Ratings & Reactions: Villa v West Ham

[roonst83]

As per the Leeds game we simply couldn’t handle the press from West Ham. They successfully nullified any threat we had by taking Grealish out of the game. We couldn’t get into any rhythm because they didn’t give us any time on the ball. We were second best all night and as soon as the first goal when in it felt inevitably like a defeat. 

Barkley was very poor tonight, sloppy and trying to be intricate in tight spaces but subsequently giving the ball away too often. Anwar can’t start for us on the right atall. He’s too weak and ineffective. He’s better on the left where he can cut in and deliver crosses but I’d have Traore start over him every time. Bertrand has much more craft and guile about him and works well with Cash going forwards.

Emi should be saving both of Lingard’s goals but he’s allowed an off night. Their central midfield won the battle and that usually dictates how games play out. 

Sanson will start sooner or later and probably at the expense of Barkley. Although I do feel Grealish is much better for us out wide. 

Was a tough night tonight and could sense something wasn’t right from the off. They were hungrier and wanted it more. Pressed us to death and didn’t look back once they scored. 
 

Edited February 3, 2021 by roonst83

[Vive_La_Villa]

39 minutes ago, ciggiesnbeer said:

Dean Smith looking at his mistakes. 

yup we lost but how nice it is to have a manager who can see and admit when he made mistakes. Onward!

Interesting that it was a tactic to play only 1 holding midfielder and balls in to Ollies feet instead of using the channels.. I guess he expected them to drop and absorb pressure more than they did.

[TRO]

56 minutes ago, Lerner's Driver said:

Agreed, no shithouser. 

Not sure shithouser is the right descripton.....a soucek, would suffice.

[TRO]

8 minutes ago, roonst83 said:

As per the Leeds game we simply couldn’t handle the press from West Ham. They successfully nullified any threat we had by taking Grealish out of the game. We couldn’t get into any rhythm because they didn’t give us any time on the ball. We were second best all night and as soon as the first goal when in it felt inevitably like a defeat. 

Barkley was very poor tonight, sloppy and trying to be intricate in tight spaces but subsequently giving the ball away too often. Anwar can’t start for us on the right atall. He’s too weak and ineffective. He’s better on the left where he can cut in and deliver crosses but I’d have Traore start over him every time. Bertrand has much more craft and guile about him and works well with Cash going forwards.

Emi should be saving both of Lingard’s goals but he’s allowed an off night. Their central midfield won the battle and that usually dictates how games play out. 

Sanson will start sooner or later and probably at the expense of Barkley. Although I do feel Grealish is much better for us out wide. 

Was a tough night tonight and could sense something wasn’t right from the off. They were hungrier and wanted it more. Pressed us to death and didn’t look back once they scored. 
 

I felt a bad night coming...on paper it was likely, we would be bullied and it played out that way.....we haven't got the physicality, to mix it with teams, who want to exert their power....There will be teams like them, we will struggle against unless we add some muscle to the squad.....they showed that it works.

[MrBlack]

Not sure where the midfield was tonight. Seemed that McGinn, and Luiz were anowhere to be seen.  Barkley showed for the ball a lot but didn't track back and then when he got the ball did nothing useful with it.

Poor game from our midfield, exacerbated by an extremely energetic and high pressing West Ham. Hope the lads aren't more tired against Arsenal, and they get their a game back.

[KAZZAM]

Just rewatched all the goals at 0.5 speed on YouTube and my summary of all 3 was - do we even have a midfield? 

I mean seriously its an absolute joke how easy they scored all 3.

Dean needs to seriously rethink how he sets the midfield 3 up. 

[Laughable Chimp]

I missed the game so this is a genuine question, but why are people saying we lost the game in midfield when we had more posession than West Ham?

Edited February 4, 2021 by Laughable Chimp

[Greenfly]

The lads looked knackered last night. Thankfully there's only one more game left in this sickening run of fixtures, then they'll get a full week's test before the next one.

I think Sanson needs to start the next game just so there's some energy in the middle from minute one. But who should he come in for? There's a case for all three of the midfield to come out after that.

Maybe Marv should come into the side for the next game as well.

