Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Spurs

[AVTuco]

Went with Targett as MotM since he wasn't involved with either of the goals against us. All other defenders were: Emi, Konsa, Cash and to a lesser extent Mings. 

Every midfield player and every attacking player was below acceptable level. I must say I'm very surprised by Watkins' call up, he's getting worse every game.

[Danishlad]

1 minute ago, GENTLEMAN said:

Looked like he was playing 4-2-3-1. With Sanson in that advanced role and Luiz and McGinn sitting. Either way it ain’t working, and has not been for a long time. I feel like squeezing and slapping Smith. I cannot for the life of me work out how after seeing that first 45 mins, he refused to change the system.

Sanson isn’t a number ten though is he.

[S-Platt]

16 minutes ago, nick76 said:

We always suck against Spurs

They used to be our bitches too for years.

[The Fun Factory]

I have gone from optimistically looking at a top 8 finish to wishing the season to end now. I can't see us getting 50 points now. Compared to teams around us we have played far less games so I don't really buy excuses that we are looking tired and jaded. One man team with Grealish, our goals have dried up and so has our creativity. We have a tough finish to the season so we could well finish about 12-14th which would be a real shame. However at the start of the season I would taken it. Very very flat.

[Paul33]

5 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

I guess Grealish will be back for our next one so there won't be the same problem, but for me Smith should have learned lessons while Jack has been out, he should have changed the shape or made an adjustment to our style

Absolutely THIS x 100. Jack is a massive and totally essential part of the way we have set up first half of the season and when we lost him, we should have changed the approach instead of hoping that somehow we could continue without him. McGinn should have been given the freedom to play the #10 role and Davis should have partnered Watkins in every game. 

Edited March 21, 2021 by Paul33

[nick76]

1 minute ago, ciggiesnbeer said:

Awful. Dean Smith and staff have to take the blame for this one. They did not give the players the tools needed to win the game.

I hope Smith looks to himself to improve here. He came up against a better manager, he should learn from it.

To be fair Dean hasn’t got the tools because we have a small squad in poor form. They didn’t play Bale or Son tonight to even begin in the comparisons. A bit harsh on Smith, we started well but no creativity in the team with Jack out.....Barkley dropped because he’s been poor and Traore ineffective.  There were no tools to create chances.  Second season into a squad build has killed us.

[stewiek2]

What Jack brings to the gam as much as his skillset is a real energy that is lacking at the moment. Our success this season has been from a high tempo gameset. It's been lacking for a while now.

[Chindie]

Not an awful performance generally, but we're toothless.

Martinez - an appalling attempt at a clearance, and that was the game done.

Cash - not up to standard. Unlucky with the penalty but put himself in a bag position and paid the price. Decent going forward first half.

Konsa - not as good as usual, contributed to the **** up for the goal.

Mings - not much wrong, not much outstanding.

Targett - had the best moment of the first half with the fluffed half chance, generally solid

Luiz - tepid

McGinn - a few nice passes, a lot of huff and puff, but much else.

Sanson - obviously still getting up to speed. Some glimpses of his ability and has a forward thinking mentality. Will get better.

Traore - wasn't at the races. He had his usual moments of great skill but he was also sloppy and didn't really look up to things.

Trez - usual game. He lacks ability but works hard and gets into good positions. But he's a poor shooter.

Watkins - hard work as we expect but nothing otherwise.

AEG - great 5 minutes, then vanished.

Barkley - useless.

Davis - did more telling stuff than Watkins in a 15 minutes cameo but the game was over and, well... He's just not a goalscorer.

This wasn't a bad performance in most respects but for a couple of things. I've you can't really legislate for - a player dropping a clanger like Martinez fluffing a clearance. But also we just do not look like scoring at the moment. We aren't threatening teams. It's aimless cross after aimless cross, with no-one anywhere near it, not in the least bit threatening. And we don't change. Our creatively is awful. The moment the opposition starts to sit a little we're completely stumped. If we can't catch someone on the break we're stumped.

And that's on the manager.

[Kingman]

Never been so happy to see a international break, Absolute pile of rat shit. 

[flashingqwerty]

10 minutes ago, nick76 said:

We weren’t bad before the covid break.  Go and look at those games, somebody said that the other day and I went and checked, we were still playing good football then.  Post covid we have been poor, with and without Jack.  I’m not saying covid is the issue, I’m just saying we weren’t poor just before covid.

For me, the turn started in late november with the Brighton and West Ham defeats.  Thats nearly 8 weeks before the outbreak.

We had the odd good game after that, but no consistency.

[pacbuddies]

One win in seven is relegation form. Only Sheffield Utd and Albion are currently shitter than Villa.

