Player Match Ratings: Villa defeat plucky Chairboys!

[John]

We have won more cup than league games this season and this one sets up the return of a slithering snake to Villa Park in the Fourth Round of this cup competition which we last won 59 years ago.  

We are now three wins from a return to Wembley but after last night another semi-final seems a very much longer way off; particularly if our team against Manchester City gives anything like the same sort of inept performance that our starting eleven did last night.

We did finally struggle into the next round but the only team to really emerge from this game with significant credit were our visitors. They seemed to want it much more than we did and the only thing that we did well was to disguise any gulf in class there may have been between the two teams.

Some of the players who started the game last night that do not usually do so demonstrated why that is the case and did little to press their claim for a regular starting place. What they did do was show that we lack adequate cover for future injuries and suspensions to the first team in what is left of this sorry season. Will we do anything about it in what is left of the transfer window? I would guess we will not.  

Villa’s performance was embarrassingly poor for most of this game. We did have the lion’s share of the ball but did little positive with it until late in the game when two good finishes won it for us. Our opponents had a couple of opportunities but did not really look like scoring which was fortunate for us.

The game was heading for what seemed inevitable extra time and potentially a penalty shoot-out until the last quarter of an hour. We then scored twice which flattered us and would give anyone looking at just the result the impression that we had won the game with the minimum of fuss. But the score alone can sometimes give the wrong impression and this was anything but a comfortable win.

Wycombe can now concentrate on the league and getting to the play-offs again this time with a happier final conclusion. Our primary objective must be to secure an unlikely further year in the top flight although an almost equally unlikely second successive Cup Final appearance would be very nice. Wins in the cup can build upon fragile confidence and a good cup run can be beneficial to survival prospects. It can give players and fans alike a break from the pressure of league games that we desperately need points from to try to pull clear of the relegation zone although last night did not feel like much of a break to me!             

My player ratings from a game during which we stretched our unbeaten run to four games having made 9 changes from the side that shared the points with Leicester are:

Brad Guzan –5 – Made a decent save diving to his left to keep out a Wood shot from just inside of the box after 31 minutes. Came for but missed a Jacobson cross on 45 minutes and was fortunate that Thompson’s header flew just over the bar. 

Jordan Lyden – 6 – Hit a couple of decent crosses into the box and looked solid. A promising full debut for another Jordan!

Micah Richards – 5 – Showed a will to win and endeavour but continues to be prone to an occasional error or lapse of concentration.         

Ciaran Clark – 6 – Had a decent enough game at the back alongside Micah. Ciaran also grabbed our all important and long awaited opener on 75 minutes when he headed a Gil cross past Ingram and into the corner of the net with some aplomb.

Kieran Richardson – 4 – This was not the level of performance he would have hoped to produce last night.

Carlos Sánchez – 4 – Replaced at half time having picked up another knock earlier. Carlos was some way off his best last night as has regularly been the case of late. Surrendered the ball on the edge of his own box early on and this is a habit that he seems unable to shake off.     

Jack Grealish - 4 – The player who dazzled at the FA Cup semi-final last season was unrecognisable last night. Took the safe easy option too often and rarely displayed the talent he has within him to unlock defences and make goal scoring opportunities. Another very disappointing performance from Jack that begs the questions why has it all gone wrong so quickly and when/will this be put right?                    

Ashley Westwood – 5 – Hit a shot from inside of the box well over the bar on 63 minutes after an Ayew cross from inside of the area that Grealish had not connected with fell to him. He was the best of our starting midfield for me which is not saying as much as it should be.

Scott Sinclair – 5 – Looked up for it at times albeit not over the full 90 minutes but for me he showed he still has it in him to do a decent enough job for us. Gestede chipped a ball into the box for him to run onto and his near post shot was deflected into the side netting by Ingram on 41 minutes. Made a nice run into the box on 68 minutes but his shot was deflected over by a defender having snatched at a shot a minute earlier that flew well off target.

Jordan Ayew – 7 – MOTM – His pace, hard running, willingness to try to make something happen and his class stood out last night. Jordan ran into the box purposefully and hit the side netting on 15 minutes after Gestede had played a nice ball he had received from Sinclair to him on the edge of the box. Hit a shot into Ingram’s arms on 28 minutes having been fed by Richardson. He was fed by Gana a couple of yards inside their half and ran just inside the box before hitting a 54^th minute shot past the keeper but wide of the far post.    

Rudy Gestede – 5 – Really needed to be on target when his 6^th minute header from a nicely weighted and targeted Grealish cross was headed harmlessly off target. Gathered the ball near the half way line on 77 minutes before running to the edge of the box but did not have the pace to get clear both of the two defenders who pursued him, one of whom got the ball out for a corner. Claimed an assist for our second but did not really do much to show he would make the anticipated big impact in the league below should we find ourselves there next season against opponents who are currently two divisions below that level.                      

Substitutes:

Idrissa Gana – 7 - Replaced Sánchez at half time. Our midfield improved markedly with his introduction as it did again when Gil was introduced later. Hit a shot just wide of the post on 72 minutes and then hit his first goal for us to ensure there would be no possibility of extra time after all on 90 minutes. He played the ball out to Sinclair whose cross to Gestede was played back to him to the left of the penalty spot and he hit a measured shot into the corner of the net to seal our victory with the assuredness of someone who finishes like that every week.    

Carles Gil – 7 - Replaced Grealish on 73 minutes. His creativity and touch did much to help us to present a more serious threat to our opponents defence than we had managed to do prior to his introduction.

Up for the Cup Villa!

John Lewis

Edited January 20, 2016 by John