Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Man United

[Lochheads twin]

I did not want to comment on the match in haste or regret words I may type in anger. I have taken a further 12 hours overnight to contemplate and reflect on the events of yesterday.

I still hate United and incompetent referees!!

I did not realise the match would be played under SuperLeague rules whereby one on the six "seeded" sides would be able to bring their own ref!

Let's have this fixture first up next season and just get it out of the way.

Onwards!

[osmark86]

A little less pissed off today XD. I was furious yesterday. Man Utd just always gets to me.

What can I say, I thought we did brilliantly 1st half and threw it away in the 2nd half aided by some very suspect refereeing (no surprises here).

Luiz should really have kept his cool and I wasn't too shocked that turned into a pen. Even if there was no real goal scoring opportunity that is a clear pen and it's on us. Man Utd will ALWAYS get those, we should know better.

Mings also played very well for the most part but got turned way too easily for their second. Man Utd are a good team after all and you should never allow yourself to be beaten that easily in that position. Another mistake.

We should have gotten a pen for the handball imo. That was not a natural position to be in with one arm high up in the air like that. Would have been awarded to Man Utd had it been our player doing that. Not even VAR checking that just is the cherry on top. Just bloody typical.

Thought that the second yellow on Watkins was very harsh even though one could argue that it was indeed a dive. However, had he not dived he could have been injured so figures...

Man Utd are the better team, no doubt. But it really feels like it's extra hard when you're also competing against the officials in these fixtures.

Kinda would have been nice if Man Utd **** off to their own Super League after all...

[Raver50032]

An interesting game. I thought we played quite well in several good patches of possession and play. A lovely goal from Bertie, who I gave MOTM for as a result of that. Yes, on paper, United have better players than us, and come from a significantly longer established club status and success ethic. But I saw moments of potential in the game for us and never got the sense that we were properly being spanked or completely mismatched. I felt we were unlucky to lose by a 3-1 scoreline. Didn't really do enough on balance to win the game, we certainly were not 'clever' or 'smart' (to use Neville and Sourpuss analogous guff to clap 'cheating') enough to actually win the game in the end. 

Some interesting refereeing/VAR decisions and non-decisions in the game, which have been done to death over the last 12 pages so won't dwell. I should imagine that some of the coding that Smith used post match in interviews could potentially see some sanction for the Everton game. He's certainly laid a few seeds there in terms of penalties, Pogba and United in general. 

Feel sorry for Watkins. A very bizarre decision from the refer-word-removeding-ree. 

I didn't think it was a 3-1 game, but the best squad of players won on the day. They still remain however, just 11 human beings. One day we will beat them at Villa Park and it'll be like winning cup semi-final. There'll be people on the pitch, the firework towers will be going off and that big banner will unfurl down from the roof of the Holte End. It kind of feels like that kind of mountain when we play that particular club. 

[Five Ken McNaughts]

35 minutes ago, osmark86 said:

We should have gotten a pen for the handball imo. That was not a natural position to be in with one arm high up in the air like that. Would have been awarded to Man Utd had it been our player doing that. Not even VAR checking that just is the cherry on top. Just bloody typical.

Yep...

 

[mjmooney]

17 hours ago, TRO said:

Despite the valliant efforts by some, the scoreline was predictable.

 

[Jas10]

16 hours ago, stewiek2 said:

I didn't think they were a better team thanks today. Just that we were beaten psychotically before a ball was kicked. We stood off them massively and allowed far too much respect and possession. We always do against them. They are a team that in all my time watching Villa are bemused at their dominance against us as I just see more a Villa side accepting of defeat rather than a Manure team sominat for victory. We always play lacklustre games against them that frustrates me as you can tell we should take the game to them but instead just sit off and allow them dominance. This is an average at best Manure side. We were gutless and lacking fire on our bellies today. We needed intent and purpose yet didnt have that especially second half. It was containment when that has hardly worked under Smith. Sorry Deano but got it horribly wrong today against a very poor Man U side. Second place shows more how average the league is this season rather than how falsely good manure are. Piss poor side that we made look better than they are

[KenjiOgiwara]

I tried in the Dean Smith thread, but it might have been the wrong place for it.