[nick76]

2 minutes ago, S-Platt said:

They used to be our bitches too for years.

and now we have won one in fifteen I think, revenge is sweet I think they would say.

[The_Steve]

13 minutes ago, romavillan said:

Poor result but we were alright actually mostly. Kane has conned the word removed of a referee, should be a yellow for simulation.

Lots of bed wetting again, until we can pay the wages of players like Moura (very soon) we can't really expect to be challenging the teams that can. The fact we have done already this season has set us up for people to over react through disappointment at the mo. Smith won't, he'll have learnt a lot from tonight I would think. Traore had a bad night and with Grealish out and Barkeley way off the boil it was clearly a step too far for Trez and AEG for me. Even if AEG was bright when he came on and both always give 100%. 

I think there's something in that midfield 3 that started, I'd like to see them again. Maybe with Jack at the top of a diamond and 2 up top.

Anyway, Konsa MOTM for me, he is just so **** good. Sees things very very early and can calmly snuff stuff out before it gets too dangerous. Good to see Cash back, had it not been for a soft first goal and the Kane and Mike Dean double act we could have had a point. 

100%.

First season back was about survival (achieved).

This season is about consolidation (achieved).

Next year will be different gravy in terms of squad retention and ability to attract. Sanson gets extra game time this year, Wesley is back and we've got more competition for places before any major signings occur. And they will.

I think most people whether they want to admit it or not would have taken 8-12th this year, myself included. Anything else, for me, is self-flaggellation.

The form is terrible, every team goes through it.

The most disappointing thing about tonight is the manner of how we conceded.

[The Fun Factory]

Midfield never looks like scoring and we have loaned out our only mid who ever looks like scoring. 

I still don't really see the point of signing Sanson when we clearly needed a.another striker in January to give Watkins some competition/backup. 

[Paul33]

2 minutes ago, Chindie said:

Davis - did more telling stuff than Watkins in a 15 minutes cameo but the game was over and, well... He's just not a goalscorer.

Based on what ? He's not had one hour of game time this season which compares to many hours that Watkins has had. Its tough to score from the bench !!!

[Talldarkandransome]

8 minutes ago, Sulberto21 said:

We need a few pricks in our squad. Demanding bastards who want to win things. Representatives for Wellingborough who raise the standards of our squad and team. rocket polishers who get upset because you play the ball 3mm too short or behind you. 

We're too nice.

Surely we have enough fans that do that already 

Totally understand what you mean, we need a Roy Keane type on the field to put some rockets up em

[Five Ken McNaughts]

Imagine totally mis-controlling the ball with your left foot foot, then flicking out your right to ensure contact with the player who was trying to stop the cross (the guy who thought you were a bit better than that!).

Harry Kane may be the media’s darling but he sure as hell isn’t mine.

 

[flashingqwerty]

3 minutes ago, pacbuddies said:

One win in seven is relegation form. Only Sheffield Utd and Albion are currently shitter than Villa.

And the former beat us

[VillaFaninLondon]

18 minutes ago, Rodders said:

Waste of time watching any other games this season. Best to do more useful things with your life and start again next season, as that what our **** players are doing.

**** all to look forward to other.than dreary mediocrity for a couple of months. Sod that.

Yeah, I'm going to be giving the team a wide berth for the foreseeable as they only seem to ruin my weekends and give me false hope and I can't be bothered with that any more.

 

It promised to be such a good season, and is now turning into a pretty miserable one in all honesty.

 

Much rather enjoy my weekends. Avoiding not only watching Villa but also checking the score (which also will make me depressed no doubt) is probably the best thing to do for a while.

[barry'sboots]

2 minutes ago, GENTLEMAN said:

Looked like he was playing 4-2-3-1. With Sanson in that advanced role and Luiz and McGinn sitting. Either way it ain’t working, and has not been for a long time. I feel like squeezing and slapping Smith. I cannot for the life of me work out how after seeing that first 45 mins, he refused to change the system.

4-3-3/4-2-3-1 I should have put.  My point is not so much about the midfield set up but more about the lack of wide options that we have without Jack.  BT is okay as a wild card - he can do some incredible things and then some really frustrating things.  Trez is hopeless.  AEG does nothing but shoot.

We really need to try a 4-4(diamond)-2 from the start and see Ollie and KD as a pair.  I keep hearing how every member of the coaching teams loves KD - well give him a proper chance.  He could open things up for Ollie who works tirelessly but is on his won.  KD did more in 10 minutes tonight than Trez in 70 and he would have given a poor Spurs CB pairing a really hard time.  Targett and Cash are our best crossers (other than Jack).  Leicester are smashing it with two up top and a "10" off them and we should give it a go.  It can't be any worse than the trash we have had since the Leeds game!