Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Man City

[roonst83]

Unlikely as we were to get something out of the game before our sending off, Cash made certain of our defeat by his completely reckless and needless second yellow. 

City miles ahead of us tonight. Foden was class and City weren’t troubled. This season is really petering out and we look a shadow of our former selves without Grealish. He’s the only player with any composure, whose passing is always accurate and who can slow the game down and keep the ball. No Grealish. No party. 

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

5 minutes ago, TRO said:

Aggression, is the word, you are looking for......its missing.

I won't go any further, it will be unpopular.....but somehow, we have to find some.

No desire to prove anything or have a go, no drive.

As an example, which we found and displayed after going behind to Fulham, and which we showed for 10 mins or so at the beginning today?

We are so pedestrian it's strange.

At one point in the latter stages City were pressing and chasing us down, as if they were the one chasing the game. smh

Meanwhile we sleepwalked to the final whistle.

Edited April 21, 2021 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN

[TRO]

We played against a wonderful football team tonight......but the way we play, we are always going to see these teams at their best.

we do very little to make it difficult for them, even an early goal, just inspired them, thats how bad we are at looking after the ball.

you could have put your house on us losing that.

Edited April 21, 2021 by TRO

[kiltorken]

1 minute ago, brummybloke said:

First time on the ball when he came on passed it to man City, they broke and nearly scored.

2nd attempt at a pass, same again.

He gave the ball away several times in the time he was on the pitch including stupid attempts at a flick straight to a man City player.

He is not the same player who started the season, he has given up on the season, that is crystal clear and has been for the last 15 or more games he's,been involved in.

Coincidence the 2 games we've won he didn't get on the pitch ?

I'm not a barkley fan boy boy any stretch but I genuinely thought he made a positive impact  tonight. Getting disposed by city is quite a simple thing to achieve especially when teammates don't seem to want to receive the ball.

I thought he at least looked to receive the ball and make forward passes to teammates without just hoofing it forwards. 

I'm judging the game in itself not based off the whole season.  He's been abysmal in most appearances since he's come back I agree with that. 

 

[briny_ear]

12 minutes ago, TRO said:

this team lacks many things right now.....but aggression is top of the list.....they are passive personified.

I was very saddened by the way we immediately fell back into all-out defence once we had scored. However good they are, they must have been rattled by the total **** up for the first goal. So why fall back and let them stroke passes around to help calm them down? (And build up to an equaliser)|

Edited April 21, 2021 by briny_ear

[TRO]

3 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

No desire to prove anything or have a go, no drive.

As an example, which we found and displayed after going behind to Fulham, and which we showed for 10 mins or so at the beginning today?

We are so pedestrian it's strange.

At one point in the latter stages City were pressing and chasing us down, as if they were the one chasing the game. smh

Meanwhile we sleepwalked to the final whistle.

I have seen some Villa teams in my time, but this one....lacks aggression, right now.

[WallisFrizz]

24 minutes ago, Khizzy said:

I think we over rate Cash a bit. To me he looks like a right winger that's been converted to play in a right back role, which is exactly what he is. We could do with giving him some good competition in the summer.

I think he’s great but is a bit of a liability. Today being a case in point. He’s not the type to give the ball away cheaply but he makes rash challenges and needs to control his hands in the penalty area. Like him a lot tho and think he will learn how to iron out these errors.

[TRO]

9 minutes ago, roonst83 said:

Unlikely as we were to get something out of the game before our sending off, Cash made certain of our defeat by his completely reckless and needless second yellow. 

City miles ahead of us tonight. Foden was class and City weren’t troubled. This season is really petering out and we look a shadow of our former selves without Grealish. He’s the only player with any composure, whose passing is always accurate and who can slow the game down and keep the ball. No Grealish. No party. 

Cash's sending off made no difference.....the consistency of not keeping the ball, has yet again undone us.....we simply play teams in and only when we are in deep postions, do we turn the ball over, to start attacks.

[troon_villan]

I mean, I get it, I really do, they are light years ahead of us in ability but **** me did they honestly think they had to immediately camp in the box and try to hold a 1-0 lead for 85 minutes??  That's what it felt like as soon we scored and had that little flurry straight after. 

Been about 10 frustrating games on the bounce and I'm just looking forward to the Euro's now tbh.  For me a successful season hinges on finishing above Wolves and Leeds but that looks increasingly unlikely.

[rjw63]

18 minutes ago, TRO said:

Aggression, is the word, you are looking for......its missing.

I won't go any further, it will be unpopular.....but somehow, we have to find some.

Did you use to be in "Malcolm In The Middle" ?