Is there a site that shows our stats in the first half alone, i.e. not the entire match stats, but just the first half?

[stewiek2]

1 hour ago, Jas10 said:

Damn autocorrect!!!

[TRO]

11 hours ago, striker said:

Poor second half defensive performance by the Villa and paid dearly for the mistakes as you do in the Premiership.

Mings is far too easily turned against a top class forward while I still can’t work out what Luiz is good at?

Major surgery needed in midfield in the summer if Villa are to progress next season plus a badass CB.

I'm afraid, I agree.

We need power and pace in midfield, the right attributes are missing from Midfield.... we need industry and nuisance value too.

opponents are left unattended and free to pick out searching passes.

[onmeedson]

Schoolboy defending yet again by our defence, to continually get the wrong side of a player to tackle borders on stupidity. What is ever is going on at coaching at bmh is a mystery to not only the players but any sense of football ability, always keep your body between the goal and the opposition. We continually get mugged because we allow that crime to take place, communication is non existant between our defenders and leads to to many ball watchers just admiring the play. When a 19 year old can mug you off, you are in the wrong place between the goal and the attacker. Gareth will be well impressed.

[TRO]

6 hours ago, One For The Road said:

You litelrallly used the laughing emoticon in response to my post that we were in different building stages. Stop lying.

Also, you absolutely proved my point by repeating what I was saying. 

If you want to have a debate, do it honestly.

 

6 hours ago, One For The Road said:

You litelrallly used the laughing emoticon in response to my post that we were in different building stages. Stop lying.

Also, you absolutely proved my point by repeating what I was saying. 

If you want to have a debate, do it honestly.

It was a response to a sterotypical remark when we lose,......all teams are in rebuilds, they always will be, even Man City have improvements to make.....most teams funding permitted will be looking to strengthen.

Man Utd have dropped points 14 times this season, they are there to challenge....2 poor defending errors and admittedly poor refereeing decisions undone us.

Oh and I don't lie.....but I might have a difference of opinion, but that may be the same to you.

I might have agreed on one point with you of WIP, if you choose to cling to that, as proof, thats fine by me.

I don't think, I do want a debate thanks, this one has already registered as tedious.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, mjmooney said:

 

Not hard is it?

[TRO]

2 hours ago, Raver50032 said:

An interesting game. I thought we played quite well in several good patches of possession and play. A lovely goal from Bertie, who I gave MOTM for as a result of that. Yes, on paper, United have better players than us, and come from a significantly longer established club status and success ethic. But I saw moments of potential in the game for us and never got the sense that we were properly being spanked or completely mismatched. I felt we were unlucky to lose by a 3-1 scoreline. Didn't really do enough on balance to win the game, we certainly were not 'clever' or 'smart' (to use Neville and Sourpuss analogous guff to clap 'cheating') enough to actually win the game in the end. 

Some interesting refereeing/VAR decisions and non-decisions in the game, which have been done to death over the last 12 pages so won't dwell. I should imagine that some of the coding that Smith used post match in interviews could potentially see some sanction for the Everton game. He's certainly laid a few seeds there in terms of penalties, Pogba and United in general. 

Feel sorry for Watkins. A very bizarre decision from the refer-word-removeding-ree. 

I didn't think it was a 3-1 game, but the best squad of players won on the day. They still remain however, just 11 human beings. One day we will beat them at Villa Park and it'll be like winning cup semi-final. There'll be people on the pitch, the firework towers will be going off and that big banner will unfurl down from the roof of the Holte End. It kind of feels like that kind of mountain when we play that particular club. 

I agree with all that.....we consistently have great passages of play and they usually result in goals, but to beat Man U, you have to be in control for significant periods of the game too, and we wasn't.

