Title chase 2020/2021

[Enda]

18 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

both Jermaine Jenas and Stephen Warnock picked a couple of Villa players in their "ones to watch for 2021".

 

 

Stephen Warnock looks like he’s just popped back from a data science convention.

[Steero113]

3 hours ago, Farlz said:

City game has been rescheduled so our next lot of games.. 

Bloody state of that 

I'm not sure if my view is shared by the majority but is it just me in thinking that Spurs are shite at the moment? 

Other than that that is a real pisser of a run of games. If we can take 6/7 points from that i'd be delighted. 

[nick76]

4 hours ago, Farlz said:

City game has been rescheduled so our next lot of games.. 

Bloody state of that 

Looks like a good chance to increase our goal difference

Crazy run of games but a good test for us.  As long as disaster doesn’t happen and knock our first team’s confidence for the rest of the season, then I’m looking forward to it.  These are the games we want to be in, although as usual I will have no nails left, a lot of shouting and family members avoiding me at all costs during the game.

[Keyblade]

4 hours ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Killer run of games. On the other hand can you manage the games after this run is over?

Our run after that is:

Burnley (A)

Southampton (A)

West Ham (H)

Arsenal (H)

Brighton (A)

Leicester (H)

Leeds (A) 

Wolves (H)

Newcastle (A)

Sheffield United (A)

Fulham (H)

If we somehow keep up our ~2ppg run up until Man City, we have to be in the conversation for something big this season.

[useless]

Fine.

Edited December 31, 2020 by useless
No likes.

[VillaChris]

Target for me is 10 more wins. Given there's still 24 games left that's less than 50% win ratio so way below what we've been doing so far.

That would be 56 points and we're starting to draw a few games now so we'd finish in low 60s which was good enough for top 6 in the three MON seasons and I don't think we'd be too far away this season either.

Probably wouldn't be far off top 4 either.

[maqroll]

14 hours ago, Farlz said:

City game has been rescheduled so our next lot of games.. 

Bloody state of that 

I relish that. We can beat any of those teams on our day.

[darrenm]

I look around the first 11+2 or 3 and I'm astounded by how much quality we have everywhere which has somehow happened under the radar.

Lockdown happened at the best time for us in 2020. Without breaking that cycle of defeats we were down. The 2019/20 season actually started decent enough. We played spurs off the park for periods in the first game but then lots of dodgy decisions and bad luck went against us. The perfectly good goal at the end of the Palace game as an example. Once we were able to regroup during the hiatus, the team became more organised and we fought hard enough to stay up. Yes, the bizarre Hawkeye goal mouth incident helped but there's no guarantee we wouldn't have still drawn or even won that game.

That momentum, coupled with some camaraderie developed during the fight last season has carried on into this season. The playing additions have been Emi Martinez, Matty Cash, Bertrand Traore, Ross Barkley and Ollie Watkins. Barkley and Traore haven't featured as much as Watkins, Cash and Martinez but all have made a significant improvement.

Then existing players who were already good have improved. These are Targett, Mings, Konsa and Hause. Then Douglas Luiz, McGinn and El Ghazi are all starting to fulfill their potential.

We've somehow ended up with:

The best goalkeeper in the Premier League

A back 4 which could easily be and would probably be most effective as England's back 4 

A rock solid, high energy international level 2 central defensive midfielders who are also excellent at taking it forward in McGinn and Douglas Luiz. One is the main midfield dynamo for Scotland, the other is now being recognised as a main part of Brazil's international midfield.

In Grealish and Barkley we've got the most in form player in Europe at the moment and stats that are up there with anyone in the world and a top class international who has very similar attributes to Grealish but has a point to prove.

2 very effective wingers in Traore and El Ghazi who are starting to look very capable and are hitting some good form right now.

And a striker who is able to play up top on his own, is one of the best I've seen at holding up the ball, works harder than almost anyone, runs the channels, has great close control. Oh and scores 1 in 2.

There's quality everywhere and I don't see a weak spot. Potentially the squad is a bit thin and once we lose a couple of players with injuries and suspensions we might have some gaps and it might look very different. But even in that event, we have England's best goalkeeper sitting on the bench, Jacob Ramsey eager to impress, Elmohamady, Taylor, Hause, Engels, Hourihane; mostly established international players ready to come in. And not forgetting Wesley starting to push for a place towards the later part of the season.

The weakest point? It's maybe the greatest strength. The instruction from the management to go out and play, express and enjoy yourself. The lifting of the shackles. It's how the Villa team of 1994/95 under Big Ron used to be told to play. It can result in poor decision making sometimes but it can also result in a dynamic attacking team.

If the players continue to keep confidence, not let complacency creep in or try to coast thinking they've already put enough in, then we'll be right up there at the end of the season. Every game will be a battle and now they have the quality everywhere, the application will keep them winning. There are some exciting times to come, starting with righting the record against Man United tonight.

[Tommo_b]

19 minutes ago, darrenm said:

I look around the first 11+2 or 3 and I'm astounded by how much quality we have everywhere which has somehow happened under the radar.

