Team shape, tactics and personnel

[peterw]

For the players that we have I actually think Ings suits us better. Watkins makes teh runs down the channels but we don't actually need him too as that means we're by-passing the midfield which in the diamond, or 2 10s isn't what we should be doing. Obviously that doesn't mean the long pass or quick ball to the forward is never on, but it seems we were confusing the Smith tactics of pulling defenders wide with how the diamond works. We need a forward who can just do his work in and around the box. I thought we had a sneak preview into this when Watkins went off a few games back (Palace? Burnley? maybe Liverpool?) and I think we actually looked better with the movement and directness of Ings than the pulling out and wide of Watkins.

[MWARLEY2]

4 hours ago, peterw said:

For the players that we have I actually think Ings suits us better. Watkins makes teh runs down the channels but we don't actually need him too as that means we're by-passing the midfield which in the diamond, or 2 10s isn't what we should be doing. Obviously that doesn't mean the long pass or quick ball to the forward is never on, but it seems we were confusing the Smith tactics of pulling defenders wide with how the diamond works. We need a forward who can just do his work in and around the box. I thought we had a sneak preview into this when Watkins went off a few games back (Palace? Burnley? maybe Liverpool?) and I think we actually looked better with the movement and directness of Ings than the pulling out and wide of Watkins.

Next season it will be more pronounced. Righty or wrongly i associate Ollie with us giving him a lost cause to run after and then rely on him to make the most of it . 

With more control of the ball, which i suggest we will, based on the passing stats of the players brought in , we will be able to move the ball further up the pitch with control . That will give the 2 number 10s the chance to do their stuff in better areas and slide balls through to strikers and get the full backs behind . 

[MrBlack]

2 hours ago, MWARLEY2 said:

Next season it will be more pronounced. Righty or wrongly i associate Ollie with us giving him a lost cause to run after and then rely on him to make the most of it . 

With more control of the ball, which i suggest we will, based on the passing stats of the players brought in , we will be able to move the ball further up the pitch with control . That will give the 2 number 10s the chance to do their stuff in better areas and slide balls through to strikers and get the full backs behind . 

He'd also work in a high press system, but if one of his two number 10's is going to be Coutinho that won't work.

Ings is the better fit if we're playing with two 10's.

[Tomaszk]

Asked a friend of a friend who is a Blackpool fan what we can expect from Critchley.

Sounded all very similar to Gerrard's style, other than the fact five or six times he's tried to make a 4231 work before abandoning it and going back to 442. He did say the 442 is a bit of a 4222 with the two wide players playing like narrow 10s.

4231 will be an interesting one if it happens because you know those wide players will be coming inside a lot. Pressing in that shape also brings different challenges to doing it with the flat middle 3 we usually play.

[AshVilla]

 

[Monkeypuzzle]

Ok, essay time! Mostly because I'm bored, but here is my analysis of our squad this summer!

                     Watkins                                                                    Ings

Coutinho                             Buendia                    Bailey                                    Traore

        McGinn          Douglas Luiz                               Ramsey             Sanson

                   Kamara                                                                  Nakamba

Digne  Mings   Diego Carlos   Cash                  Targett   Konsa   Chambers   Guilbert

                   Martinez                                                                    Olsen

 

This is our current squad, with every position covered. (Please don't fuss about which players would be your regular starters, it's 22 guys to pick from.)

We also have Kalinic, Steer, Hause, Young, Hourihane, El Ghazi, Trezeguet and Davis. I expect these 8 to be moved on, with no replacements needed. A strong Premier League squad, but with obvious improvements wanted.

Kalinic and Steer are surplus to requirements and deserve to actually play. Young may be good behind the scenes but having him as a serious option kind of worries me at his age, so I wouldn't extend his contract. He has done well at times this last season but I think it's time to call it a day. Hause also deserves to play more and finds himself fifth in the pecking order. He might stay if Konsa's injury doesn't heal well, or we might buy another top centre back. Hourihane is a long way from starting and it's fair enough him moving on now that his contract is up. El Ghazi and Trezeguet have both served us well but when they are fifth and sixth choice for a position they don't even specialise in, it's time to move them on. Davis is not going to replace Watkins or Ings, let's be honest and he deserves to be a regular somewhere else. There was a time when he might have been an option, but we have progressed quicker than he has and are looking for a higher calibre striker now.

We also have the following youngsters knocking on the first team door, but I would rather they got a season long loan in a top Championship club or lower Premier League club:

Kesler-Hayden, Chukwuemeka, Philogene-Bidace, Iroegbunam, Archer.

We also have several youngsters ready for another loan: Sinisalo, Chrisene, Feeney, A. Ramsey, Azaz, Barry, Wright, S. Revan, D. Revan. There are probably more that I have not mentioned.

 

Of those 22 first team players, we do not need to worry about goalkeepers. Martinez is world class and Olsen is a solid back up for him.

