Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Brentford

[TRO]

On 28/08/2021 at 17:15, Xela said:

Looking at the line up before the game, I was fearful. A point in those circumstances is OK I guess.

Lets hope we have our injured players back asap. A full strength team wins that. 

 

I had it in mind we would lose that,when I heard the team news , so to get a point is good for me.

don't want to comment on the game due to how badly we was decimated by injury.

[Mantis]

21 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

It's Brentford chap. Not Man City.

Or are you actually trying to convince me we need a fully strength side in order to look good against Brentford?

If that is the case what the f*** are we supposed to do if these are long term injuries?

Getting a draw at home against a team that got 4 points from their opening 2 fixtures while missing literally half of our key first team players is only "terrible" if you're challenging for the title. Not saying we should be jubilant about the result or anything but under the circumstances we did ok and may have won it on another day.

[villalad21]

4 minutes ago, Mantis said:

Getting a draw at home against a team that got 4 points from their opening 2 fixtures while missing literally half of our key first team players is only "terrible" if you're challenging for the title. Not saying we should be jubilant about the result or anything but under the circumstances we did ok and may have won it on another day.

I'm looking at the result from a different perspective than you. 

1 point out of 6 against promoted teams just before we go into a horrible set of fixtures is terrible. 

Badly needed to win that game to gain some confidence and momentum going into those games. 

[Mantis]

6 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

I'm looking at the result from a different perspective than you. 

1 point out of 6 against promoted teams just before we go into a horrible set of fixtures is terrible. 

Badly needed to win that game to gain some confidence and momentum going into those games. 

Ok but we also won against an established Premier League team?

You win - it's been a terrible start, club is doomed, just dissolve it now.

[villalad21]

1 minute ago, Mantis said:

Ok but we also won against an established Premier League team?

You win - it's been a terrible start, club is doomed, just dissolve it now.

Have you checked who we are playing next? 

Feeling confident are you? 

Edited August 29, 2021 by villalad21

[Mantis]

2 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

Have you checked who we are playing next? 

Feeling confident are you? 

Not particularly confident of the next few games no but also not too concerned about our start because we still got a few points on the board and that was with so many key players out.

[villalad21]

20 minutes ago, Mantis said:

Not particularly confident of the next few games no but also not too concerned about our start because we still got a few points on the board and that was with so many key players out.

You know as well as I do how key confidence and momentum is in this game.

We rode on it at the start of last season, and it carried us a long way last season.

We are very unlikely to get more than 2-3 points out of the next 4, and I'm not sure how these players will react when the going gets rough. There is no Jack to take some pressure of them this season. They need to find a way to do it on their own!

[TRO]

On 28/08/2021 at 17:19, Beastmix said:

El Ghazi and Buendia were quality today.

Chukwuemeka isn't ready yet. Not to be harsh considering his age, but it wouldn't be so bad if he upped the tempo a bit. Plods his way around the pitch. Could probably do with a loan away, but I'm not sure where. Not physical enough yet for lower leagues, doesn't work hard enough for the Championship. Perhaps somewhere in Europe or the MLS might be a good fit. Incredibly promising for a 17 year old though. When he gets his man-strength in about 6 years time, he'll be world class.

Douglas Luiz needs a Monster energy drink. He's always half-asleep. Again, frustrating because he's clearly talented.

Everyone else was decent, considering the late forced changes. Good to see Targett looking more like himself.

We just don't play well against hard working, pressing teams. Referee was horrendous, but at least VAR didn't get involved with Korts near the end.

why do you think that is?

[flashingqwerty]

1 hour ago, Panto_Villan said:

My point is that it's not as simple as saying "our second string should still be able to beat relegation candidates" (even if that were true, which is in itself debatable).

Players being unfit or not having settled means that they may not be performing as well as they will once the season gets going, but you're advocating replacing them anyway because the team isn't good enough.

Targett looks unfit. I refuse to believe Buendia has hit his ceiling already. Chukwuemeka was making his first competitive start, so I'd expect him to improve significantly. Young has only been at club for three games, as has Ings. You don't think they'll improve in the future as they get more familiar with their teammates?

Clearly they will. So why not see what they're capable of before demanding we replace them?

Hardly our 2nd string.  Last time I checked, a team consists of 11 players and we had less than half missing, so some way from a second string.

Some of our players may well not be match fit yet, but our cm area was poor last season and will only be under more pressure without a world class player in the team.  We do not have the personel in cm to control games against teams at this level.  We have not addressed this problem, and until we do, won't matter how 'fit' or 'settled' players are, our midfield will continue to not control games, resulting in more chances for our opponents and less for us.

[TRO]

On 28/08/2021 at 17:32, Xela said:

Its not as though its been a common theme for the last 3 years... it's just a bad spell this year. Hopefully everyone is back after the break (or most of them). In terms of 4 points... its less than I expected pre-season but thats football. We took 4 points off Chelsea last year, put 7 past the defending champions, beat Arsenal twice. We were poor against Burnley and Brighton though. Individual games are unpredictable. 

so consistency is the target.

