Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Man City

[villalad21]

40 minutes ago, TRO said:

I think your comments are a refreshing alternative....to the notion that every defeat is inevitable followed by a plethora of excuses...the creative mitigation for our reversals are tedious.

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

It's the managers job to identify these players with aggression you are constantly referring to. It's also the managers job to instill some fight into his players. 

Would we look so short of fight and aggression if we had Bielsa or Rodgers? I think not. 

[TRO]

20 minutes ago, troon_villan said:

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.

We can't keep the ball, what alternative do we have, under such circumstances.

The goalkeeper is keeping us in games or the score down.....its poor quality.

[The Fun Factory]

Our last 2 games we have lost 2-1 to City and Liverpool. On paper that is very respectable and  progress from last season. Perhaps I am being spoilt but in all honesty we have not looked good performance wise for months.  The shape and work rate from most of the players is still there and we haven't had a tonking but first half to second half of season is chalk and cheese. But it is still progress from the last 2 seasons just try hard to remember that.

[TRO]

10 minutes ago, flashingqwerty said:

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.

What your wife see's in the game I see the same and its what frustrates me.

it has to change, if we have any hope of anything.

[nick76]

4 minutes ago, flashingqwerty said:

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.

1) if you reread your above argument and still think your in good standing then you are fooling yourself.  City also have the quality to score harder chances.

2) City had 29 shots, 7 on target and Leeds had 2 shots and 2 on target.  If you asked anybody what the score was going to be I reckon nobody would say 2-1 to Leeds

3) even by the xg you are quoting, City should’ve won the game

4) as I said City were off the boil against Leeds generally and weren’t clinical. If they had been and playing like they were in the first half against us, I’m confident more of those 29 shots would’ve been on target, would’ve been better chances and would’ve scored more

[PaulC]

22 minutes ago, TRO said:

We can't keep the ball, what alternative do we have, under such circumstances.

The goalkeeper is keeping us in games or the score down.....its poor quality.

I'm come around to your way of thinking.  Things have to change because it wont be Leeds dropping off next season and facing a relegation struggle it will be us. 

[TRO]

22 minutes ago, The Fun Factory said:

Our last 2 games we have lost 2-1 to City and Liverpool. On paper that is very respectable and  progress from last season. Perhaps I am being spoilt but in all honesty we have not looked good performance wise for months.  The shape and work rate from most of the players is still there and we haven't had a tonking but first half to second half of season is chalk and cheese. But it is still progress from the last 2 seasons just try hard to remember that.

That does not dovetail with the rest of your post.

I will say it again......If the game was marked liked boxing, we got totally outpointed.

Apart from the goals tally which flattered us.....we was doing nothing bit defending the whole game, except for the opening minutes, when we scored, some filip that, was.

[TRO]

10 minutes ago, PaulC said:

I'm come around to your way of thinking.  Things have to change because it wont be Leeds dropping off next season and facing a relegation struggle it will be us. 

Paul, if that game, doesn't send the alarm bells ringing, I don't know what will......Man City, is a distraction to the way we played, we have been like this for months......Only Man City, will create any mitigation, some folk will cling to.....it was turgid.

Thomas Tuchel and Bowyer, have demonstrated the same team with indifferent performances can be improved, without signing players.....Dean needs to get a gripe of this...sharpish.

Edited April 21, 2021 by TRO

[barry'sboots]

Defence looked decent apart from Emi's poor effort/mistake for their second goal and Cash's stupidity with the bookings - he has made a few rash decisions but the kid has largely done fantastic for his first season in the PL (and most neutral pundits recognise this).  

Citeh looked really good.  I think - with the exception of KdB and maybe Cancello - that is largely their first XI.  Foden looks so good - I would so love to see an England team with Rice (6), Mount (8), Maddison (10) and Jack and Foden either side of Kane BUT that would be way too adventurous for Safegate.  Oh yes, and Konsa >> Stones as demonstrated again tonight.

There is something wrong with that midfield - Luiz and SJM were the toast of the PL in the first couple of months but the drop off has been huge.  I just don't understand this.  These can't be the same two players who played against Liverpool that night or Arsenal away.

I think Smith got the set up wrong - I would have played a 4-1-3-1-1 with Traore off Watkins (Watkins is continually isolated and needs someone closer to him) and McGinn and Ramsey could have helped more with the overload down the wings, but he just can't bring himself to move away from a 4-3-3/4-5-1.  Then the formation got more and more bizarre as the game and subs went on.  I couldn't work out what he was doing??  I wanted to see Watkins playing off KD - the kid is strong but he is not a sole "9" and he needed Watkins close to him/around him.  I thought when Barkley came on it would be for Traore - who was poor again - and we would go 3-1-2-1-2 with Barkley off the two up top but Barkley on the LW just does not work.

We have gone from being the most entertaining team in the PL to being the dullest and an incredibly hard watch - most Villa fans are disinterested let alone the neutral.  I know Jack is a huge loss but we were poor (West Ham and Brighton spring to mind) with him in the side before he stopped playing and we should still be able to put something together better than we are.  It is no disgrace to lose to top sides in the PL but our performance levels for the last dozen or so games have been unacceptable.

I hope and believe we will spend big in the summer and improve the creativity in the team and plug some key first team gaps plus improve the squad.  I think a lot will benefit from the break and a first proper pre-season and we will comeback a much stronger squad. I am just not convinced that Smith is the right man to lead us from what I have seen over the last three months.  But I think he probably will get another season so I hope he proves me wrong. 

[ciggiesnbeer]

I feel slightly bitter to be honest. I feel like the bad guys won , Man City and the loathsome six have got away with something. 

I hope PSG beat them.

[Tomaszk]

4 hours ago, Stratvillan said:

Can any of the 7 people who voted Smith as very poor explain why?

