Team shape, tactics and personnel

[DJBOB]

54 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

This is a truly absorbing post. Interesting to hear about how Dean struggles with the transition to a post-Grealish universe, and I'd be stupid if I didn't feel pretty horrified at Gerrard's approach, as you describe it, with the current players. 

Last question: Are you available as Chief Villa Tactician?

While I would love the role, Gerrard has seemingly identified this weakness in his game and employed many a staff with a long list of coaching badges.

It seems highly improbable to me that no one coach has been unable to spot these very clear issues.

But it is one thing to identify an issue and another for the boss to listen. We have all been in real life situations where staff have identified the problems but it is up to management to commit and execute the solution, balancing the ideas of the staff with their own belief as management. This doesn't apply to just football as well.

I recall a time when Dean was criticized for not having the impetus in calling the shots and listening to much to ROK, Terry, and later McPhee. I can't speculate too much but we seemingly have the opposite problem in Gerrard insisting on this style of play despite the abyss of results staring back at us.

Edited August 29, 2022 by DJBOB

[Ingram85]

Best squad we’ve had for years. 20 odd players. All crap and to blame. Deffo not the inexperienced manager with a blank play book.

[TRO]

1 minute ago, Ingram85 said:

Best squad we’ve had for years. 20 odd players. All crap and to blame. Deffo not the inexperienced manager with a blank play book.

Not as a balance......who can defend?......who can score?.....who can hold a midfield together?.....who can head the ball, with any competence?.....who has pace?.....who can stay on the ball with the ability of Jack?

Maybe you need to think again.

Its probably the most expensive squad, we have had for years, thats a difference.....They flatter to deceive.

 

[a m ole]

5 minutes ago, TRO said:

You can disagree......who has come in for any of them, with all the money, swishing around.

I hope, I am wrong, because I am not enjoying these results or performances.....I just think, the squad, is not balanced right......they can't defend to save their lives.

Yes, that is also, on the manager, as I understand it.

Who’s come in for the players we bought a year ago?

[Tom13]

Just now, TRO said:

Not as a balance......who can defend?......who can score?.....who can hold a midfield together?.....who can head the ball, with any competence?.....who has pace?.....who can stay on the ball with the ability of Jack?

Maybe you need to think again.

Its probably the most expensive squad, we have had for years, thats a difference.....They flatter to deceive.

Yes. Because Gerrard's not getting the most of it. He picks our worst midfield 90% of the time. Bailey has plenty of pace, but we don't use it.

[DJBOB]

The blame can be shared a bit amongst the players, the makeup of transfers brought in, and the lack of sell-ons we have had over the years.

But I'm not sure how we can avoid laying the blame on the manager for diabolical performance after diabolical performance. Buendia was doing the bits on a Norwich team that was awful, but is relegated to subs and a start here or there? Ings - maybe on the other side of the age curve for the price we paid - scored 22 and 22 and 12 before hitting only 7 goals last season with us. Leon Bailey was being tracked by many a team above us and can't get in 3 matches in a row? Cash was player of the season and now seems scared of his own shadow once he crosses the halfway line but is still being asked to be the main outlet on the right? McGinn, a Scotland talisman and a fan favorite, is putting more time in playing RB than he exists near the opposition box?

We have seen this story before. The rot is set in and the players have lost confidence. Might as well have the Vecna clock ticking at this point, because it is just a matter of time.

[Ingram85]

2 minutes ago, TRO said:

Not as a balance......who can defend?......who can score?.....who can hold a midfield together?.....who can head the ball, with any competence?.....who has pace?.....who can stay on the ball with the ability of Jack?

Maybe you need to think again.

Its probably the most expensive squad, we have had for years, thats a difference.....They flatter to deceive.

 

So deffo not Gerrard being a complete spud? It’s the 25+ players we employ. Ok lol. 

[Tayls]

7 minutes ago, Ingram85 said:

Best squad we’ve had for years. 20 odd players. All crap and to blame. Deffo not the inexperienced manager with a blank play book.

Seen a fair bit of this lately, it’s a good squad that we have, but there are certainly a handful of first team players who simply are not good enough for the goals that have been set. 

[daft]

17 minutes ago, DJBOB said:

While I would love the role, Gerrard has seemingly identified this weakness in his game and employed many a staff with a long list of coaching badges.

It seems highly improbable to me that no one coach has been unable to spot these very clear issues.

But it is one thing to identify an issue and another for the boss to listen. We have all been in real life situations where staff have identified the problems but it is up to management to commit and execute the solution, balancing the ideas of the staff with their own belief as management. This doesn't apply to just football as well.

I recall a time when Dean was criticized for not having the impetus in calling the shots and listening to much to ROK, Terry, and later McPhee. I can't speculate too much but we seemingly have the opposite problem in Gerrard insisting on this style of play despite the abyss of results staring back at us.

Very level headed and something I've been trying to cling on to. 

The part that worries me most was against Palace, when we came out the second half with much the same shape as before. I didn't mind the absence of subs as much as the fact that we'd done essentially nothing to address our lack of cohesiveness and co-ordination in both attack and defense. 

[sne]

The reason we can't defend, attack or midfield was perfectly visualized in the tactics thread yesterday with that comical picture of how we line up. And that was still a slight improvement becuase Luiz actually played next to Kamara instead of having him cover all the midfield by himself.

There is no group of players in the world that could make that work on a regular basis. It's preposterous. Gerrard hasn't got a Scooby about how to create a tactic or a strategy.