I don't subscribe to the curse theory or poor refereeing for the reasons why we have an abominal record against them......I prefer to look inwardly at ourselves and search for the reasons why.

They play with high intensity and urgency, they close down and press very well, they nibble at the ball when we are in possession, just enough for us to lose control of it and they turn it over...they break quickly by sending penetrative balls deep in to our territory and we only respond with any gusto, when they are in our area, that is open for us to make errors, then they overload, like Birds on a dead animal in the road....they unhinge us, and they always have.

We need players to control our midfield, players with industry and intensity in their DNA....Natural aggressors to disrupt their play and give them a game physically, the same players need to be able to start attacks too and impose themselves, like Gareth Barry did, we need that calibre of player to come in.

We need to be "prepared" better to play the likes of Man U & Man City......but I don't think we have the KEY personnel at the club to help us do so......its something to work on IMO.......We have to become better without the ball.

[OutByEaster?]

I seem to be in the minority here, but I thought the best part of our game yesterday was our pressing. 

Our off the ball work was really good, our work on the ball was okay and our defending was solid - it's errors that are catching us out.

 

 

[osmark86]

1 hour ago, OutByEaster? said:

I seem to be in the minority here, but I thought the best part of our game yesterday was our pressing. 

Our off the ball work was really good, our work on the ball was okay and our defending was solid - it's errors that are catching us out.

 

 

I agree. We did not embarrass ourselves at all. Quite the contrary.

[TRO]

4 hours ago, Five Ken McNaughts said:

Yep...

 

It was a pen....but that would fly in the face of the conspiracy to keep us down....no super league, so we will try something else to keep our status entact.

They have the authorites in their pocket.

[TRO]

20 hours ago, stewiek2 said:

I didn't think they were a better team thanks today. Just that we were beaten psychotically before a ball was kicked. We stood off them massively and allowed far too much respect and possession. We always do against them. They are a team that in all my time watching Villa are bemused at their dominance against us as I just see more a Villa side accepting of defeat rather than a Manure team sominat for victory. We always play lacklustre games against them that frustrates me as you can tell we should take the game to them but instead just sit off and allow them dominance. This is an average at best Manure side. We were gutless and lacking fire on our bellies today. We needed intent and purpose yet didnt have that especially second half. It was containment when that has hardly worked under Smith. Sorry Deano but got it horribly wrong today against a very poor Man U side. Second place shows more how average the league is this season rather than how falsely good manure are. Piss poor side that we made look better than they are

We do, but we do it against other teams who have similar intensity....its being packaged by some as just Man U....and it isn't just them.

I think Dean needs to bring players in  the summer that address these issues and show the industry and dynamism to give these teams a game.

We are not busy enough getting about them, I don't think we have the players with the stamina or engine to do it....as you say, we stand off too much and subsequently surrender the initiative.

We all talk about it..... we have to address it.

[Sulberto21]

We seem to have the Jimmy White syndrome against these lot they are our Stephen Hendry.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Sulberto21

[VillaBrum]

8 hours ago, KenjiOgiwara said:

I tried in the Dean Smith thread, but it might have been the wrong place for it.

Is there a site that shows our stats in the first half alone, i.e. not the entire match stats, but just the first half?

Try this App, it gives the stats for 1st Half/2nd Half and Full Game:- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sofascore.results&hl=en_GB&gl=US

[Harry]

Our biggest problem yesterday was I don’t think we went on the pitch believing we could win. OK we scored first but I just felt the attitude of the players was let’s hang on for as long as we can. That is a bang average Man U side and we were undone by lack of self belief, stupid errors and poor refereeing. Can the players honestly say they made Man U work for those three points? It’s all in their heads, they need to believe in themselves.

We need to have more options from the bench too as well as a little more class on the pitch at the start.  I’d not think bringing on inexperienced or young players is a sustainable solution. More money to buy quality needs to be spent in the summer.