Ratings and Reactions: Villa v Leeds

[DonRevieTheKing]

Our Pontus Jansson is a revelation. A tremendous defender. Haven't seen a player of his quality at Elland Road since 2004. 

[lp_villa830]

2 hours ago, darrenm said:

I've just watched it again. Not only did he lose the challenge against Jansson, he also blocked off (literally put his arm out and pushed him off) Baker from getting there.

Im not so sure he was Huttons man to mark i think everyone loses his man and Hutton just happens to end up closest.

 

As the corner was coming in it looks to me like Baker is watching him but much to far away as a starting position. I could be wrong though. 

[briny_ear]

3 hours ago, darrenm said:

I've just watched it again. Not only did he lose the challenge against Jansson, he also blocked off (literally put his arm out and pushed him off) Baker from getting there.

Really, those pictures show a collective defensive failure. There are 8 Villa players in the box (including Bunn)  and 5 Leeds players, yet only 3 Leeds players are actually being marked. 

Back to the drawing board at Bodymoor after NYE!

[One For The Road]

36 minutes ago, DonRevieTheKing said:

Haven't seen a player of his quality at Elland Road since 2004. 

You must have missed Tommy Elphick a few weeks back then.

[briny_ear]

I thought, in view of the fact that we have a squad that was apparently thrown together without any thought for how they might play as a team, we did OK today. Missed chances, yes, soft goal, yes, sat back thereafter, yes, but showed resilience and didn't give up, big yes.

Under Bruce I always feel confident conceding is not the end of the story.

Edited December 30, 2016 by briny_ear

[USA_Villa]

Unfortunately, this is what we signed up for when we were all lauding and requesting Steve Bruce. Average performances, not performing as a team and scraping a point or a win here and there. We certainly don't look a cohesive team. The whole team is built on nullifying the opposition, when was the last time we broke a team down other than individual efforts. 

On a side note: Ayew is the  laziest player in the world, Kadija needs to learn that he can't do it all om his own. Bacuna would struggle to get in to any other championship team and Hutton is a Sunday League player at best. And Amavi got exposed so many times today.

I didn't expect a great deal from Bruce but I have even less confidence in him after seeing the last few performances.

 

[maqroll]

4 hours ago, sheepyvillian said:

When are we going to play well ? This run of luck is just covering up the obvioustairs , Imo , Bruce still has a lot to do to prove himself worthy of this great club of ours .

That said, I haven't been too impressed by any other side in this division either. It's as bad as MLS.

Edited December 30, 2016 by maqroll

[maqroll]

2 hours ago, DonRevieTheKing said:

Our Pontus Jansson is a revelation. A tremendous defender. Haven't seen a player of his quality at Elland Road since 2004. 

He's an imposing player, but he's dirty. Standard Leeds player then...

[briny_ear]

4 hours ago, USA_Villa said:

Unfortunately, this is what we signed up for when we were all lauding and requesting Steve Bruce. Average performances, not performing as a team and scraping a point or a win here and there. We certainly don't look a cohesive team. 

 

Whereas under his predecessor we were playing lovely, creative flowing football and storming up the Championship easily defeating all our opponents. 

[darrenm]

6 hours ago, briny_ear said:

Really, those pictures show a collective defensive failure. There are 8 Villa players in the box (including Bunn)  and 5 Leeds players, yet only 3 Leeds players are actually being marked. 

Back to the drawing board at Bodymoor after NYE!

Agreed it was crap marking all round but if you watch it, Baker was starting a run up to get there before Jansson. Hutton then gets in his way, pushes Baker away and doesn't get there in time. Baker then has a tantrum when we concede because Hutton got in his way.

[jackdaww]

10 hours ago, villa89 said:

Apart from being at fault for losing jansson twice from corners, once where he scored and once where he smashed a volley off the bar?

you are assuming baker is earmarked to mark jannson .

i dont think thats the way it works.

for their goal , hutton was on jansonn and failed to do enough to put him off.

for the volley onto bar , no-one picked him up , quite correct but why should that be bakers job why not chester , hutton or jedinak/westwood ,

 

[Spoony]

5 hours ago, USA_Villa said:

Unfortunately, this is what we signed up for when we were all lauding and requesting Steve Bruce. Average performances, not performing as a team and scraping a point or a win here and there. We certainly don't look a cohesive team. The whole team is built on nullifying the opposition, when was the last time we broke a team down other than individual efforts. 