Competition/back up fullbacks may end up changing, either for youngsters or new signings. Digne and Cash are great starters though.

We might get a new centre back, we might not. Not a desperate need for someone else yet but improvements can always be made.

We might get a new central midfielder who can play a strong defensive role but still add a bit going forwards. This will probably see one of Nakamba, Sanson or Douglas Luiz move on. Heck, we might have two new players here, you never know, but I would be surprised if McGinn, Ramsey or, of course, Kamara were to go.

With El Ghazi and Trezeguet expected to depart, I would be surprised to see any more of our attacking midfielders leave, although Traore is a possibility. I'd be sad to see him go though as he has had a hard time with injuries this season, did really well in his first season for us and makes a decent back up/impact sub. I don't see another attacking midfielder to compete with the quality of Coutinho, Buendia and Bailey as being any sort of priority this summer.

Up front is a tricky one. Do we intend to play with one or two strikers? Maybe we will mix it up, like this year? Only Steven Gerrard really knows, I guess/hope? Both Watkins and Ings are solid, Premier League quality strikers but I can't help but think we could do with a new addition who is on another level. Maybe we could rotate all three, maybe one of them will go? I'd rather keep Watkins personally if one was to go. Maybe Archer will be that third striker, but I'd rather see a new, exciting transfer here!

 

Well done if you have read this far, let me know what you think of my squad analysis. For the TLDR crowd: I am hoping for new back up fullbacks, maybe another top class centre back, one or two new top class central midfielders and hopefully a new top quality striker. Nothing that most here haven't already identified, I'm sure but writing this was stress relieving for me, so there!

Let's be honest though, Aston Villa have shown themselves to be very secretive in the transfer market, never releasing details of fees and several times with no one having any idea that a deal was in the works. Rumours make us excited though so despite knowing that virtually nothing I read will be accurate, I'm still looking forward to this transfer window and all the rumours that go with it!

Thank you for reading this far, if you haven't just skipped to the end. I promise not to write articles all the time!

[Vive_La_Villa]

3 hours ago, AshVilla said:

 

I have no idea what this is but Man City’s looks awesome. 

[briny_ear]

22 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

I have no idea what this is but Man City’s looks awesome. 

I really like Spurs. That is so neat and symmetrical.

What the hell it is all about I don’t know, nor what it has to do with Steven Gerrard?

[VillaParkAvenue]

22 minutes ago, briny_ear said:

I really like Spurs. That is so neat and symmetrical.

What the hell it is all about I don’t know, nor what it has to do with Steven Gerrard?

Number of passes, players’ positions when making passes and amount of possession.

Large blue-green dots in a symmetrical pattern with lots of lines between them = lots of possession, many passes in an organised style. Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea plus to some extent Leicester, Brighton.

Smaller yellow-orange dots in a drunken pattern with fewer lines between them = less possession, fewer passes and less structure. Goalkeeper also less involved in build-up. Burnley, Norwich, Watford, Villa.

Edited June 7, 2022 by VillaParkAvenue

[CVByrne]

12 hours ago, AshVilla said:

 

I think this is a bit tricky for us as we changed manager during the season. It does show how little we've been able to play out from the back though relative to other teams in the League. It's interesting that LCB (Mings) tops our number of passes showing the responsibility he's taken on in this building from the back that Gerrard wants to play. 

It's also very impressive how McGinns Pass Value of 21.1 meant he was the highest share of a teams ball progression of any team. Not only that no player outside of Liverpool, Chelsea, City and Spurs had a Pass Value as high as McGinns. This means he outside the top 4, no one player progressed the ball forward as much as McGinn.

I can't understand why Villa fans are on the backs of two key players, two leaders and players taking on key responsibility like Mings and McGinn. Now they have Kamara and Carlos there who will share the burden. 

[HKP90]

13 hours ago, AshVilla said:

 

Burnley 

[Laughable Chimp]

Tried to find some team stats where we happened to be the lowest or highest in the league. Here's what I found.

 

1- Aston Villa are the team with the least passes made whilst under pressure from an opponent last season

Individual contributors to this stat are(in this case, I mean players who've played the least amount of passes under pressure per 90 compared to other players in their position).

Axel Tuanzebe, Matty Cash, Marvelous Nakamba, John Mcginn and Douglas Luiz

 

2-Aston Villa are the team with the least amount of low passes(passes that leave the ground, but stay below the shoulder-level) made last season.

Individual contributors:

Marvelous Nakamba, Jacob Ramsey, John Mcginn,

 

3-Aston Villa are the team which received the most amount of straight corner kicks from their opponent last season.(basically, our opponents love putting in straight corner kicks against us).

 

4-Aston Villa have conceded the most fouls that have led to a shot attempt last season.

 

5-Aston Villa have drawn the most fouls last season.

