danceoftheshamen Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 This surely is all about our reserves against theirs. We really do need to rest a good few as the rest of the month is horrid and we have been having patches in games where we looked jaded. It's like we're playing in 20 minute bursts at the moment which you have to wonder is it down to fatigue or maybe even a tactic to try to conserve some legs in the players? Liverpool will of course be hoping for revenge so may just go a bit stronger than we think but if we go out so be it. Getting another 14 -16 points in the League is the priority and if we are still somehow in the FA cup once 100% safe then would surely be the time to go for it? We may not be that much closer to that points total after January is done however so for me sadly, it has to be the shadow squad & fingers crossed for this one. I'd love to see us win it of course as it's the only thing i haven't seen us win but maybe this year is a year too early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eholm Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 21 hours ago, useless said: I'd take finishing seventeen and winning the FA Cup over finishing second in the league. I admire the sentiment but could not disagree more. The massive impact on our future success and stature would be immeasurable if we ever managed to finish 2nd vs an FA Cup win. (Sorry for swaying into OT territory). 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
est1874 Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 (edited) Honestly, I've no hope at all for this one I'm afraid. Draw was viciously unkind to us, particularly given the January league schedule, but twas ever thus for Aston Villa Football Club. 3-1 to the insufferable scouse. Edited January 3, 2021 by est1874 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbcuk Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 I’d play all the fringe players against Liverpool, it’s not like we will be able to go to the final if we get that far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post useless Posted January 3, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 3, 2021 Winning the FA Cup is the greatest thing we can realistically achieve this season, if we were to win it would be the greatest thing we've achieved in nearly forty years never mind this season, cannot understand anyone who thinks that it's not important, we're not in relegation trouble as it stands nor are we going to win the title, why on earth waste this good team we've got by not playing them in the one big competition that we have a realistic hope of winning. A player might get injured, but they might also get injured in a league game, at least in the FA Cup they'll be taking that risk for the chance to actually win a trophy, a major honour, and if we were to beat Liverpool we might have easier games in the following round/s which we can then afford to rest more players. If we're to become a genuinely succesful club then winning that first trophy would be the most important landmark to reach, even if we were not to win another trophy for another twenty years, it would still be far more important than anything we can achieve in the league this season and would also do more for Dean Smith's stature as a VIlla manager than anything we can achieve in the league this season for that matter. I think our relative success this season has gone to some people's heads, we're not a Man City or Liverpool that are fighting for the title and playing in Europe,so need to rest players in a competition like this, and have won plenty of trophies so it's less important to them, we're a team that hasn't won anything in over twenty years. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted January 3, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted January 3, 2021 6 hours ago, barry'sboots said: I would rather play some of the kids than benchwarmers who we expect to be off next year. Maybe a chance to mix in Kessler, Philogene-Bidace (might help us keep him away from those nasty Germans!), Ramsey, Chukwuemeka and Davis with Barrie on the bench. I would start Heaton or Steer - depending on which one we intend to keep! But I'd like to see them play alongside proper first XI players, including Grealish and SJM (both who want to play every game as SJM said the other night), so they can see what they need to aspire to achieve and I also don't believe making 11 changes gives anyone a fair shot as they are just being thrown together with no experience or idea of shape etc.. ------------- Heaton/Steer -------------------- Kessler -- Konsa -- Hause -- Targett ------- Chukwuemeka --- SJM ---------- Philogene-Bidace -- Ramsey -- Jack ---------------------- Davis ----------------------- I think that would be really exciting to see. Bring on another 7-2!! Yes, I like that. Maybe give Barkley a game though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted January 3, 2021 Moderator Share Posted January 3, 2021 It's a delicate game of judging how much of a weekend team Liverpool will put out. -----------------------------Heaton----------------------------- Elmo---------Hause------------Mings--------Targett ----------------------------Nakamba------------------------- ----------------Ramsey----------Hourihane------------ Traore---------------------------------------------Grealish ------------------------------Davis----------------------------- With Watkins, Luiz, McGinn, Cash, El Ghazi and Konsa on the bench. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted January 3, 2021 Moderator Share Posted January 3, 2021 Anyone know what the substitute rules for the FA Cup are this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted January 3, 2021 Administrator Share Posted January 3, 2021 2 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said: Anyone know what the substitute rules for the FA Cup are this year? Probably different every round. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 I would give Cash, Grealish and Watkins a break. I would also like us to take the opportunity to have a look at Traori playing in Ollie's place down the middle. We need cover in this position and various posters have said that Bertrand has a good scoring record while playing there in France. This is a great chance to gauge if He might be an alternative if we don't manage to sign a decent replacement/back up to Ollie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 As much as it stinks I think considering the number of games there are this season and how many minute our first team players have already played, putting them through an FA cup game and potential run might be a step too far. Will have to be a lot of changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 Could have done with Mcginn, Jack and Targett getting booked v Man U and the suspension out the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted January 3, 2021 Author Share Posted January 3, 2021 I think its safe to say We're going to finish somewhere between 8th and 12th so might as well throw a good cup run in and have something to play for in the 2nd half of the season. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WallisFrizz Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 9 hours ago, Vive_La_Villa said: Could have done with Mcginn, Jack and Targett getting booked v Man U and the suspension out the way. Yellow card suspensions don’t transfer between competitions so if they’d have got booked at utd, they’d be out for Spurs. However red cards do transfer to domestic competitions so Matt Doherty will miss the Brentford game for Spurs and not the game against us. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post One For The Road Posted January 4, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2021 On 02/01/2021 at 20:52, messi11 said: With 3 games against spurs, everton and Man city all in the space on 8 days. I would just play the kids and reserves in this game Score prediction: No one cares We are not getting relegated and we aren't getting top 6 so why the hell would we not want to win the FA Cup!? Even if we did miraculously finish 6th, that gets a place in the same European competition that winning the FA Cup does. Except without a trophy. Lots of people care. Me included. Go for it Villa! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Factory Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Play the reserves. The fixture list is bad enough already. We will never win the FA Cup again, we all know that. I don't even think being runners up to a European qualified team gets you a place in the Europa now, so in all probability its better for the top 4 teams to win the cups and hope 6/7th gets you Europe. That's modern football for ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb_82 Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 4 hours ago, One For The Road said: We are not getting relegated and we aren't getting top 6 so why the hell would we not want to win the FA Cup!? Even if we did miraculously finish 6th, that gets a place in the same European competition that winning the FA Cup does. Except without a trophy. Lots of people care. Me included. Go for it Villa! 100% agree We have never had a better chance to go for the cup, we aren't going down and despite what people think its very unlikely we will finish in the top 6 so why not go for it and take full advantage of the fact a lot of teams, Liverpool included will rest people with the league/champions league fixture congestions that they have - if we go full strength on Friday vs what they will put out then we will beat them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 On 02/01/2021 at 10:06, Kingman said: I think we should go for it, We'r not finishing in the top 4 or bottom 4 so FA Winners sounds good to me. 7 days rest till the game so strongest 11 as i guess they will be a weakened 11 given they are playing Monday night in Southampton I agree we should field as strong a team as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Factory Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Will this be on in Lockdown 3? Can't we just bin off the cups this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gompedyret Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 To me, this is a win-win. We might as well go for it, for reasons One for the Road et al already laid out. If we beat the scousers, we're in a great position to go all the way given that we're a damn fine team, and if we lose, well, it's quite ok and we have the luxury of being able to focus exclusively on the league. At least Bertie got his chance to play forward. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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