M_Afro Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 There’s a stat doing the rounds on Twitter that Villa have conceded the most shots in the penalty area, within the last 6 weeks. That is unsustainable. I know we have managed some clean sheets in that time but we have been utterly reliant on brilliant defending and goal keeping. This is further evidence that the midfield is being out performed. It is far too easy to get into dangerous positions. We will take a real walloping at some stage if the trend continues. I would play Luis, McGinn and Sanson today. Save Ross for later in the game, if required. Leicester will score at will if we don’t provide better protection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Willard Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Ramsey (McGinn or DL) Sanson needs to be the midfield 3 against Leeds. We need energy. Drop either McGinn or Dougie not because Ramsey or Sanson are better but they are both out of form. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villaphan04 Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Ramsey, Sanson & (Luiz/Nakamba) for Leeds 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVTuco Posted February 21, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted February 21, 2021 I'm having a hard time deciding if it's McGinn or Luiz whose fault it is that our midfield is terrible. Maybe it's both of them. McGinn's passing and shooting are atrocious, and Luiz goes missing half of every game, losing too many battles and not affecting the game at all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farlz Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Luiz - Sanson Ramsey I'd probably go with that against Leeds, if McGinn and Barkley are off it again then Leeds will quite simply demolish us. We struggle against pressing sides as it is, never mind a Bielsa press team. Do I think Smith will bring Sanson and Barkley in though? Unfortunately not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted February 21, 2021 Moderator Share Posted February 21, 2021 I like Sanson and I'd like to see him on the pitch more, but I don't think he was particularly good when he came on today, i thought he was last time out, but today didn't quite come off for him. Of course having fifteen minute cameos makes it really difficult to judge. I think it's time for Ramsey to come in for Barkley but I'd stick with the other two for the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M_Afro Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Marvelous, Luiz and Sanson to start next match please. Save Ross and McGinn for later in the match if we need them. Ross is a useful sub option to have but he clearly should not be starting matches, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 If Jack is out for Leeds we have to reinforce midfield or they’ll spank us. Would like to see Luiz, Nakamba, Sanson and Ramsey start, with Traore playing behind Watkins. Forget Ghazi and Trez for the next game and rest SJM who is miles of it at the moment. Also give Kesler a go instead of Elmo at RB. Leeds will have him on toast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 We're eighth in the league and have games in hand over those immediately above us and below us in the table, those aren't the indications of a team that needs to make sweeping changes to the line up. At most I think we'll see one of Sanson or Ramsey come in. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 1 minute ago, useless said: We're eighth in the league and have games in hand over those immediately above us and below us in the table, those aren't the indications of a team that needs to make sweeping changes to the line up. At most I think we'll see one of Sanson or Ramsey come in. We are where we are in the table because of form earlier in the season, but we haven’t been good for a while now. With Jack out it’s the perfect time to change things up, because it’s not working and we need to find another way to win. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 We beat Arsenal just a few games ago, they were the league's form team beside Man City at that point. You don't get to be eighth in the league at this stage of the seaon if you were only good earlier in the season, there has to have been a certain level of consitency to maintain that position, especially when you haven't played as many games as all the other teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sulberto21 Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 I watched the Leicester midfielders and the positioning in particular of Ndidi. The simple fact is when Luiz went to the sole number 6 role he was better, we better and we covered more ground. We need to start games with Luiz as the sole DM. He prefers it and it will make us better defensively and offensively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhan_Zhuang Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Again so weak in the midfield, it's been happening for many games. Both McGinn and Barkley gave the ball away within the first minute of the game against Leicester, yet it happens every week. Should drop all of the midfield passengers. Ramsey again looked good, so too Sanson. Nakamba is so unlucky to not be playing, I'd argue he is actually our in-form midfielder, no defeats with him in the PL (I think?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughable Chimp Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 31 minutes ago, useless said: We beat Arsenal just a few games ago, they were the league's form team beside Man City at that point. You don't get to be eighth in the league at this stage of the seaon if you were only good earlier in the season, there has to have been a certain level of consitency to maintain that position, especially when you haven't played as many games as all the other teams. No. Look beyond the results and look at the performances. Can you honestly tell me with a straight face that our performances has been consistent? We've been out of sorts since the Burnley game and our points talley hides the manner in which we've regressed on the pitch. Our best performance since then was against Arsenal btw but even then we were pinned back for a lot of the game and its **** Arsenal. They're one of the most incosistent teams in the league. Meanwhile, we were poor against Southampton, poor against West Ham, poor against Brighton and now poor against Leicester. How many poor games did we have before the Burnley game? Relative to the amount of games we played, it's night and day/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 (edited) What do you mean 'no', if we'd have only been good at the start of the season, we wouldn't be eighth now, we'd be in the bottom half of the table at least, you don't get to miraculously find yourself in eighth place with games in hand over all the other teams if you haven't been getting results. A few below par performances in recent games shouldn't warrant making sweeping changes, the same people calling for such are probably the same who were calling for Smith to be sacked last season, and look how that turned out. We need to stay cool and not panic. Edited February 21, 2021 by useless Not panic too much that is, one or two changes might help us. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkyvilla Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 1 hour ago, useless said: We're eighth in the league and have games in hand over those immediately above us and below us in the table, those aren't the indications of a team that needs to make sweeping changes to the line up. At most I think we'll see one of Sanson or Ramsey come in. I agree, I think just changing Barkley for one of them will reduce the workload on Doug and McGinn. Those two aren't in great form but they're having to pick up slack because Barkley gets bypassed so easily and then offers very little going forward. We need to go back to defending as an XI and need more energy at the top of the midfield 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 2 hours ago, AVTuco said: I'm having a hard time deciding if it's McGinn or Luiz whose fault it is that our midfield is terrible. Maybe it's both of them. McGinn's passing and shooting are atrocious, and Luiz goes missing half of every game, losing too many battles and not affecting the game at all. Correct...Its both of them. but we don't have appropiate players to play the role....Nakamba maybe, but his distribution is not up to it. did you notice Brendan, bring on Choudry and Mendy to tighten up an see the game out.....we haven't got those options, because all our midfielders are a creative style....we need to sign some. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaVilla Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 (edited) to be brutally honest, i would drop Barkley & McGinn for Sanson & Ramsey. We cant keep allowing these poor performances from players without consequence, its sends completely the wrong message. I think McGinn coming out is a 50/50, but Barkley is a 100% to the bench for me. Regardless of who is in/out, the current midfield 3 is badly imbalanced imo. Edited February 21, 2021 by MaVilla 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 (edited) 41 minutes ago, sharkyvilla said: I agree, I think just changing Barkley for one of them will reduce the workload on Doug and McGinn. Those two aren't in great form but they're having to pick up slack because Barkley gets bypassed so easily and then offers very little going forward. We need to go back to defending as an XI and need more energy at the top of the midfield 3. They aren't in great form at all....but Barkley is a cop out.....They don't do the things what a good CDM does...They simply don't win their duels anywhere near enough, they lose the ball in possession, its not over worked, its poor play. Barkley is playing rubbish, don't even look fit....something is not right with him, but I don't know what. Dougie was taken off today and rightfully so.....we looked far more enterprising when Ramsey and Sanson came on, even though they are not dedicated CDM's either. The team is playing poor, but Ollie Watkins, still manages to keep his form.....stop making excuses, for players...its not always someone elses fault. Edited February 21, 2021 by TRO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sulberto21 Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 6 8. 8 Suits us better than 6. 6. 10. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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