Ratings and Reactions: Villa 1-1 Swansea

[abdulaziz1]

Not the bad result .. I don't think we could have got the point if we played otherwise .. If we could beat Sunderland .. It would be a good lift until we get someone .. And see how it goes against Arsenal and Liverpool .. We need to keep a gap between us and the relegation places .. as high as possible .. even if we were playing badly .. And try to keep the gap with the 10th and even 9th not that far .. So if we could somehow click on form like last season .. We could have something else to aim of other than surviving ..

 

I was just reading in Whoscored .. We've got 43 yellow cards !

[VillaCas]

Does Lambert set us up to hoof because of the lack of quality?

 

If so, why did we play such nice football at times last year? Makes no sense.

 

Last season Benteke was fully occuppying the centre backs causing full-backs to tuck in and midfield to drop 10 yards - consequently Weimann and Gabby had much more room in the channels and our midfield had a little more time on the ball to pick a pass.

 

Without an on-form or fit Benteke our bargain basement midfield do not have the quality to out-pass  teams and so we are being set-up to be solid, to not concede and to catch teams on the break.  Players like Tonev, Bacuna, Lowton and Luna would all look much better players against deeper, narrower defences - at the moment they are clearly struggling.

 

Other posters have said that Benteke has been "found out" - I'm not sure, as when on form he is pretty much unplayable. Our best hope is a return to fitness and form for Benteke and then we will look a whole lot better. Lambert does need backing to find a creative midfielder and a wide-man/striker (Ashley Young-type) as a Plan B in the window

[VillaCas]

Right, just got home so ill give an honest appraisal

We started off ok, pushing Swansea high up the pitch forcing them into errors, we scored because of that pressing and chico slipping leaving gaby through on goal, it all went down hill from there, after 15 minutes we decided to only press Swansea when the ball was in there half, we let them pass it in our half for some bizarre reason and inevitably they passed passed passed until we decided to do away with marking them and then its 1-1, goal was coming for 20 minutes before they scored

From then on the atmosphere changed somewhat, half the holte end were trying to lift the players, the other half berating them, its poisonous again, rightly or wrongly you can't deny there is an element of fans that revel in us being shit.

We created next to nothing after scoring, it was largely hit and hope the ball lands near a villa player, so onto ratings

id give the team a 6 out of 10 but pick out bacuna and lowton, totally useless on the right, bacuma spent most of the game bailing lowton out of trouble, Luna is never a left back, why was he hugging the penalty box line when his player was by the corner flag and weimann, oh dear.

 

Sorry Jim, you're entitled to your opinion but you don't seem to know much about full-back play. I know exactly the situations you are talking about and Luna and Lowton's starting positions are spot-on - when the ball is on the left flank, Luna is exactly right to tuck in and then move out to his winger if the ball is switched - he's be a complete plum to go wandering out to the touch-line.

 

You're wrong about Bacuna too - he was very diligent yesterday. He will be up and down for a while but he works hard and will be a good player

[Jimzk5]

Ok, mayby I was harsh on bacuna but in truth he couldn't do much going forward buy he did work hard getting back but Luna, your telling me that the correct position for a fullback is by the penalty box? Leaving his marker free to get the ball before then running over to mark him? Ok

[DeadlyDirk]

I'm with VillaCas on this. As a fullback if you get sucked out to the touchline to mark someone then you'll get done more often than not, leaving the centre backs exposed to a winger and with strikers to mark. When that ball goes out wide, if you're out on the touchline man marking you need to get that ball before the winger, otherwise the winger can take you out of the passage of play with a clever little touch leaving the fullback chasing his heels. If the full back tucks in and contributes to a narrowish back 4, when the winger gets the ball the full back can them come out and hold up the winger, making it difficult for him to do anything other than look for a pass, normally back down the flank. I know which situation I'd rather be facing!

[The_Lions_Roar]

What was going on after Gabby scored the goal, he ran towards the bench followed by most of the team and they all pretty much ignored Lambert to go and celebrate with someone on the bench. Looked like Lambert got a few half hearted high fives but most of the players seemed to ignore him. Am I reading too much in to this or have the players had enough of the manager? Who did Gabby go to on the bench?

I thought Lambert ignored the players.....

no they literally ran past him, he was trying to hi 5/hug/pat them on the back but he got blanked mostly whilst someone on the bench was mauled.

OK we get it. You don't like Lambert but this is seriously clutching at straws to suggest that the players ignored him.

[Jimzk5]

If Luna and lowton are doing the correct thing, as you say they are, how come they get skinned so regularly?