Lockdown happened at the best time for us in 2020. Without breaking that cycle of defeats we were down. The 2019/20 season actually started decent enough. We played spurs off the park for periods in the first game but then lots of dodgy decisions and bad luck went against us. The perfectly good goal at the end of the Palace game as an example. Once we were able to regroup during the hiatus, the team became more organised and we fought hard enough to stay up. Yes, the bizarre Hawkeye goal mouth incident helped but there's no guarantee we wouldn't have still drawn or even won that game.

That momentum, coupled with some camaraderie developed during the fight last season has carried on into this season. The playing additions have been Emi Martinez, Matty Cash, Bertrand Traore, Ross Barkley and Ollie Watkins. Barkley and Traore haven't featured as much as Watkins, Cash and Martinez but all have made a significant improvement.

Then existing players who were already good have improved. These are Targett, Mings, Konsa and Hause. Then Douglas Luiz, McGinn and El Ghazi are all starting to fulfill their potential.

We've somehow ended up with:

The best goalkeeper in the Premier League

A back 4 which could easily be and would probably be most effective as England's back 4 

A rock solid, high energy international level 2 central defensive midfielders who are also excellent at taking it forward in McGinn and Douglas Luiz. One is the main midfield dynamo for Scotland, the other is now being recognised as a main part of Brazil's international midfield.

In Grealish and Barkley we've got the most in form player in Europe at the moment and stats that are up there with anyone in the world and a top class international who has very similar attributes to Grealish but has a point to prove.

2 very effective wingers in Traore and El Ghazi who are starting to look very capable and are hitting some good form right now.

And a striker who is able to play up top on his own, is one of the best I've seen at holding up the ball, works harder than almost anyone, runs the channels, has great close control. Oh and scores 1 in 2.

There's quality everywhere and I don't see a weak spot. Potentially the squad is a bit thin and once we lose a couple of players with injuries and suspensions we might have some gaps and it might look very different. But even in that event, we have England's best goalkeeper sitting on the bench, Jacob Ramsey eager to impress, Elmohamady, Taylor, Hause, Engels, Hourihane; mostly established international players ready to come in. And not forgetting Wesley starting to push for a place towards the later part of the season.

The weakest point? It's maybe the greatest strength. The instruction from the management to go out and play, express and enjoy yourself. The lifting of the shackles. It's how the Villa team of 1994/95 under Big Ron used to be told to play. It can result in poor decision making sometimes but it can also result in a dynamic attacking team.

If the players continue to keep confidence, not let complacency creep in or try to coast thinking they've already put enough in, then we'll be right up there at the end of the season. Every game will be a battle and now they have the quality everywhere, the application will keep them winning. There are some exciting times to come, starting with righting the record against Man United tonight.

Love this.

[Phil Silvers]

23 minutes ago, darrenm said:

I look around the first 11+2 or 3 and I'm astounded by how much quality we have everywhere which has somehow happened under the radar.

Lockdown happened at the best time for us in 2020. Without breaking that cycle of defeats we were down. The 2019/20 season actually started decent enough. We played spurs off the park for periods in the first game but then lots of dodgy decisions and bad luck went against us. The perfectly good goal at the end of the Palace game as an example. Once we were able to regroup during the hiatus, the team became more organised and we fought hard enough to stay up. Yes, the bizarre Hawkeye goal mouth incident helped but there's no guarantee we wouldn't have still drawn or even won that game.

That momentum, coupled with some camaraderie developed during the fight last season has carried on into this season. The playing additions have been Emi Martinez, Matty Cash, Bertrand Traore, Ross Barkley and Ollie Watkins. Barkley and Traore haven't featured as much as Watkins, Cash and Martinez but all have made a significant improvement.

Then existing players who were already good have improved. These are Targett, Mings, Konsa and Hause. Then Douglas Luiz, McGinn and El Ghazi are all starting to fulfill their potential.

We've somehow ended up with:

The best goalkeeper in the Premier League

A back 4 which could easily be and would probably be most effective as England's back 4 

A rock solid, high energy international level 2 central defensive midfielders who are also excellent at taking it forward in McGinn and Douglas Luiz. One is the main midfield dynamo for Scotland, the other is now being recognised as a main part of Brazil's international midfield.

In Grealish and Barkley we've got the most in form player in Europe at the moment and stats that are up there with anyone in the world and a top class international who has very similar attributes to Grealish but has a point to prove.

2 very effective wingers in Traore and El Ghazi who are starting to look very capable and are hitting some good form right now.

And a striker who is able to play up top on his own, is one of the best I've seen at holding up the ball, works harder than almost anyone, runs the channels, has great close control. Oh and scores 1 in 2.

There's quality everywhere and I don't see a weak spot. Potentially the squad is a bit thin and once we lose a couple of players with injuries and suspensions we might have some gaps and it might look very different. But even in that event, we have England's best goalkeeper sitting on the bench, Jacob Ramsey eager to impress, Elmohamady, Taylor, Hause, Engels, Hourihane; mostly established international players ready to come in. And not forgetting Wesley starting to push for a place towards the later part of the season.