[TRO]

On 28/08/2021 at 17:38, RicRic said:

I think its funny how el-ghazi has been rated by many as our best player today and the majority were infuriated with him starting today personally i chose Buendia his movement and passing today was outstanding, and where on earth was ashley young playing today he was everywhere but mainly centre midfield , none of us expected him to play there and hes got so much energy and stamina  for his age.
 

We really needed 3 points from that match as our next 3 or 4 games are very tough, my hope was to finally beat man united but now they have Ronaldo that is looking more or less impossible now id do almost anything to see us beat them , id even trade 2 or 3 wins against the blues just hate how we can never beat them it really frustrates me honestly 

probably still the team I fear most....yes, I can't wait to turn them over.

 

[PaulC]

43 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

You know as well as I do how key confidence and momentum is in this game.

We rode on it at the start of last season, and it carried us a long way last season.

We are very unlikely to get more than 2-3 points out of the next 4, and I'm not sure how these players will react when the going gets rough. There is no Jack to take some pressure of them this season. They need to find a way to do it on their own!

Yes We are going to have to improve big time the next four games. We could beat everton but they have started the season really well. We might get a point at Spurs. Anything against Chelsea or Man U will be a bonus. 

[TRO]

22 hours ago, jim said:

I was in L8 PP mostly positive towards AEG.
 

Only negative was the two pissed up buffoons in front of us who nearly clattered into my 7yr old daughter. They went to the bar after 28 mins, returned for the second half only to leave again at 75. What’s the point in even going? 

I think you've answered your own question Jim.

The frightening thing is, they might have an opinion on the game.

[TRO]

10 hours ago, flashingqwerty said:

Don't get this attitude at all tbh

Yeah, we were missing a few players, but our aspirations are top half/Europe, so if we can't get results against newly promoted, relegation favourites (Watford and Brentford) then it's going to be a long and disappointing season.

Either the squad is good enough and we are not getting the best out of them, or the squad is not good enough and more need bringing in.

its 3 games in and so far the team is a long way off being at its best, for obvious reasons, injuries and a poor pre season.

I have predicted we will finish in about the same place as we did last season....but the thing for me is this.

It doesn't matter where I think we will finish or whether I will be happy.....the people to please are the owners.

They have spent well and will want a return......the big question is, will they be happy with the same place 11th?

I have no idea, one way or the other.....but we will soon find out, because we have to get theses players fit and gelled in to a team, that picks up wins.

[TRO]

10 hours ago, Brentfordnylons said:

Fair result in the end although had Oli come on earlier might had been a different story.Ref and linesman over our side dreadful.We aren’t the pretty team we used to be who would get bullied out of games and opposing fans would praise after beating us as I said pre match we  have a more  physical aggressive mid field.We have been lucky that our first 3 games have been against under strength sides but you have take that as not one of our squad has ever played in the PL.
          Although I’ve seen all the previous games in recent years at Villa Park this is the first time I’ve seen it with 42000 in and what an impressive sight it is in a truly wonderful stadium.Oli got a great reception from our fans and as expected Dean Smith congratulated his former players after the game the mans class.Also good to see Bees fans mingling and chatting with Villa fans at the station after the game all very civil.Very different from my experiences over the other side of the city.

I have always known Brentford as a footballing side, with possibly a soft underbelly, hence the amount of times you have missed promotion....not anymore.

I saw a Brentford with grit and a physical approach that was alien to me. My answer to it, is match it, not moan about it and thats what we had to do.

I think this edge to your game will keep you up...."hard to beat" ( of course we all have to play well too) is the most important pre requisite to have in your first season back....despite our depleted team, I think you acquiited yourselves well.

However, I look forward to seeing you, when we have a full team.

 

[TRO]

11 hours ago, flashingqwerty said:

Not sure what you're on about.  Where have I mentioned anything about new players settling?

The issues we have had so far this season, are the same ones we've had for years, in that our central midfield failed to control the game.

We've not changed or added to this area of the squad, so I expect the same to continue.

My point was that teams who openly state they want European qualification should be beating teams who are relegation candidates, which all 3 or our opponents to date have been.

The post I responded to, was saying that a draw was a good result as we were missing 4/5 players.  My response being that if our squad was good enough, as a team expecting European qualification, we should be able to deal with this.

To your point about players settling, Martinez, Cash, Target, Luiz, AEG, Konsa, were all here last season.  Young is a seasoned pro and played here before so shouldn't need much settling.  Similarly, Tuanzebe has played here before, and played well tbf.  Buendia was also better than his first 2 games.  Ings scored in both of his first 2 games, so who are you implying hasn't settled?

To me, it seems pretty clear that our squad isn't of sufficient quality to get into Europe.  I actually think this squad will struggle to repeat last seasons 11th place.  Nothing to do with settling, and everything to do with squad balance and quality.

I think we have to wait and see, before some of us get precious with our predictions or expectations, we have some improving to do thats for sure.

