Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Sheff Utd

[AVFCDAN]

2 minutes ago, jackbauer24 said:

I do think a few people could put their ratings on before the match kicks off, they clearly have preconceived ideas that won't change whatever happens on the pitch! To suggest either Luiz or Hourihane were anonymous is ridiculous. And as important as he is, Grealish was not great today.

In fairness it’s an opinion that’s been formed over the season not this one game. If you are happy with our centre midfield and position in the league then good luck to you because for me it’s nowhere near good enough.

[smg]

31 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

SO PROUD OF THE BOYS!

Bossed that game. Should have won that.

We were organized, energetic and a threat going forward, until Keinan went off.

Play like that and we can beat Chelsea. I firmly believe that.

Agree with most of that but we will need to score against Chelsea probably more than once

[villalad21]

1 minute ago, smg said:

Agree with most of that but we will need to score against Chelsea probably more than once

We will secure enough pts if we play like that.

Who the 3rd midfielder will be is the messy part. Conor and McGinn look good together, but Luiz and Nakamba both look a bit frail to me.

[Only2McInallys]

It looks to me we have improved defensively .Defenders were stopping crosses and our marking at set pieces has improved.This to me was essential for our survival.

It has come at a cost as our attacking play doesn’t seem as potent.

Overall a positive performance and if Davis could add a few goals to his overall play we can survive.

[VillaFaninLondon]

We played decent today. OK, they should have had that goal as it looked well over the line but overall they didn't do anywhere near enough to deserve to win and we were the better side. However, we still didn't take any of our chances. Henderson played well when called upon but we didn't put him under enough pressure, he made 2 decent saves from Davis and McGinn and that was it. At the start of the season we scored a lot, now our goals have well and truly dried up and no one is scoring. Most of our attackers were poor today except Davis, Grealish, McGinn, El Ghazi all weren't great at all. Trezeguet actually did alright when he came on. 

 

We look not good enough to be honest, that could still change but going forward we look abject. At least we got the defence right today and for that Dean deserves credit. We might still do it, but even when we keep a clean sheet we still can't take 3 points. The only positive for me is that my FF team did well!

[jim]

7 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

If we were clinical all of you would call it a brilliant performance.

We completely nulled them out of the game. They created nothing. We should have won that.

It's ridiculous if you can't be positive after that.

Good on you Dean!

What about the goal they scored? 

[Chindie]

Nyland - you just can't have any confidence in him. There's always a fumble, there's always a soft goal. He has the ability to pull off good saves but always, always, always there's a clanger. He was absolutely appalling with any high ball.

Targett - fine. Didn't do a great deal but kept his man quiet.

Ming's - usual standards.

Hause - a number of balls across the box which were heart attack inducing. He's not the most cultured of players bit he can do the solid defence work.

Konsa - isn't a right back. Didn't disgrace himself but not a natural there.

Luiz - some nice touches, kept things ticking over, fine.

Hourihane - when he was in the game, he was good. But a lot of it passed him by 

Grealish - quiet moments but then when he turned it on he's the best player in the pitch by a laughable distance. We'll miss him.

McGinn - flashes of the old player we know, summed up by a good bursting run and s long range shot in the second half. Tired badly though.

El Ghazi - a good cross we should have scored from and otherwise invisible

Davis - MotM. Could have had 2 at least, bar a good save and being a foot off the pace. He has strength and work rate and some ability. The problem is he's not quite as sharp as a good striker needs to be and he's made of hope. He'd probably benefit from being a pure target man, but we don't play like that. But still, a good performance overall

Samatta - off the pace, never really got in the game.

Trez - carried on where el Ghazi left off, watching the game go by.

Nakamba - usual performance

Elmo - put in s couple of crosses, beyond that hard to say much.

Wasn't a terrible performance, we were probably the better side despite having to have insane luck to not concede, we've played far far worse this season.

[wilko154]

I was sceptical of the team lineup before kick off, but I once again was proved to know little about football. Bearing in mind this was a 7th vs 19th clash it was cagey game in which either team could have won.

The goal decision was unfortunate for Sheff Utd, but we have had plenty of decision's go against us so there is no sympathy from me.

The defence were solid, Konsa did a good job on the right side and was more consistent than having Guilbert bombing up and down (mostly down chasing his man). Hause is always a worry on the ball, but defended well.