Individual contributors:

John Mcginn, Ashley Young, Ezri Konsa

 

I'm not drawing any conclusions from these stats myself. Just thought they were interesting. The fact I'm only highlighting the stats in which we either were the absolute worst or absolute best suggest there is some meaning to them instead of just being coincidental, whatever that meaning is. (Although the straight corner kicks one might just be a coincidence. I haven't gotten a clue with that one)

 

 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Laughable Chimp

[Vive_La_Villa]

3 hours ago, Laughable Chimp said:

Tried to find some team stats where we happened to be the lowest or highest in the league. Here's what I found.

 

1- Aston Villa are the team with the least passes made whilst under pressure from an opponent last season

Individual contributors to this stat are(in this case, I mean players who've played the least amount of passes under pressure per 90 compared to other players in their position).

Axel Tuanzebe, Matty Cash, Marvelous Nakamba, John Mcginn and Douglas Luiz

 

2-Aston Villa are the team with the least amount of low passes(passes that leave the ground, but stay below the shoulder-level) made last season.

Individual contributors:

Marvelous Nakamba, Jacob Ramsey, John Mcginn,

 

3-Aston Villa are the team which received the most amount of straight corner kicks from their opponent last season.(basically, our opponents love putting in straight corner kicks against us).

 

4-Aston Villa have conceded the most fouls that have led to a shot attempt last season.

 

5-Aston Villa have drawn the most fouls last season.

Individual contributors:

John Mcginn, Ashley Young, Ezri Konsa

 

I'm not drawing any conclusions from these stats myself. Just thought they were interesting. The fact I'm only highlighting the stats in which we either were the absolute worst or absolute best suggest there is some meaning to them instead of just being coincidental, whatever that meaning is. (Although the straight corner kicks one might just be a coincidence. I haven't gotten a clue with that one)

 

 

Where did you find stats like the corner one?

[Laughable Chimp]

4 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Where did you find stats like the corner one?

https://fbref.com/en/comps/9/Premier-League-Stats

Its under pass types. Make sure to click opponent stats as well.

 

 

[romavillan]

On 08/06/2022 at 00:15, Vive_La_Villa said:

I have no idea what this is but Man City’s looks awesome. 

Looks like Liverpool are the closest to that man city chart. Shows how incredibly well coached they are.

[Vive_La_Villa]

10 minutes ago, romavillan said:

Looks like Liverpool are the closest to that man city chart. Shows how incredibly well coached they are.

Oh yeh, Klopp and Pep are just on another level. But helps when you got so much quality in the team too. 

[maqroll]

                          Ings

Bailey.                                      Traore

      Luiz.                              McGinn 

                      Nakamba

Young.     Chambers.   Konsa.   Kesler

Not a bad backup XI.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

On 03/06/2022 at 20:23, Tomaszk said:

Asked a friend of a friend who is a Blackpool fan what we can expect from Critchley.

Sounded all very similar to Gerrard's style, other than the fact five or six times he's tried to make a 4231 work before abandoning it and going back to 442. He did say the 442 is a bit of a 4222 with the two wide players playing like narrow 10s.

4231 will be an interesting one if it happens because you know those wide players will be coming inside a lot. Pressing in that shape also brings different challenges to doing it with the flat middle 3 we usually play.

Do you reckon one of the reason we are being linked to the likes of Otavio is to be able to play a 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 successfully?

Think I actually saw a Blackpool fan say " eventually he realised we didn't have the personell to play this effectively " hence changed. ( For the love of Paul McGrath podcast I think it was )

Be great to have different options which are equally as effective against differing opposition of course 

Edited June 30, 2022 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN

[Tomaszk]

12 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Do you reckon one of the reason we are being linked to the likes of Otavio is to be able to play a 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 successfully?

Think I actually saw a Blackpool fan say " eventually he realised we didn't have the personell to play this effectively " hence changed. ( For the love of Paul McGrath podcast I think it was )

Be great to have different options which are equally as effective against differing opposition of course 

If it's a real link, it becomes a more viable option. Gives more opportunities to Buendia and Bailey to get in the side as well.

I'd be surprised if Gerrard is happy to move away from his midfield 3, just like Smith was. It's a big change. Doable, but less natural to press high up the pitch in that shape IMO.

Ultimately, the ability to switch in games is a good thing, so I hope it's being considered. 

[duke313]

26 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

If it's a real link, it becomes a more viable option. Gives more opportunities to Buendia and Bailey to get in the side as well.

I'd be surprised if Gerrard is happy to move away from his midfield 3, just like Smith was. It's a big change. Doable, but less natural to press high up the pitch in that shape IMO.

Ultimately, the ability to switch in games is a good thing, so I hope it's being considered. 

At least we would have the option to switch.  Also we have no idea what's going on behind the scenes, the departure of Beale and addition of Critchley might have prompted Gerrard to make changes to the system.  For me Otavio doesn't suit the current set up, without dropping Coutinho or Buendia.