[eholm]

6 hours ago, TRO said:

I felt a bad night coming...on paper it was likely, we would be bullied and it played out that way.....we haven't got the physicality, to mix it with teams, who want to exert their power....There will be teams like them, we will struggle against unless we add some muscle to the squad.....they showed that it works.

Has been the case for years tbh. When Sanson came on he is the identikit Villa midfielder in terms of physique. All of our CMs are relatively slight in stature and around 5’10” or so. We really do need a much stronger physical presence in their for some games. Dean admitted getting it wrong by going for a 6 and 2 x 8s especially when our 6 is Luiz in regards to his physicality. This is not me digging any players out; we are just missing that big CDM that some games require. I think we will see Nakamba replaced in the Summer with such a player. Although Smith has never really gone for physical CDMs in his management. We shall see..... 

[villalad21]

1 hour ago, eholm said:

Has been the case for years tbh. When Sanson came on he is the identikit Villa midfielder in terms of physique. All of our CMs are relatively slight in stature and around 5’10” or so. We really do need a much stronger physical presence in their for some games. Dean admitted getting it wrong by going for a 6 and 2 x 8s especially when our 6 is Luiz in regards to his physicality. This is not me digging any players out; we are just missing that big CDM that some games require. I think we will see Nakamba replaced in the Summer with such a player. Although Smith has never really gone for physical CDMs in his management. We shall see..... 

We don't play with 2 8's

Barkley is playing as a 10. Hell he isn't even playing that. Looks like he is playing as a striker, leaving us with a midfield 2

[villa89]

Well the inevitable drop off has arrived. We only have decent 11 players + Sanson, as was demonstrated again last night, and you can't expect to play the same 11 every week and get good performances all the time. Our lack of squad depth will mean we'll finish about 10th which is fine but it won't be the european place some were hoping for. 

 

As for West Ham fair play to Gollum, he has turned them into what his Everton team used to be. Again they have a bigger squad than ours not not big enough that they won't run into trouble. If Antonio gets injured they have nobody to replace him. JLINGZ is suddenly the messiah but he'll be back to being shit again within two weeks. Easy play with that energy when you haven't played all season and everyone else has been playing 3 games a week.  

Edited February 4, 2021 by villa89

[villalad21]

10 minutes ago, villa89 said:

Well the inevitable drop off has arrived. We only have decent 11 players + Sanson, as was demonstrated again last night, and you can't expect to play the same 11 every week and get good performances all the time. Our lack of squad depth will mean we'll finish about 10th which is fine but it won't be the european place some were hoping for. 

 

As for West Ham fair play to Gollum, he has turned them into what his Everton team used to be. Again they have a bigger squad than ours not not big enough that they won't run into trouble. If Antonio gets injured they have nobody to replace him. JLINGZ is suddenly the messiah but he'll be back to being shit again within two weeks. Easy play with that energy when you haven't played all season and everyone else has been playing 3 games a week.  

You say that but even Nakamba has shown he can do a job and a pretty damn decent one. Sanson can play as well. Trez as well.

We have players who can do a job outside the 11. It's a squad game. It's there to use it.

[eholm]

35 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

We don't play with 2 8's

Regardless of whether RB played as he should....the tactic yesterday was 2 8s and a 6 as confirmed by DS. 

[villalad21]

1 minute ago, eholm said:

Regardless of whether RB played as he should....the tactic yesterday was 2 8s and a 6 as confirmed by DS. 

Looked like a 4-4-2 to me. All game.

[TRO]

2 hours ago, eholm said:

Has been the case for years tbh. When Sanson came on he is the identikit Villa midfielder in terms of physique. All of our CMs are relatively slight in stature and around 5’10” or so. We really do need a much stronger physical presence in their for some games. Dean admitted getting it wrong by going for a 6 and 2 x 8s especially when our 6 is Luiz in regards to his physicality. This is not me digging any players out; we are just missing that big CDM that some games require. I think we will see Nakamba replaced in the Summer with such a player. Although Smith has never really gone for physical CDMs in his management. We shall see..... 

That might be an issue, but as you say, we will see....I hope he learns.I think Shakespeare was trying to point it out last night, to no avail.

In games like this we show a soft underbelly and It reoccurs when we play certain teams with a certain player profile.

as an example....Last Night Dom Calvert-Lewin, was being interviewed after their win at Leeds.....He said  we had to win the battles, to have any chance.