On a side note: Ayew is the  laziest player in the world, Kadija needs to learn that he can't do it all om his own. Bacuna would struggle to get in to any other championship team and Hutton is a Sunday League player at best. And Amavi got exposed so many times today.

I didn't expect a great deal from Bruce but I have even less confidence in him after seeing the last few performances.

 

But we do have our longest winning streak at home for 30 years, he's taken us from relegation contenders to play off hopefuls in no time at all and without a transfer window and we don't really lose games anymore. Suddenly we are a good team even though it's the same bunch of no-hopers RDM through together, so I think I'll take it.

[jackdaww]

9 hours ago, darrenm said:

Yes. But Baker was trying to get across and would have likely had the ball in front of Jansson but Hutton blocked him. No Hutton there means the ball gets cleared.

but do we actually know what the plan is for set pieces and crosses ?

[lp_villa830]

9 minutes ago, jackdaww said:

you are assuming baker is earmarked to mark jannson .

i dont think thats the way it works.

for their goal , hutton was on jansonn and failed to do enough to put him off.

for the volley onto bar , no-one picked him up , quite correct but why should that be bakers job why not chester , hutton or jedinak/westwood ,

 

Baker was definitely supposed to be marking jannson for the volley the replays show him marking him before the ball came in. He then completely lost him. 

[Stratvillan]

9 hours ago, One For The Road said:

Hutton was decent tonight. He also can't be blamed for our midfield problem. 

2 separate points. He was decent tonight -apart from the goal (again). The number of times he doesn't pick up his man is really poor. 

 

on a separate point, in open play our defence is actually quite good considering the lack of any midfield. If I had the choice of signing one player, it would be a central mid before a right back.

[jackdaww]

8 hours ago, DonRevieTheKing said:

Very close game. Periods in the first half where we could consider ourselves lucky not to be behind. Your failure to capitalise and the brilliance of Pontus Jansson kept it 0-0. Different story in the second. Lot more impetus and more adventure to our play and had a goal to show for it- was then your turn to benefit from piece of good fortune when Jansson cracked the bar. We should have really added to to our lead but you came back- very strong options from the bench like McCormack who livened things up for you. Clear penalty to be honest. Cooper was naive at best- our second choice centre back who's a big step down from our first choice. In terms of how the teams compared- a lot of your players namely Ayew looked as though they'd rather be anywhere else. What's noticeable is the lack of team spirit compared to our lot who fist pump and high five with every block made and every corner won. On the balance of play, although it was close the fact we had more clear cut opportunities and were more threatening in our period of dominance, we probably deserved to win. 

agree on ayew - his mind is elsewhere - not focussed on the game - just acting the part.

[jackdaww]

10 hours ago, Kiwivillan said:

Adomah and McCormack turned the game when they came on. Why didn't they start. Amavi had a shocker. Chester and Baker solid as ever. Perennial villains Westwood and Hutton didn't do much wrong. Bacuna still a nothing footballer for me

agree mostly , except bacuna could be a lot better in his best position and some good  guidence.

[rodders0223]

11 hours ago, Alakagom said:

All strikers waste shiton of chances. At least he gets into positions to have a chance unlike our other strikers lol

They do ...just in time to watch Kodjia lash another one high and wide.

[jackdaww]

11 hours ago, Alakagom said:

All strikers waste shiton of chances. At least he gets into positions to have a chance unlike our other strikers lol

if a striker thinks they have a reasonable chance they should go for it , especially if they can smash it .

green made superb saves , they could easily have been tap ins.

on the other hand , if the striker declines to shoot, their is the chance his pass will be defective , and if its a good pass the target man may make a hash of it .

the better odds are to strike.

[jackdaww]

11 hours ago, pacbuddies said:

Potato heads decision to start Grealish behind Kodjia and leave Adomah on the bench could come back to haunt us. Still only 9th and once the teams around us have played their game in hand we could be back in the bottom half of the league again. Simply not good enough considering how much money we have spent and how many of those players have played at Premier League level.

maybe bruce is rotating his squad under a heavy fixture workload .