The weakest point? It's maybe the greatest strength. The instruction from the management to go out and play, express and enjoy yourself. The lifting of the shackles. It's how the Villa team of 1994/95 under Big Ron used to be told to play. It can result in poor decision making sometimes but it can also result in a dynamic attacking team.

If the players continue to keep confidence, not let complacency creep in or try to coast thinking they've already put enough in, then we'll be right up there at the end of the season. Every game will be a battle and now they have the quality everywhere, the application will keep them winning. There are some exciting times to come, starting with righting the record against Man United tonight.

[GENTLEMAN]

We’re on our way... Great video and great YouTube channel btw. 

[VillaAlex]

What's really exciting is we have the youngest starting 11 based on average age in the league. Which means we can grow into something even greater.

[yayoboy]

3 hours ago, darrenm said:

I look around the first 11+2 or 3 and I'm astounded by how much quality we have everywhere which has somehow happened under the radar.

Lockdown happened at the best time for us in 2020. Without breaking that cycle of defeats we were down. The 2019/20 season actually started decent enough. We played spurs off the park for periods in the first game but then lots of dodgy decisions and bad luck went against us. The perfectly good goal at the end of the Palace game as an example. Once we were able to regroup during the hiatus, the team became more organised and we fought hard enough to stay up. Yes, the bizarre Hawkeye goal mouth incident helped but there's no guarantee we wouldn't have still drawn or even won that game.

That momentum, coupled with some camaraderie developed during the fight last season has carried on into this season. The playing additions have been Emi Martinez, Matty Cash, Bertrand Traore, Ross Barkley and Ollie Watkins. Barkley and Traore haven't featured as much as Watkins, Cash and Martinez but all have made a significant improvement.

Then existing players who were already good have improved. These are Targett, Mings, Konsa and Hause. Then Douglas Luiz, McGinn and El Ghazi are all starting to fulfill their potential.

We've somehow ended up with:

The best goalkeeper in the Premier League

A back 4 which could easily be and would probably be most effective as England's back 4 

A rock solid, high energy international level 2 central defensive midfielders who are also excellent at taking it forward in McGinn and Douglas Luiz. One is the main midfield dynamo for Scotland, the other is now being recognised as a main part of Brazil's international midfield.

In Grealish and Barkley we've got the most in form player in Europe at the moment and stats that are up there with anyone in the world and a top class international who has very similar attributes to Grealish but has a point to prove.

2 very effective wingers in Traore and El Ghazi who are starting to look very capable and are hitting some good form right now.

And a striker who is able to play up top on his own, is one of the best I've seen at holding up the ball, works harder than almost anyone, runs the channels, has great close control. Oh and scores 1 in 2.

There's quality everywhere and I don't see a weak spot. Potentially the squad is a bit thin and once we lose a couple of players with injuries and suspensions we might have some gaps and it might look very different. But even in that event, we have England's best goalkeeper sitting on the bench, Jacob Ramsey eager to impress, Elmohamady, Taylor, Hause, Engels, Hourihane; mostly established international players ready to come in. And not forgetting Wesley starting to push for a place towards the later part of the season.

The weakest point? It's maybe the greatest strength. The instruction from the management to go out and play, express and enjoy yourself. The lifting of the shackles. It's how the Villa team of 1994/95 under Big Ron used to be told to play. It can result in poor decision making sometimes but it can also result in a dynamic attacking team.

If the players continue to keep confidence, not let complacency creep in or try to coast thinking they've already put enough in, then we'll be right up there at the end of the season. Every game will be a battle and now they have the quality everywhere, the application will keep them winning. There are some exciting times to come, starting with righting the record against Man United tonight.

Great post DM 

[maqroll]

edit: incorrect information

Edited January 1, 2021 by maqroll

[ender4]

The Premier League really don’t want us to win the league do they??!!

[villalad21]

Slight bump but still very much in it.

[bose]

People are starting to take notice as well.

We have a very genuine chance of getting top six. That is just ridiculous given where we were last season.

[HalfTimePost]

Get Dougie and Konsa tied down will be huge for us for the next 2-3 years. If we do that and add some strong options at midfield and LB we have such a good chance at breaking those top positions. 

If we can keep Dougie, Jack and Konsa (and Martinez but not concerned about losing him) for the next 2 seasons we will be flying if NSWE keep investing as they have been around them

[Sulberto21]

We have to strengthen in January. Some of the players looked mentally tired if anything. Two more hopefully 3 to freshen the squad up and increase competition and quality we'll win the league. 

We're definitely feared.

[VillaChris]

Everton result was good for us earlier.

Didn't think they'd lose to West Ham so given we've got them soon another we can reel in.

Always a nice feeling when we're above teams and also have two games in hand on them like Southampton who were a few points clear of us 4-5 games ago.

Shame we were robbed v West Ham but they're one of those teams who'll be very useful taking off points off teams around us. Already got points off Southampton, Leicester, Everton, Spurs and Man. City this season so hopefully that will continue in 2021 (I think we'll do them at VP).

Edited January 1, 2021 by VillaChris