[DaveAV1]

18 minutes ago, brummybloke said:

First time on the ball when he came on passed it to man City, they broke and nearly scored.

2nd attempt at a pass, same again.

He gave the ball away several times in the time he was on the pitch including stupid attempts at a flick straight to a man City player.

He is not the same player who started the season, he has given up on the season, that is crystal clear and has been for the last 15 or more games he's,been involved in.

Coincidence the 2 games we've won he didn't get on the pitch ?

I agree. He seems to be getting credit for not being as bad as he has been. 

[OxfordVillan]

7 minutes ago, TRO said:

I have seen some Villa teams in my time, but this one....lacks aggression, right now.

Almost as soon as City go 2-1 up, Stones  goes flying through Ramsey and ends up getting sent off. Now I’m not saying we should get men sent off, but in that 1st half we should have been getting properly stuck in to City when we were 1-0 up. Foden should have been properly smashed early in the game, man marked as soon as it became clear he was becoming integral to the game. It’s called being ruthless, game management. We show very little of this. And it’s without doubt a coaching element. 

[flashingqwerty]

40 minutes ago, nick76 said:

They were lucky

https://www.skysports.com/football/manchester-city-vs-leeds-united/stats/429142

 

Or maybe they just didn't make the individual errors we did?

Or maybe they pressed harder and kept their shape better?

They certainly put in more work than we did as the distance covered per player was nearly 4km more than the villa average tonight.

Funny how when teams work hard as a unit, they tend to get results, isn't it?

[flashingqwerty]

43 minutes ago, Stratvillan said:

Did you watch the game or just see the result and construct your own narrative?

I saw the game, and they played better and worked harder than we did tonight

[TRO]

8 minutes ago, briny_ear said:

I was very saddened by the way we immediately fell back into all-out defence once we had scored. However good they are, they must have been rattled by the total **** up for the first goal. So why fall back and let them stroke passes around to help calm them down? (And build up to an equaliser)|

There is a few reasons Brin, firstly we we lack the ability to disrupt play from most teams right now, we lack aggression to get close and break up play, we just stand off......Man city are not a good example to highlight our shortfalls, as they are very good, but tonight was inevitable, based on previous games, such is our poor ability to stay on the ball, this was always going to be an up hill struggle.....if we went three goals up, i would have had my doubts on us winning,thats how much City dominated the ball.

I think our goalkeeper is masking over our issues....he has saved us about twelve points....this midfield is one of the worst i have seen from us in the top flight....its woeful.

[TRO]

7 minutes ago, rjw63 said:

Did you use to be in "Malcolm In The Middle" ?

Sorry, explain.

[TRO]

6 minutes ago, OxfordVillan said:

Almost as soon as City go 2-1 up, Stones  goes flying through Ramsey and ends up getting sent off. Now I’m not saying we should get men sent off, but in that 1st half we should have been getting properly stuck in to City when we were 1-0 up. Foden should have been properly smashed early in the game, man marked as soon as it became clear he was becoming integral to the game. It’s called being ruthless, game management. We show very little of this. And it’s without doubt a coaching element. 

They say, and Dean says.....a team mirrors the manager.

Oh well.

[nick76]

7 minutes ago, flashingqwerty said:

Or maybe they just didn't make the individual errors we did?

Or maybe they pressed harder and kept their shape better?

They certainly put in more work than we did as the distance covered per player was nearly 4km more than the villa average tonight.

Funny how when teams work hard as a unit, they tend to get results, isn't it?

You’re telling me that if Man City had 29 shots again they wouldn’t score more than one.  You’re kidding yourself mate trying to validate you argument.

Edited April 21, 2021 by nick76

[flashingqwerty]

49 minutes ago, TRO said:

This midfield of ours......well, I'll get my coat.

I'm struggling to find a cm in our squad that's genuinely good enough to play consistently at this level.

We have a bunch of bench warmers at best.  Passing is poor, tackling not great, and they seem completely unaware that they can close down or track players.

My wife, who rarely watches football asked why villas players were always 10m away from the Man City players when City had the ball, but when Villa had it, they were very close to a City player.

As a team we just don't know how to pass and move.  So static.  We don't track runners and mark spaces rather than players.  This is something that is coached, and causes us to concede so many basic errors.

[flashingqwerty]

1 minute ago, nick76 said:

You’re telling me that if Man City had 29 shots again they wouldn’t score more than one.  You’re kidding yourself mate trying to validate you argument.

Their xg for those 29 shots was 1.89.  so they weren't very good chances.  So I'm fairly confident in my argument.

The xg for leeds 2 shots for instance was 1.3, so Leeds chances were of a far superior quality.