gilbertoAVFC

Gerrard called him our "most consistent player" before the FA Cup game. He knows quite a bit more about football than anyone on this forum (but especially you)

What on earth is this, and why can't I stop watching?

I've really heard it all on this forum recently. People comparing Douglas Luiz to Ashley Westwood and now Ollie Watkins to Andi Weimann. People are so unbelievably ungrateful. Watkins is the most all-round striker we have had since Yorke and will only get better. He'll be second to Kane at the World Cup imo.

We will win. Villa Park under the lights with a fired-up crowd. Not often I feel confident but having watched United recently and of course us, we are due a win and they are due a battering.

My word...he's the best defender we've had at the club for years.

1/2 Luiz was out - at no point was he dropped for Nakamba other than when he was coming back. Luiz is far more reliable. 3 Press-proof - can keep the ball under pressure reliably. Nakamba does not do this. Sanson has been in professional football for ten years - and even in a Villa shirt, he is clearly comfortable under pressure. 4 Not sure how this relates? You asked who does the pressing in midfield - the DM isn't there to get dragged out of position or he leaves his defence exposed centrally (most dangerous area). In this system, the two 10s and the two midfielders alongside Luiz press, he mops up. 5 The 1980s point was to the one above. The DM is no longer a kick-lumps-out-of-people type, he is more a director of traffic now. You just assumed what my point was.

People don't get that Luiz is indispensable as both the current manager and previous ones played him to come out and collect the ball from the defenders - no-one else in the squad, bar Sanson, can do this. If you are going to play like that, which we are, we cannot do well playing Nakamba there - the defenders don't trust him and for good reason. Luiz and Sanson are the only "press-proof" players we have. One has been a crock for ages, the other has only got better in that time. Luiz gives us balance. The pressers??? The DM does not press if he doesn't have anyone alongside him or covering, otherwise where do you end up? The attackers running at the defence. This ain't the 1980s.

Lollllllllllllllllllll

Luiz, Konsa and Targett all better overall, but Mings would've been up there barring the blip.

Yeah I think he had a knock in the week otherwise really no reason he shouldn't start over Ramsey or Young in one of the 10s.

Ducked under Dias' shot. Went off but will be back for weekend. Just another day in the life of Matt Targett.

FFS

Think their right-back might cry soon. Don't blame him.

Carney is just so so good

No one said Luiz was as good. It's just his role. You can play the Busquets role if you're hungover in Bromsgrove. How does he not get stuck in?? Do you watch him? Mental claim. Got booked about 16 times in a row last season. "The way we play" as in the footballing philosophy. I assume you are being obtuse but if somehow you haven't realised, the way we play involves playing out from the back, and trying to generate overloads on the wings. Luiz is the single most important player to play out, because he is the first player to receive the ball with his back to his opponents. No one else can do this in our side, minus Sanson. Hence why we just hoof it when Luiz is not playing (and Sanson is injured, which is every game). I would take a chaperone, but I meant really we need a better back-up to him than Nakamba.

Hmmm yeah, but he is not exactly ragged or a game winner, but he is indispensable to how Pep/Enrique have set up in a 4-3-3. Luiz gets stuck in plenty. We are far, far more balanced with him in the team, with the way we want to play. How can you possibly be even close to advocating getting rid of him - my point was without him we'd be absolutely f*cked! The point is we need another Luiz!

People saying we got battered by Arsenal with him are also under-appreciating just how shocking that formation was. Any team that presses us gives us a hard time - we cannot cope at all. But with Luiz as the sole DM in a three and back-four, he has options wide, left and right, back and forward. This has worked fine for the last 14 months? He is the only press-proof player we have and I assume Deano doesn't just want our CBs absolutely hoofing it like we were on Sunday, but Hause and Konsa had no choice, because they a) don't trust Nakamba, b) why would they, c) his runs to collect were rubbish anyway. We are absolutely screwed without this guy in the team. The only alternative for me would be to play Sanson as a DM or possibly McGinn if we are really that desperate. Carney can play higher up with one of the aforementioned two or even Buendia. We are stretched, but Nakamba cannot play as our only DM - we will just lose. Also Young is not the answer either lol.

Fans deserve it if so. Just cos he has had a few bad games in an unfamiliar system.

I'm glad the online cesspit hasn't translated to Villa Park yet, but I think it is having an impact. The stuff I see written about Mings (who I am happy was dropped), Targett, even Buendia is an utter disgrace. It must be hard to play with any confidence really, and if you are doing it to your captain players must be thinking "I could be next". People need to call out these absolute w*nkers online much more than they are. So if you see outright abuse of the players, please call them out. The players will see it, would be nice if they saw people supporting them too.

Villa Park is gonna be absolutely grim if we lose this...please start well. Oh and please drop Targett.

Best keeper in the Prem - confirmed?

We were absolute dross, no excuses, and we wouldn't have scored anyway. However, I do not understand how the ref can blow on 94:57 when the ball was in-play for about 20 seconds of stoppage time?

Where have you seen Cash and Targett ruled out?

Bailey surely won't start. Martinez; Cash/Young, Konsa, Hause, Targett/Young; Nakamba, Luiz/Sanson; Traore, Buendia, AEG; Watkins. Could be a fun game.