FWIW i see  things similarly to you.

right now, I think its reasonable to not be winning, as the team for whatever reason is not complete.....However, we can't keep clinging to mitigation either and finding reasons not to win...but a good result at Watford changes things too.That one result has marred our start, thats the nuts and bolts of it.

Winners find a way to win. I don't want to just simplify stuff, but I believe its true....thats why win ratios are generally accurate, in the story they tell.

If we extrapolate out our, loss, win and draw, it would give us c50 points over 38 games...now I know that doesn't happen in reality, but just looking for some projected balance, otherwise we have to improve significantly, in possibly fewer games.

When we have everyone back and firing on all cylinders, I feel we can get our swagger back, in the meantime, we just have dig in.....you know my feelings on the midfield, so I won't repeat it.

ps I thought we really missed McGinn yesterday.

 

Edited August 29, 2021 by TRO

[RicRic]

3 hours ago, TRO said:

probably still the team I fear most....yes, I can't wait to turn them over.

 

I actually dream about it .. its beyond sad we could be 4-0 against them and they would still come back and win... it’s almost scripted thats how many times it’s happened ...bloody red devils Van Nistelrooy , hernandez, Macheda the list could go on 

[TRO]

6 minutes ago, RicRic said:

I actually dream about it .. its beyond sad we could be 4-0 against them and they would still come back and win... it’s almost scripted thats how many times it’s happened ...bloody red devils Van Nistelrooy , hernandez, Macheda the list could go on 

I'm laughing, but its not funny.

[flashingqwerty]

2 hours ago, TRO said:

I think we have to wait and see, before some of us get precious with our predictions or expectations, we have some improving to do thats for sure.

FWIW i see  things similarly to you.

right now, I think its reasonable to not be winning, as the team for whatever reason is not complete.....However, we can't keep clinging to mitigation either and finding reasons not to win...but a good result at Watford changes things too.That one result has marred our start, thats the nuts and bolts of it.

Winners find a way to win. I don't want to just simplify stuff, but I believe its true....thats why win ratios are generally accurate, in the story they tell.

If we extrapolate out our, loss, win and draw, it would give us c50 points over 38 games...now I know that doesn't happen in reality, but just looking for some projected balance, otherwise we have to improve significantly, in possibly fewer games.

When we have everyone back and firing on all cylinders, I feel we can get our swagger back, in the meantime, we just have dig in.....you know my feelings on the midfield, so I won't repeat it.

ps I thought we really missed McGinn yesterday.

 

Thing is though, right now we are missing a few to injury, in a few weeks we will be missing a few to internationals, and the cycle goes on.

Europe is not my target, I think we will do exceptionally well to come close to last season.  I'd predict 14th as reasonable given the loss of Grealish, the disruption it caused, the injuries so far, and the future loss of south American players during the season.

It's the club who have set the European target, and if serious, I think we need serious reinforcements still, particularly in CM.  I think the 3 games so far have highlighted that our squad lacks the quality to achieve this goal.  Our best 11 maybe, but there's pretty much zero chance that we'll have our best 11 available all season.

I'll say it again for those who missed it: I'll be happy to achieve comfortable mid-table (14th-11th).  I think the club setting a goal of European qualification is highly optimistic, and does not align to our summer transfers to date.

Whilst we have made some decent additions, I don't agree it replaces Grealish's contribution, especially as we haven't signed a specialist LM, but it also hasn't addressed our biggest weakness (CM) and I feel has left is still light at fullback and out wide, given the aspiration of European qualification.

I love the ambition, but don't agree that the ambition matches the squad currently.

[TRO]

11 minutes ago, flashingqwerty said:

Thing is though, right now we are missing a few to injury, in a few weeks we will be missing a few to internationals, and the cycle goes on.

Europe is not my target, I think we will do exceptionally well to come close to last season.  I'd predict 14th as reasonable given the loss of Grealish, the disruption it caused, the injuries so far, and the future loss of south American players during the season.

It's the club who have set the European target, and if serious, I think we need serious reinforcements still, particularly in CM.  I think the 3 games so far have highlighted that our squad lacks the quality to achieve this goal.  Our best 11 maybe, but there's pretty much zero chance that we'll have our best 11 available all season.

I'll say it again for those who missed it: I'll be happy to achieve comfortable mid-table (14th-11th).  I think the club setting a goal of European qualification is highly optimistic, and does not align to our summer transfers to date.

Whilst we have made some decent additions, I don't agree it replaces Grealish's contribution, especially as we haven't signed a specialist LM, but it also hasn't addressed our biggest weakness (CM) and I feel has left is still light at fullback and out wide, given the aspiration of European qualification.

I love the ambition, but don't agree that the ambition matches the squad currently.

I think your prediction has merit...I too, do not see us finishing above last seasons final position.

It seems right now, to get our best players together is a taller order than we thought, with so many set backs....I have no idea why so many injuries are so long term, whats happened to the knocks that last a couple of games....Sanson is another mystery, why so long out?

However, we just have to get on with it.