We in contrast we seem to have little interest in winning battles, we just seem to want to stand off ,wait for the pass and play contact free football......Our midfield seem to have no idea how to win the ball back, or stop the opposition from advancing....It seems so clear, it frightening.....like you I do not want to dig players out, but at times its unavoidable.....John McGinn is showing no form, that lead folk to naming him SJM.....Douglas Luiz is passive, everything about his game is passive, you can see the odd clip of his expressions on the pitch, he is not happy.

Dean needs to look long and hard at this.....We have been like this against, Leeds, Brighton,Southampton,Burnley and West Ham.....in 8 games against those teams we have taken 4 points and West Ham have now won the double over us......there is a clear issue, that needs addressing, if we have any ambition of advancing up the league.....We show a soft underbelly against teams up are up for a game.

[NewportStu]

I've slept on it. Decided best not to come on here and vent. 

This was the worst performance of the season, we were tactically poor and simply bullied. Moyes showed his premier league experience which Dean doesn't have yet. That said however, that West Ham side is very good on paper, they could very well be getting a CL spot this season so trying not to be too disheartened. 

What I do find frustrating is the lack of changes, I don't care what anyone says, we look jaded. You can't play the same 11 week in week out in the PL and get away with it. I fully expected to see some rotation tonight. McGinn has been poor for some time now and the less said about Barkley's performance the better. £40m? No chance! 

 

[TRO]

38 minutes ago, villa89 said:

Well the inevitable drop off has arrived. We only have decent 11 players + Sanson, as was demonstrated again last night, and you can't expect to play the same 11 every week and get good performances all the time. Our lack of squad depth will mean we'll finish about 10th which is fine but it won't be the european place some were hoping for. 

 

As for West Ham fair play to Gollum, he has turned them into what his Everton team used to be. Again they have a bigger squad than ours not not big enough that they won't run into trouble. If Antonio gets injured they have nobody to replace him. JLINGZ is suddenly the messiah but he'll be back to being shit again within two weeks. Easy play with that energy when you haven't played all season and everyone else has been playing 3 games a week.  

also Interesting how Dawson was probably the best centre back on show.....that was  a signing, we would have baulked at.....They have a clear view as to who does what, we have too many ball watchers and not enough ball challengers.

There are players out there, that could easily do a job for us, and for modest outlay.....but we seem obsessed with ball players at the expense of ball winners.

[rjw63]

Just watched the Two minute highlights.

Our keeper at fault for both Chavgard's goals. He's been a top signing but two blunders in one game is shit.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, NewportStu said:

I've slept on it. Decided best not to come on here and vent. 

This was the worst performance of the season, we were tactically poor and simply bullied. Moyes showed his premier league experience which Dean doesn't have yet. That said however, that West Ham side is very good on paper, they could very well be getting a CL spot this season so trying not to be too disheartened. 

What I do find frustrating is the lack of changes, I don't care what anyone says, we look jaded. You can't play the same 11 week in week out in the PL and get away with it. I fully expected to see some rotation tonight. McGinn has been poor for some time now and the less said about Barkley's performance the better. £40m? No chance! 

 

You can't just let teams play like that......Man U yes....Man City Yes.

but we have done that with Brighton,Burnley,West Ham, and Southampton......We have a soft streak......If teams fancy their chances, Leicester,Wolves, Liverpool and let us play, we are great, we have shown, left alone we can play......as soon as close contact comes in, closing down or tackles, aggressive running(Leeds)we go to pieces.

We need some players in the side( squad) who have a natural approach to winning a battle.....otherwise we will be a midtable team who has results in peaks and troughs, unable to cope with the rigours of the overall league.

last Night Coufal, Fredricks, Dawson. Soucek, had one thing on their mind and it wasn't flicks and tricks.....they laid the platform for the damage to be done.

Edited February 4, 2021 by TRO

[TRO]

2 minutes ago, rjw63 said:

Just watched the Two minute highlights.

Our keeper at fault for both Chavgard's goals. He's been a top signing but two blunders in one game is shit.

Yes,but......

He is being totally exposed..... we will ruin another good goalkeeper, if we are not careful.