In the midfield I thought Hourihane and Luiz were very good, disciplined in the press and moved the ball well. There will always be those supporters who get on their backs and could easily post their opinions on them before the first whistle is even blown. McGinn was patchy, he needs to build his fitness but it shouldn't take him too long.

Grealish and El Ghazi were both poor. I don;t see the need for wide men as we utilise them so poorly, a diamond midfield would suit us much better with two strikers playing off each other. It was no surprise that Grealish's best passage of play came through the middle of the park when his ghosting run forward ended with a defence splitting pass to El Ghazi.

Davis was superb. For me he's now our number 9 for the remainder of the season. He hold's the ball up so well and is a constant threat to a defence with his pace and power. I still feel he would benefit from having someone next to him and having both him and Samatta together could be brilliant.

Dissapointed not to have taken all 3 points, but a point against a team pushing for the Champions League will do today. Onto Chelsea and a repeat performance with a bit more fitness and players being used to the situation has the potential for a shock.

Keep the faith.

[villalad21]

Just now, jim said:

What about the goal they scored? 

Their only chance of the game?

[imavillan]

Sheffield Utd offered very little as an attacking threat. They were strong and workmanlike.

Yes, they should have had a goal. But that was from an error from Nyland who is a liability and makes to many mistakes.

Henderson kept them in the game with 3 very good saves.

With the games we have left it was a game we needed 3 points from. (with a vociferous home crowd they may have got us over the line)

Despite having the best chances, i feel we simply do not have enough quality to get enough points to still be playing in the Prem next season.

 

 

[smg]

32 minutes ago, The_Steve said:

We had lost 4 in a row prior to the enforced break, a sinking ship. This was about gaining confidence. The players kept their concentration until the end, the nervousness was there, of course, you're playing a well-drilled disciplined team who love to press, with centre backs who bully strikers.

It wasn't a disaster nor a friendly. Improvement needed? For sure. The positives are there.

Seems like Davies held his own then probably why Smith selected him to start over the less physical Samatta

[nick76]

Happy with that!

[Davkaus]

4 minutes ago, Chindie said:

Nyland - you just can't have any confidence in him. There's always a fumble, there's always a soft goal. 

 

Davis - MotM

lol

[tom_avfc]

13 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

If we were clinical all of you would call it a brilliant performance.

We completely nulled them out of the game. They created nothing. We should have won that.

It's ridiculous if you can't be positive after that.

Good on you Dean!

Agree with this by and large.

My only criticism would be the substitutions. The game was crying out for Samatta to come on up top with Davis and for us to have a good go at winning it. 

[villalad21]

Their "goal" wasn't even a chance.

It was just Nyland being a clown.

[villalad21]

2 minutes ago, tom_avfc said:

Agree with this by and large.

My only criticism would be the substitutions. The game was crying out for Samatta to come on up top with Davis and for us to have a good go at winning it. 

Don't know about that.

We looked good. Were creating opportunities. 

There were no reason to take Keinan off or change the shape. Samatta looked very Wesley esque out there. Not promising at all.

Lack of "service" is just nonsense. Keinan always finds himself in scoring opportunities because of his pace, power and will.

Edited June 17, 2020 by villalad21

[sne]

[jim]

8 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

Their only chance of the game?

That they scored and was chalked off by a 1 in 9000 chance.

Had that been allowed as it should have been I dare say you would be singing a different tune no doubt.

We were woeful against another woeful team.

[tom_avfc]

3 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

Don't know about that.

We looked good. Were creating opportunities. 

There were no reason to take Keinan off or change the shape. Samatta looked very Wesley esque out there. Not promising at all.

Yeah I could see the argument for leaving things as they were.

With El Ghazi having no impact on the game it should have been easy to bring samatta on for him and change the shape to give Davis more support up top.

As you say, I thought Davis was very good today but I think we need to get more bodies in and around him to make full use of his ability to hold the ball up and bring people into play.

Edited June 17, 2020 by tom_avfc

[villalad21]

Just now, jim said:

That they scored and was chalked off by a 1 in 9000 chance.

Had that been allowed as it should have been I dare say you would be singing a different tune no doubt.

We were woeful against another woeful team.

Woeful team? The table suggest otherwise.