 

Edited August 29, 2022 by sne

[MotoMkali]

4 minutes ago, Tayls said:

Seen a fair bit of this lately, it’s a good squad that we have, but there are certainly a handful of first team players who simply are not good enough for the goals that have been set. 

Such as? Admittedly Konsa and probably Chambers is a bit of a weakness as are mcginn and Ramsey. But mcginn and Ramsey shouldn't play. 

[Nabby]

2 minutes ago, TRO said:

Not as a balance......who can defend?......who can score?.....who can hold a midfield together?.....who can head the ball, with any competence?.....who has pace?.....who can stay on the ball with the ability of Jack?

Maybe you need to think again.

Its probably the most expensive squad, we have had for years, thats a difference.....They flatter to deceive.

 

Whose fault is it that Digne defending at times is horrific ..Digne or the manager who wanted him and had us pay 25mil plus and high wages ..

Ings has scored every team he has been at and Watkins has got into double figures in the league , how many chances are they missing ? Pace ..Bailey who rarely plays as the manager prefers to have his full backs create the width. Who can stay on ball like Jack ? I assume that what was what he brought in Coutinho to do ..

[a m ole]

We could probably buy all of Bournemouth’s big strong hard working good runners top lad squad and stay within FFP this window. If there’s a problem with all our players, that would solve it instantly.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Its been 9 odd months. Our full backs play as wingers, our wingers play as inside forwards, our midfielders play as full backs and whoever the poor sap picked to play our "six" actually has to cover all of the midfield the entire game. 

How on earth are we meant to believe this will all be fixed by Wednesday?

We have given him the chances and the support. Over to him to radically improve for each game he is given the privilege of managing Aston Villa. 

I just think its done, this is Gerrard's style of play and its been found out. 

 

[Ingram85]

17 minutes ago, Tayls said:

Seen a fair bit of this lately, it’s a good squad that we have, but there are certainly a handful of first team players who simply are not good enough for the goals that have been set. 

Maybe a couple of them but Jesus if you look at that squad and see bottom to lower second half of table then you are simply mad. A better manager with actual thought out clever tactics and systems of play who has eyes, ears and a brain that functions at a higher than primordial sludge level would pick a fighting team and get that squad 12th at the very least. The least. Not this dour sludgy pedestrian aimless state it’s in now. 

Edited August 29, 2022 by Ingram85

[Tayls]

9 minutes ago, MotoMkali said:

Such as? Admittedly Konsa and probably Chambers is a bit of a weakness as are mcginn and Ramsey. But mcginn and Ramsey shouldn't play. 

Well there’s four right there. Ings and Watkins are two others. Probably more Watkins for me though. 

[TRO]

6 minutes ago, Nabby said:

Whose fault is it that Digne defending at times is horrific ..Digne or the manager who wanted him and had us pay 25mil plus and high wages ..

Ings has scored every team he has been at and Watkins has got into double figures in the league , how many chances are they missing ? Pace ..Bailey who rarely plays as the manager prefers to have his full backs create the width. Who can stay on ball like Jack ? I assume that what was what he brought in Coutinho to do ..

I am more inclined to agree, with the signings, yes its his call, on Digne and Coutinho, legitimate claim.....and playing raiding full backs with that midfield, is suicide......but it is much more than that, the forwards are toothless, he didn't sign them.

who signed the players, we are trying to get out of the club, we can;t even get money for them.

Well, many might get their wish, we will see how we do then.....I hope they are right.

I think if we don't sign anyone, by the deadline, he will be gone.....because no one can take us from 14th to 8th with 1 new player.

[Tayls]

2 minutes ago, Ingram85 said:

Maybe a couple of them but Jesus if you look at that squad and see bottom to lower second half of table then you are simply mad. A better manager with actual thought out clever tactics and systems of play who has eyes, ears and a brain that functions at a higher than primordial sludge level would pick a fighting team and get that squad 12th at the very least. The least. Not this dour sludgy pedestrian aimless state it’s in now. 

It is 100% under performing for sure. But likewise I don’t think you can look at our squad and think that it should be fighting for Europe. We just aren’t getting there with this lot. 

[tomav84]

16 minutes ago, TRO said:

Not as a balance......who can defend?......who can score?.....who can hold a midfield together?.....who can head the ball, with any competence?.....who has pace?.....who can stay on the ball with the ability of Jack?

Maybe you need to think again.

Its probably the most expensive squad, we have had for years, thats a difference.....They flatter to deceive.

 

who can defend? - didn't basically the current back 5 break or at least equal our clean sheet record?

who can score? - ollie has scored double figures in each of the last 2 seasons for us

who can hold a midfield together? - kamara - but he needs help, he can't do it all himself

who can head the ball, with any competence? - mings

who has pace? - bailey

who can stay on the ball with the ability of Jack? - coutinho on his day and buendia are excellent on the ball

nothing wrong with the players...we've seen it with our own eyes...it's the manager, system, and tactics (or lack thereof) that's the problem

do we need upgrades? yes, probably. need an upgrade on mcginn and probably konsa (even though he played quite well yesterday) but the squad is still plenty good enough for 8th-11th

[foreveryoung]

25 minutes ago, TRO said:

Not as a balance......who can defend?......who can score?.....who can hold a midfield together?.....who can head the ball, with any competence?.....who has pace?.....who can stay on the ball with the ability of Jack?

Maybe you need to think again.

Its probably the most expensive squad, we have had for years, thats a difference.....They flatter to deceive.

 

I'm looking at the Brighton squad, who have they got?? Lost Cucurella and didn't make a difference, why, they are coached correctly, no names just all know there roles.