terrytini Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 1 hour ago, villalad21 said: I'm gonna have to disagree there. From open play is where most of our goals are coming from. And Jack is a master of unlocking a defence. Yes it’s fascinating to think where we’d be if we had a decent return from Set Pieces to go with our open play goals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberman Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 Agree with Douglas for Conor in this game. Think we'll hold out for 60, but class will tell - 3-1. But it's a free hit so I really hope we give it a go and don't just sit back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVTuco Posted October 21, 2019 VT Supporter Share Posted October 21, 2019 We won't be able to take the game to them, and our defense isn't all that great ... maybe being a clear underdog helps us and we can get something via counters. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 15 hours ago, 8pints said: I'd start Heaton Guilbert---Mings---Engels---Targett Douglas---Nakamba---McGinn Trezeguet---Wesley---Grealish I like that team for this game. I don't really rate Trezeguet, but El Ghazi doesn't offer his full back enough protection for City away. The bottom line is they should beat us, no matter what team we pick, but we will need everyone to be 100% on it and hope they have a complete off day, or that Wesley can have some unexpected joy against their makeshift centre back pairing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robby b Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 14 hours ago, VillaChris said: Technically it's not a loan deal so don't see any reason why he couldn't, I'd start him tbh as we're going to need as many players protecting back 4 as we can get on the pitch while also trying to offer some sort of attacking threat when possible. Reality is we'll do well to keep conceding below 3. Arsenal scored 3 against us with just 10 men on the pitch and while I don't think generally we've been that bad defensively this season we do tend to concede goals in bunches against the better attacks if you look at 3 in last 15 v Spurs aswell. Don't think Man. City have been as good as last season but they're still pretty much scoring 2 or 3 every game. Would say this will be 3-0 loss looking at things realistically. But interestingly so are we at the moment, based on the last four games: we've scored 2, 2, 5 and 2. Entertaining Villa! : D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaFaninLondon Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 3 hours ago, Tomaszk said: KDB being back is a shame. I would really really like to change formation. Doug and Marvelous in front of defence. We can attack Liverpool the week after. Only way we're taking points v City is to sit back and hit on the break. We'll get a real shoeing if we try and go at City. Completely agree, this is not a game for Hourihane as much as I like the guy. We need two sitting midfielders in front of the back four and the attacking midfielders to sit in their own half a lot as City will dominate possession. Need to avoid conceding early first and foremost and try to nick a goal on the break. I'd play Trez over AEG as he'll track back more and has a bit more explosive pace which will be handy for this game. Would line up like this: ..................................Heaton...................................... Guilbert............Engels............Mings.............Targett ......................Marvelous........Luiz............................. ................................ McGinn................................... Trezeguet............................................ ...Grealish ...................................Wesley................................... I'm not expecting us to get anything tbh but if we can avoid a hammering and keep our goal difference intact that wouldn't be so bad. We lose say 3-1 that gives me confidence we can give Liverpool a really good game at VP and maybe snatch something. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villalad21 Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 (edited) KDB got 8 assists and 2 goals in 8 games. It's f*** madness. Dreading this game. Edited October 21, 2019 by villalad21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 (edited) 6 minutes ago, villalad21 said: KDB got 8 assists and 2 goals in 8 games. It's f*** madness. Dreading this game. You really dreading it more than when we'd go up there under Lambert and lose 4 or 5? Our record up there generally is even worse than at Old Trafford in last decade. MON pretty much always lost there aswell. Ironcially our best showing was a 3-2 defeat in April 2015 when we played well and should've won, Tim Sherwood manager that day. Edited October 21, 2019 by VillaChris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villalad21 Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 2 minutes ago, VillaChris said: You really dreading it more than when we'd go up there under Lambert and lose 4 or 5? Our record up there generally is even worse than at Old Trafford in last decade. MON pretty much always lost there aswell. Ironcially our best showing was a 3-2 defeat in April 2015 when we played well and should've won, Tim Sherwood manager that day. If we play like we did against Norwich and Brighton it can get really ugly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 As long as we don't park the bus like Palace did. Wolves had the perfect game plan. We need to press high and get at their makeshift defence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villalad21 Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 1 minute ago, PaulC said: We need to press high and get at their makeshift defence. Recipe for disaster. They will counter us to tiny pieces. It's like lambs to the slaughter. No. We need to park the bus and counter. That's how Wolves won and that's the only way to beat Man City. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 Palace played that way and barely created a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supermon Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 We're going to win 1-0, they'll have 80% posession and have two goals ruled out by VAR. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WakefieldVillan Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 Well, the one we have all been dreading, the Champions away from home, our form against them prior to them winning the lottery was abysmal and it will be difficult to see that changing on Saturday. I just hope that we can produce a positive performance and not be embarrassed a la when Watford turned up at the Etihad last month. Already seen contradictions on some posts above as to how we approach this game, IE pressing high at their weakened defence or parking the bus and to be honest let's face it which ever way we decide to play it is going to be extremely tough against better opposition. I personally feel that we need to do neither. I don't think we can go chasing their centre halves high up the pitch and leave huge gaps in front of the defence but also we can't just put eleven men behind the ball and try to contain for 90 minutes because we just haven't got the personnel to play that way, so for me we need to play to win, but to try have a bit more solidity. City always dominate possession and will do against us, but I think we can allow them knock it about in their half but then press in the right areas and try to hit them on the counter. Easy right?! I think we need to play an additional centre half and let the full backs bomb on - but only when the opportunity arises, which might not be too often to be fair, I think having pace in our side on the counter could also be crucial - IE Traore for Wolves tore City to shreds a fortnight ago, we need a similar performance and style to that of Wolves, very much doubt it will happen but I would be tempted to play Trezeguet up top and look to hurt them in behind. Whatever formation/team, we need to keep compact, fight like lions, support each other and what will be will be; Heaton Konsa Engels Mings Guilbert Targett Nakamba Luiz McGinn Grealish Wesley/Trezeguet Subs; Steer, Elmohamady, Lansbury, Hourihane, El Ghazi, Wesley/Trezeguet, Davis UTV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teale's 'tache Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 I don't think we can really use Wolves result at City as a blueprint. Their game is built around a solid defence with minimal mistakes, and they made great use of the freakishly quick player they had available, our defence is not as miserly and we don't have a player with the raw pace of Traore. We don't have enough genuine pace on the counter to really bother them, I wouldn't advise a high press against them either, having a high press means you have to have a high defensive line or you will be leaving too much space between the lines, so we are going to have to play this a bit smarter. Pick our moments when to go forward and when it's best to sit in and ride out a storm, there will be opportunities to counter but we'll need to pick which ones to take and how many bodies to commit forward and should they breakdown get back in to position quickly, the whole team will need to move up and down the pitch together to negate space between the lines. Serious organisation is needed. We need to be smart in possession, and work hard off the ball for each other, they are going to press us like crazy but if you can get it through that press then you can really get some joy, so expect a lot of squeaky bum playing it out from the back shenanigans... Wouldn't be too surprised to see both full backs changed, positional awareness and discipline will be vital especially on the wings, although the current incumbents have done nothing wrong so it would feel a bit harsh. It's not impossible, there are many ways to win a game of football, kind of feel like we are going to have to score at least a couple to get anything from this though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WakefieldVillan Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 18 minutes ago, Teale's 'tache said: I don't think we can really use Wolves result at City as a blueprint. Their game is built around a solid defence with minimal mistakes, and they made great use of the freakishly quick player they had available, our defence is not as miserly and we don't have a player with the raw pace of Traore. We don't have enough genuine pace on the counter to really bother them, I wouldn't advise a high press against them either, having a high press means you have