He made the subs most people would have.

He made attacking changes.

I don't get the judgements. 

Some people blame Smith any time we don't win, it's weird.

[rjw63]

6 hours ago, TRO said:

Sorry, explain.

Your use of punctuation reminds me of the way the black kid in the wheelchair talks.

I'll get me 

Coat

[DaveAV1]

6 hours ago, barry'sboots said:

I hope and believe we will spend big in the summer and improve the creativity in the team and plug some key first team gaps plus improve the squad.  I think a lot will benefit from the break and a first proper pre-season and we will comeback a much stronger squad. I am just not convinced that Smith is the right man to lead us from what I have seen over the last three months.  But I think he probably will get another season so I hope he proves me wrong. 

I agree with this. The drop off in form from the first half of the season to the second is so stark, it’s hard to believe that the decision makers won’t be working hard to find out the reason/reasons why. If the conclusions are that the reason is largely the coaching staff’s fault then a huge improvement will be required over the last 7 games or I believe there will be changes. 

Of course that generally points the finger at the head coach, however this drop off in form could have other reasons. I think Dean is well liked by the power brokers at the club and will be given a fair hearing. NSWE are clearly not knee jerk reaction owners or he would have gone this time last season. However they are also not sentimental and if they believe that he isn’t the man to take us forward next season then they’ll shake his hand and he’ll be gone. 

Unlike in the past, I’d like to believe that we no longer are a club that sacks the manager and then thinks, “Now what are we going to do?” There will be a plan a decision and decisions could already have been made and personnel changes already could be decided. Whatever is decided and let’s be honest we really don’t know enough of what happens behind the scenes to know what they may do, but I am more confident at this point in time, than perhaps I ever have been in my over 50 years of supporting us that we will make the right decision. Or at least we have a set up that gives us a good chance to make the right decision. The shambles we have often made in the past of managerial changes are hopefully now consigned to history. We’ll see. 

Edited April 22, 2021 by DaveAV1

[Stratvillan]

8 hours ago, flashingqwerty said:

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

I was on about the leeds man City game.

[Lochheads twin]

The gulf in class on the pitch is only mirrored by their lack of class off it!

Their crisp, precise passing. Instant control & movement very, very good. Some of our passing woeful. We kept giving the ball away.

Shame we did not maintain the man advantage for longer to at least make a game of it.Their defence di look dodgy when we did get that far up the pitch.

Foden is a special talent.

If the season is going to fizzle out, please, please let us at least beat the Baggies & United!

'nuff said. Onwards!

[KenjiOgiwara]

We didn’t do anything against 10 men? I'm shocked.

Pleased I stopped watching.

[foreveryoung]

9 hours ago, Villaphan04 said:

mid table squad isn't able to beat the best team in the league (and possibly Europe)

 

Dang, I'm shocked

Until you start to realise it's the manor of the losses, not the actual losses, you may aswell not watch another game again just check the results.

[ozvillafan]

Just watched the game so haven't had time to calm down. There are some things to get off my chest:

Just plain stupid from Cash.

Just plain stupid from Emi.

Our lack of effort and aggression. Yes, they are miles better than us. But the whole "sit in a nice formation, let them have it and slowly get a little closer only once they've received the ball" does my head in. Given so much time they may as well be playing against witches hats - and this after a bunch of them played in mid week.

The referee. Ramsey cleaned up by Walker - nothing. Zinchenko goes down with no contact - free kick. From that free kick -> corner -> corner -> goal and match won. Couple of shouts for a penalty for us of which neither were - but I couldn't help wondering "I reckon he'd give that if that was City and not us".

 

[El Zen]

22 minutes ago, KenjiOgiwara said:

We didn’t do anything against 10 men? I'm shocked.

Well, we were very quickly down to 10 men ourselves, which didn’t excactly help our momentum. 

[Raver50032]

I feel (only feel mind) that scoring so early against a weapon of mass destruction like City is fraught with risk and fear. By scoring in minute one like that, you risk kicking in the hornets nest that leaves them angry, chasing you down and relentlessly trying to sting you. It was an early goal I didn't expect and barely had time to sit down with my cup of tea. A wonderful moment for McGinn, and nicely assisted by Ollie Watkins. 

I said to my old man, that as delighted as I was that the goal was allowed to stand (always VAR fear isn't there?) it's such a long time to try and keep City at bay unless we cold somehow press home the unexpected advantage and create another goal for ourselves. Even then, 2 may not have been enough against this opposition. 

But we did the opposite, we pretty much spent the rest of the half at the Holte End defending our box. Gradually getting deeper and deeper. The initiative fading quickly. Foden was exceptional, seemingly the new media darling streets ahead of our own golden boy watching from the stands with his Uncle Gareth. We shipped a goal... defended a bit more and shipped again - I have to say it, Martinez 'came too soon, and not effective enough' (Kenneth Williams) for the second City goal and voila, the turnover was complete. 

I personally thought Stones was unlucky to actually have that decision turned into a red. Only my opinion... I thought the collision and the way in which Ramsey fell made it all look worse than it actually was, especially in slow motion. But then, I'm not a referee. I've seen worse go unpunished completely though.

Second half could have been different had we been able to capitalise on the man advantage. Initially, it felt like we were on the cusp of thinking about doing that, but then Cash got his five minutes of booking history all tied up and off he went, and we were back to square one. 

There was an opportunity for us in this match as it played out for us to get a result. We scored too early... one goal a defensive flap... never capitalised on the 1 man advantage… got one of our own sent off... and ultimately beaten by the much better team. 

Could have been worse. A loss is a loss... but 6-1 it wasn't. Next.

 

Targett was my Man of the Match... seemed the most consistent to me across the match. 

Edited April 22, 2021 by Raver50032