[VillaCas]

If Luna and lowton are doing the correct thing, as you say they are, how come they get skinned so regularly?

 

I didn't say they are good fullbacks I said that their starting position was correct

[dont_do_it_doug.]

From the BBC website-

'Villa manager Paul Lambert is becoming accustomed to such jeers ringing in his ears, with his team also heckled after the 1-0 Boxing Day defeat by Crystal Palace'

Why don't they mention that the vast, vast, majority of Villa fans have given Lambert total backing for 18 months and have been served up mostly garbage at home bar the odd amazing result? Why do we get this repuation as boo boys? Lambert would have got hell's abuse at many clubs by now.Grump.

The popular media are clueless. I was there for QPR at home last season. We won that game because the fans refused to accept relegation and pushed and pushed and pushed the team to succeed. Boo boys my arse, we have had hopeless football at home now for years and years.

They've not said anything different other than we booed just like we did Boxing Day. Factually correct.

[TRO]

When running off the ball is as rare as rocking horse shit,(except for the goal).... I don' t know where this " can't fault the effort " comes from.

They run around like chickens with their heads chopped off.

Is that effort.?

[TRO]

After we scored, they were in disarray, they were there for the taking, one of the best young managers in Europe was on the ropes, against a team who has the worst home record in the league.

We failed to capitalise and allowed them to get back in to their possession game which gave them back their bit of composure.

Opportunity missed, and we let them back in to the game.

I have a real doubt about this "effort, everyone bangs on about.

It just looks like a grass covering exercise in my book, which is entirely different.

Edited December 29, 2013 by TRO

[TRO]

Disappointed after taking the lead but a point will do. Remember though guys, we had like 67% possession against Palace and still lost so that statistic is pretty irrelevant to me.

That statistic is very relevant to me.

Even if it is an indicator to question any kind of plan.

How can you go from 67 per cent possession to 23 per cent possession at home in the space of 2 days with the same team.

We are just going from game to game "fire fighting "for a result......there is no method or style or philosophy.

[TRO]

Played well in periods against Palace and Stoke but still lost. But that's football. Solid performance from a clearly unconfident side.

Can I book you, for my funeral, as and when.

My family might need a guy like you around.lol

[VillaAndLoyal]

My West Ham supporting mate came with me yesterday and, whilst he tried to remain polite throughout, he did eventually concede that we are just as bad as his team and just pump it upfield and have no proper strategy or game plan. None of that is news to us, I know, but it just shows you how neutrals can very easily pick out where our weaknesses are. Seemingly, our manager cannot.

 

On the train back to New Street a Swansea fan asked a group of us Villa fans: "Do you play like that every week?" to which we responded "Yes, and in actual fact, we usually play worse." He looked dumbfounded and Swansea fans have every right to be hugely disappointed not to pick up maximum points.

 

We just have nothing at the moment. I can't think of any positives and Lambert is walking a tightrope. Sunderland away is harder than many think and then we have Arsenal and Liverpool. Honestly can't see where the next 3 points is coming from...

[The_Lions_Roar]

Swansea fans have every right to be hugely disappointed not to pick up maximum points.

Why? For all their pretty football they managed the same number of shots on target as us.

[Electric Avenue]

Wonder if the Premier League will feel our collar soon. In terms of global TV coverage, we must be damaging the brand. People in China / Indonesia / Malaysia etc. must grab the remote when we come on.

[Ponky]

I noticed a few times Luna appeared to be calling Tonev to drop deep and help him out.

[villa89]

I noticed a few times Luna appeared to be calling Tonev to drop deep and help him out.

 

Luna is a poor defender but to be fair to him he gets absolutely no help from whoever is playing in front of him. As for Tonev, he looks like one of the worst players to ever pull on the claret and blue. Woeful. Maybe the manager sees something in him in training but given how bad he has been so far this season he surely is on a short rope.

[The_Lions_Roar]

In my opinions we ended past season a couple of quality players away from moving up the table. Unfortunately the summer didn't bring those although okore still might, so we are in the same position as last season.

[Brumstopdogs]

 

Swansea fans have every right to be hugely disappointed not to pick up maximum points.

Why? For all their pretty football they managed the same number of shots on target as us.

 

If you let a team shoot at your goal 17 times your asking for trouble. If they had a decent striker IMO they would have thrashed us.

 

Our problems are much wider - we have less shots, less of the ball and are poor in possession.

 

Who knows what Lambert and his coaches teach the players but it certainly isn't how to pass and move with a football!