Popular Post roonst83 Posted December 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted December 26, 2019 (edited) Dreading this. Their tails are up and they’re hungry and have Deeney back who loves to bully a defence. We need to be absolutely compact in the middle here and can’t have any players without the fight and desire. You can bet your mortgage on Pearson and Deeney instructing their midfield to kick lumps out of Jack and try rile him up. A month or so ago after seeing how we played at United I would’ve been far more confident. They’ll be confident they can smash us so hope Smith sets us up properly to stay calm and composed on the ball and try score on the break(s). Hourihane has to start and I think Nakampa will be dropped. The middle of the park doesn’t function well enough with both Luiz and Nakampa. Need to go out to win this. Edited December 27, 2019 by roonst83 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sulberto21 Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 If we’re ‘soft’ in this game we are going to get mauled. However if we can move the ball quickly we’ll do them. We need to try and dominate possession so we can dictate what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentVillan Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 We should start: Heaton Guilbert Konsa Hause Targett Luiz Lansbury El Ghazi Hourihane Grealish Kodjia I'm leaving AEG in because of sheer lack of options, but he's been having stinkers recently. Grealish only nominally out wide, and interchanging with Hourihane so that he can come more central. I know Lansbury starting didn't work against Sheff Utd, but there were other reasons for that. I think he's well suited to these kinds of matches, and makes fewer mistakes than Nakamba. I want Hourihane in a more attacking role so that he can look to score goals. Playing Kodjia instead of Wesley hopefully gives us more threat in behind, but I'm not really endorsing Kodjia here. Just think away from home he might cause some problems and create useful pockets of space for the 3 attacking midfielders to exploit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREAT_BEARD_OF_ZEUS Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 If there's any chance Mings is back then I'd seriously consider going 3-5-2. It's a formation made for our current squad. Our wingers are crap and our full backs can't defend, plus if there's one position we're strong in its centre back. Not ideal having Connor on the right of the attacking midfielders but he can do it. I'd go El Ghazi as the support man up front just for his extra pace vs someone like Jota. --------------------- Heaton ------------------- -------- Konsa -- Mings -- Hause ----- Guilbert ---------- Luiz -------- Targett ----- Hourihane ----------- Grealish ----- -------------------------- El Ghazi -------------- -------------------- Wesley --------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chips'ngravy Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 If Mings is fit I think I'd push Hause out to left back. Alternatively, given how soft we are in centre-mid....could Mings play DM? Decent on the ball and a presence in an area we are desperately lacking in authority. Kodjia to start instead of Wes, but we know it won't happen. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudevillaisnice Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 3-1 Watford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brumstopdogs Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 Really tempted to put some money on Deeney to score against us because it feels inevitable to happen (obviously hope he doesn't though!) 2-0 Watford. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntrimBlack Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 Probably one of the `easy' teams we have to beat to stave off relegation. I suspect they think the same of us. I am not confident of getting anything here, my early season optimism has somewhat evaporated. Hourihane must replace Nakamba. Guilbert must replace El Mohamady. Unfortunately we do not have a credible replacement for Wesley, but reluctantly Kodjia should be given a go. How the management thought we could survive in the PL with the forwards we have is beyond me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheStagMan Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 Jesus Christ. Come on guys. This will not be a walk-over for Watford. Cagey game and I recon a 1-2 win for Villa. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Brumstopdogs Posted December 27, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted December 27, 2019 If we think times are bad now remember back in 2016! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 32 minutes ago, Brumstopdogs said: If we think times are bad now remember back in 2016! It's bollocks. We scored twice that day. Winning 2-1 until Deeney scored twice in stoppage time. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 I'll take a defeat if one of our lot snaps Scummer Deeney's cruciate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colhint Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 I wonder if we could put Freddie further up field. In front of elmo. I think we need elmo for leadership. But putting Freddie as a right side midfield/winger, would give us pace on the flanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferguson1 Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 Like all games in this league, it will be another tough afternoon where you have to earn the right to play first and foremost against a Pearson team. Make no mistake, they will kick us about (especially Jack) in the opening stages. However, they do have danger men in Deulofeu, Deeney, Pereyra etc. No idea who’s fit for them though? If we have Mings fit, I would like to see the following 532 or 352 and see if we can look a little more solid: Heaton Konsa Mings Hause Guilbert Targett Luiz Lansbury Hourihane Grealish Kodjia However, Smith won’t change from the 433 formation, so I expect to see this: Heaton Guilbert Konsa Hause Taylor Nakamba Luiz Hourihane AEG Wesley Grealish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 This will be our last game of the year and the last game in our run of three games against teams, that had been below us at the start of it. We need to win this one, or at the very least to avoid defeat. A win would take us 8 points above our hosts, with a superior goal difference to boot. It might also take us out of the bottom three for the New Year, with West Ham entertaining Leicester on the same day. Our last and only ever win in our 9 visits to Watford, was three visits ago back in 1999. Overall, we have won 6 and have drawn 5 of the 18 league games, that there has been between the two clubs, since their first meeting in 1969. Just win this one for us Villa! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted December 27, 2019 Moderator Share Posted December 27, 2019 Do we know who the referee is for this one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derryvillan Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 24 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said: Do we know who the referee is for this one? Live scores has it as Simon Hooper. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dounavilla Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Feet Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 2 hours ago, John said: This will be our last game of the year and the last game in our run of three games against teams, that had been below us at the start of it. We need to win this one, or at the very least to avoid defeat. A win would take us 8 points above our hosts, with a superior goal difference to boot. It might also take us out of the bottom three for the New Year, with West Ham entertaining Leicester on the same day. Our last and only ever win in our 9 visits to Watford, was three visits ago back in 1999. Overall, we have won 6 and have drawn 5 of the 18 league games, that there has been between the two clubs, since their first meeting in 1969. Just win this one for us Villa! Last game of the decade! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don_Simon Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 If we play even remotely like we did yesterday, they will utterly, comprehensively, absolutely and overwhelmingly... batter us. I don't even know what changes to make to better us. Three centre backs might work, dropping Nakamba and Trezeguet, who I genuinely think made yesterday seem like 13 players against 9, is an absolute must. There just seems to be zero improvement week on week, unless Jack has a worldie, we're ****. Sweet jesus, this is a depressing post. As such, I'll go Villa 3-1. Wesley will be made my Fantasy Team Captain and I'm bringing in El Ghazi for goals assists from his guaranteed thrilling performance. Oh, Hause in at CB for clean sheet points and a goal from a corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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