to have a high defensive line or you will be leaving too much space between the lines, so we are going to have to play this a bit smarter. Pick our moments when to go forward and when it's best to sit in and ride out a storm, there will be opportunities to counter but we'll need to pick which ones to take and how many bodies to commit forward and should they breakdown get back in to position quickly, the whole team will need to move up and down the pitch together to negate space between the lines. Serious organisation is needed. We need to be smart in possession, and work hard off the ball for each other, they are going to press us like crazy but if you can get it through that press then you can really get some joy, so expect a lot of squeaky bum playing it out from the back shenanigans... Wouldn't be too surprised to see both full backs changed, positional awareness and discipline will be vital especially on the wings, although the current incumbents have done nothing wrong so it would feel a bit harsh. It's not impossible, there are many ways to win a game of football, kind of feel like we are going to have to score at least a couple to get anything from this though. I agree that it's more a case of picking our moments than "playing on the counter" and maybe I didn't word it correctly, but bottom line is they will dominate possession so for me our best chances will come from quick breakaways. Re; the fullbacks - I really can't see that happening to be honest, it's going to be a struggle for any of our full backs up against the likes of Sterling, Mahrez, B Silva ETC, but at least Guilbert and Targett are better on the ball. What team / formation would you pick out of interest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teale's 'tache Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 14 minutes ago, WakefieldVillan said: I agree that it's more a case of picking our moments than "playing on the counter" and maybe I didn't word it correctly, but bottom line is they will dominate possession so for me our best chances will come from quick breakaways. Re; the fullbacks - I really can't see that happening to be honest, it's going to be a struggle for any of our full backs up against the likes of Sterling, Mahrez, B Silva ETC, but at least Guilbert and Targett are better on the ball. What team / formation would you pick out of interest? I think we'll play a bit of a mix to be honest, there will be some counter attacking, there will be some long balls, and if we are allowed at any point, a bit of possession football would be nice to take the pressure off, it's important as a team we manage the game correctly and choose the correct style of play to suit the situation. The reason I think there's a chance the fullbacks could be changed is mainly due to positional discipline, Taylor stays as close to Mings as he can and avoids going over the half way line if at all possible, Elmo gets forward a little more from full back but also tries to tuck in next to his center half, Guilbert and Targett are both better footballers but leave a lot of space in behind them. If Smith wants to shut down the space down the sides of his center halves and on the wings in general, he may go for the more experienced duo, he may may go the other way and maybe use an extra defensive midfielder to give the attacking full backs more cover. Depends how he wants to play it. As for team/formation, something like this... I'd love to of kept Hourihane in for his set pieces, I just feel Luiz is a better with the ball at his feet under pressure, and we'll need to be keeping hold of the ball as much as we can. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Czechlad Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 I'd rather see us go for us vs bunker and hope to knick a goal. City is missing basically all their center backs, so this is a perfect chance for Wesley to prove himself. He will be going against centermids player defenders. I think if we provide an aerial threat, we will win. I'd keep Conor solely for set pieces because I think that is our best chance to win this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WakefieldVillan Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 @Teale's 'tache Yeah I see what you're saying regarding the full backs - I guess that's why I have chosen an extra centre half to give us a more solid look defensively but hopefully still give the full backs a bit of license to push forward (if possible) but even then I realise that we could get penned in too which would be a detriment to the team. I think Luiz over Hourihane is a no-brainer for this one, I think we will need his energy and tenacity and hopefully he will feel like he has a point to prove to Pep. It's a fascinating one for me what team Smith picks, what formation he goes for and how we approach it, bottom line is we will need all our team to have 9/10 performances and City to be under par to stand a chance - Just hope we do ourselves justice 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir_gary_cahill Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 My team would be: Heaton Guilbert Engels Mings Targett McGinn Nakamba Luiz Trezeguet Wesley Grealish Subs: Steer, Elmohamady, Konsa, Taylor, Lansbury, El Ghazi, Davis 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts