutes against an attacking team like Arsenal. You can stay solid at the back without conceding that much of the field. Massive disappointment. Also the word was out there that Trez was a poor finisher but damn strike on the break in the second half was sooooooo bad.

All three goals have such a variety. Turn and swivel for #1, flashing across the box for a header for #2, and make sure you catch #3 a really nice solo effort. Really shows off the variety of skills he has a striker.

The advanced wingers/wide forwards aren't working. Jota has been good but the left side winger has been a passenger in almost every game. Before we give up on the 4-3-3 I agree with the other posters now and think we should try Jack on the left side. I worry about him getting isolated but something needs to change. Our midfield is far to light weight right now. Whether it's over the top or through every team so far has managed to outplay our midfield. Playing Jack out wide is less than ideal but until we can upgrade our wide options in the winter window it may be our best bet going forward.

Doing the rewatch right now and Tyrone was downing a freaking Redbull right before kickoff. That is the first time I have ever seen a professional athlete shoot a red bull right before kickoff. Is this a normal pre-match routine or was he a little sleepy at kickoff.

Maybe I came across a little too harsh. Let me try it another way. In American Football(NFL) you have to take a couple deep shots a game to keep defenses honest otherwise they just crowd out the short passes. I feel that Mings was hitting many of those long balls under instruction from Deano. Mings went deep and Engels kept it short or drove into midfield. I think it kept the Everton back line from crowding out the midfield like Spurs did against us in the 2nd half.

I can admit in my younger more hot headed days I was a bit of a trash talker. Seeing Wes getting underneath Mina's skin warmed my heart. Love the all the different characters this team has. Ming's calm under fire, Mcginn the bulldog and Wes not scared of a soul. Edit: Mings has a home design business no idea how good he is at clamming

One game and Mings a hoofer and Hollywood passer. Against Spurs his "Hollywood" ball set Mcginn up for the first goal. He also had a couple pinpoint long balls versus Bournemouth. One of them the Bournemouth defender misplayed and presented Mcginn with a killer chance. Given Smith's after game comments it's obvious that's this a style of play they have worked on to counter act the high press.

Second game in a row he's done that. I think teams know Wes is a bit of a hot head. Ming's isn't about to let that happen. Love him.

Yep another game where he holds off far bigger players with ease. Moise Kean almost ripped his jersey off of him and he looked completely unbothered. He was quiet on the ball but Everton went almost 2/3 of the game with no shots on target. That's on him and the back line. Excellent game.

Yeah these ball's in the air are going to have to stop or at least slow down a bit. We have no one to get on the end of them. This happened in the Championship as well. When teams bunkered down our only resort was to toss crosses into the box. We never really tried to keep it on the ground and play through the middle. I remember reading the same article on Wesley's strength. He has a great first touch, can beat his man on the dribble and he showed the ability to post up and turn his defenders inside the box. We need to try to keep it on the ground more going forward. Play to Wesley's strength a bit more.

This pretty much. On that ball over the top from Mcginn at the end of the first half it was Wesley and Trez versus 8 bournemouth players. The bournemouth midfielders were actually looking around for Villa players to mark but our guys were so late arriving. I'd be curious to see what our distance stats were for the game. Bournemouth look to be very fit. I know we cant get there all at once but we really need to raise our energy level's tracking back and breaking on the counter.

Hand up I had some outsized expectations given Jack's dominance in the Championship. I expected him to roll into the Prem skinning players for fun. About halftime of the Spurs game I had completely readjusted my expectations. The Prem is just a whole different animal. Jack has played well. Could he better, absolutely. I have faith that Dean and the staff will find that extra level as the season progresses.

Dean Smith thread last week. Hopefully we beat Everton and we can come back here and celebrate.

Love how he wins pretty much every 50/50 battle in the midfield. He is also much stronger than he looks. He held off bigger players like Lerma and King with ease. When you consider it was his Prem debut and within a minute your keeper gives away the worst penalty ever he had about as good of a game you can ask for.

So, having rewatched the match I didn't see many negatives. Obviously the two mistakes so early is just something that can't happen in the future. Other than those 2 crucial errors I thought we barely put a foot wrong. One thing I did notice that could be a slight worry going forward was our fitness. We look absolutely done by the 80th minute. Bournemouth has some of the best running stats in the league but that's 2 games in a row we look dead on our feet when the game was on the line. Also, given that Aston Villa has been down in the championship for most of Bournemouth prem existence I had no idea how cynical of a team Bournemouth was. The diving, play acting and time wasting was really over the top. Hearing about Bournemouth's attacking flair all week I expected better.

Watching the Prime documentary on Leeds and Kalvin comes off so well in it. If Leeds don't go up we have to go back in for him. He seems class on and off the pitch.

I definitely thought it was a pen. It was shoulder to shoulder but he just ran him over. Judging VARs use this weekend the Prem is looking to minimize it's interference. It's gonna take a lot to overturn a refs decision on the field.

No one has mentioned his assist for Mcginns goal. Looked exactly like the ball he played to Andre Green last year for another Mcginn goal. Love that both our CBs can hit a pass.

Him and Mings together were so good. Throw in Heaton and we are going to shut out more than a few teams this season. Also, correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure Engels played that killer ball that put Trezeguet clean through in the first half. All in all a great debut.

I have noticed that as well. Thankfully, I have also noticed that pretty much the consensus is that we are not going to go down this season. Honestly that is the goal. Consolidation. If you are expecting anything more than survival you are probably going to have a rough time. Let this young team gel and improve. We had to spread 120-130 million on pretty much a whole new first 11. You have to admit for Premier League quality that is spreading it a bit thin. There are probably going to be a couple misses. Hopefully next summer we can spend half that on 2 players, inject some serious quality into the squad, and push on up the table. In Dean I trust but he still hasn't even had a full year at the club. I know a lot out there are ready to be back where we belong but I think its going to take a bit. Hopefully the fans and Ownership give Dean a fair shake this season, especially when we hit that rough patch.