European chase 2021/22

[MaVilla]

Its worth noting that in like for like games in 2021/22 versus 2020/21, we are worse off points wise.

for the 7 games we have played, we have amassed 10 points, in the exact same fixtures last season, we amassed 14 points.

In the 7 games so far this season, last year versus this, this season we have performed better in 2 (Manure, Everton), the same in 1 (Newcastle), and worse in 4 (Brentford, Watford, Chelsea and Spurs).

 

FYI - for promoted teams, i have just substituted like for like, ie: 17th PL is top team from champ, 18th PL is second in Champ, 20th is playoff promoted team in champ.

[Zhan_Zhuang]

It is worrying that again we have lost two matches we probably should have won against Watford and Spurs.

I know we beat Man Poo but I think a draw was the fair result based on balance of play, if anything we did kind of knick three points.

Hopefully we can improve and finish strong but the international games are also going to hinder us.

[nick76]

16 minutes ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

It is worrying that again we have lost two matches we probably should have won against Watford and Spurs.

I know we beat Man Poo but I think a draw was the fair result based on balance of play, if anything we did kind of knick three points.

Hopefully we can improve and finish strong but the international games are also going to hinder us.

Why should we have won against Spurs? I don’t see this generally, we aren’t better them as a given and didn’t deserve it on the day

Edited October 5, 2021 by nick76

[desensitized43]

2 minutes ago, nick76 said:

Why should we have won against Spurs? I don’t see this generally, we aren’t better them as a given and didn’t deserve it on the day

Likewise Watford tbh...I think 3-2 flattered us massively that day.

[nick76]

1 minute ago, desensitized43 said:

Likewise Watford tbh...I think 3-2 flattered us massively that day.

We still haven’t played our strongest XI yet, had a mixed and issue preseason, had injuries since, international match interruptions and new players to bed in.  It’s going to time after all that to settle in and we’ve had some good results and performances and some poor results and performances as a result of it and also as a result of actually being a midtable team that we are.

[desensitized43]

8 minutes ago, nick76 said:

We still haven’t played our strongest XI yet, had a mixed and issue preseason, had injuries since, international match interruptions and new players to bed in.  It’s going to time after all that to settle in and we’ve had some good results and performances and some poor results and performances as a result of it and also as a result of actually being a midtable team that we are.

Yeah I think that's part of it. It's also a really young team still. When you play young players, even good ones like we have, you get inconsistency.

I don't think this is necessarily a massive issue. I expect we'll be comfortably mid table, hopefully with a decent FA cup run and I'll take that all day long having lost Jack in the summer. When seen in context, a finish between 8-12 should be seen as a decent season for us.

People always blow the previous result out of proportion. We beat Man Utd and played exceptionally well so they expect us to do the same the next week vs Spurs. Football doesn't work that way, especially when you have a young squad. It's important not to be too giddy when we play well and too downcast when we don't. It's all part of where we are as a squad and a club.

Edited October 5, 2021 by desensitized43

[Zhan_Zhuang]

23 hours ago, nick76 said:

Why should we have won against Spurs? I don’t see this generally, we aren’t better them as a given and didn’t deserve it on the day

They were coming into the game with bad form and statistically really struggling with creating chances and in terms of shots.

Personally I feels if we'd have been better we should have won that game.

Watford admittedly was a bit of a banana skin.

[nick76]

33 minutes ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

They were coming into the game with bad form and statistically really struggling with creating chances and in terms of shots.

Maybe but our xG has been poor this season, we had a mixed start to the season but a good couple of wins over Everton and Man U.  Our creative players have been out injured mostly or hardly played for various reasons in Bailey, Buendia and Traore…and we are still adjusting not playing in a formation that is focused around Grealish.

Spurs are in bad form but would’ve been angry and I expected a backlash after their derby defeat to Arsenal plus Son is in fine form and now Kane getting more games under his belt and they are generally a good team.

I think it was a hard game to call an outcome before the game.  We played poorly and deserved to lose.  Maybe if we played better we could’ve won but I’m not convinced Spurs were there for the taking.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

They were coming into the game with bad form and statistically really struggling with creating chances and in terms of shots.

Personally I feels if we'd have been better we should have won that game.

Watford admittedly was a bit of a banana skin.

ably negated by a back lash.....That was always on the cards.....all their fans were castigating them, pundits too.....was it any surprise, they would come out fighting?

personally, I could see it coming.

Their midfield never turned up against Arsenal, they fought for their lives against us....its application....and its hard to be at it every game, hence us being midtable.

[villalad21]

If the Newcastle takeover goes through it will be yet another club we will have to deal with.

[Czarnikjak]

14 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

If the Newcastle takeover goes through it will be yet another club we will have to deal with.

Not this season though. This is 21/22 thread. It will take them couple transfer windows to catch up.

[Zhan_Zhuang]

3 hours ago, TRO said:

ably negated by a back lash.....That was always on the cards.....all their fans were castigating them, pundits too.....was it any surprise, they would come out fighting?

personally, I could see it coming.

Their midfield never turned up against Arsenal, they fought for their lives against us....its application....and its hard to be at it every game, hence us being midtable.

Yeah I could see it coming, it was typical Villa not capitalising on our decent form and their poor form.

I said it in the match thread and post-match, typical Villa.

Two good results, one bad one. Typical Villa.

[nick76]

 

 

6 minutes ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

Two good results, one bad one. Typical Villa.

Typical of most teams outside of the top four to be fair (maybe even the top two)

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

Neymar and Haaland to Newcastle for a " New Challenge " soon then.

That's a ridiculous amount of wealth.

Wonder if @abdulaziz1 will abandon us when it happens?

[abdulaziz1]

20 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Neymar and Haaland to Newcastle for a " New Challenge " soon then.

That's a ridiculous amount of wealth.

Wonder if @abdulaziz1 will abandon us when it happens?

Why should I?
Haven’t done it in our worst years, let alone now.

[TRO]

20 hours ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

Yeah I could see it coming, it was typical Villa not capitalising on our decent form and their poor form.

I said it in the match thread and post-match, typical Villa.

Two good results, one bad one. Typical Villa.

I don't know what you mean by typical Villa?....Results come from applying yourself, and more players than them, dominating the ball...We were beaten by a better team over the 90 odd minutes, and that means quality and tenacity....They dug deep and found what they couldn't find against Arsenal.....We have to have players in the team that can match that intensity and the control and taking care of the ball.

Since Jack has left, we are still looking for someone to move with the ball in comfort and not be brushed off it so easily....We need better possession, in order to be more creative....we can't be creative, if we keep getting relieved of the ball as easy as we do.

We need some big performances from our midfield, not passive ones.

[villalad21]

On 06/10/2021 at 22:24, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Neymar and Haaland to Newcastle for a " New Challenge " soon then.

That's a ridiculous amount of wealth.

Wonder if @abdulaziz1 will abandon us when it happens?

I always thought top 4 was a pipe dream.

Now top 6 is increasingly looking like a pipe dream.

Basically one spot left now.

Edited October 7, 2021 by villalad21

[VillaChris]

On 06/10/2021 at 17:34, villalad21 said:

If the Newcastle takeover goes through it will be yet another club we will have to deal with.

Not this season, they'll be in dogfight to stay up. We comfortably finished above Man. City in 08/09 season IIRC.

[thunderball]

All this nonsense around Newcastle is missing the point: Our owners are worth circa $10B, but their investment has nothing to do with their worth, its dictated by the ability to spend within the FFP constraints. There are about a dozen eye wateringly rich foreign owners in the UK but they are not allowed to spend the money. If the Newcastle owners are worth $200B they are not suddenly going to spend that on the team. We know there is a sustainable roadmap in place that prevents Abramovich/Manour like spending anymore. The old guard have head start and Champions League money keeps their foot on everyone else’s heads. Even Leicester couldn’t make it stick and they had the financial muscle to do what they wanted.

They can’t pay ridiculous wages, they still have to attract the players over other suitors. There is so much more to this than LOADSAMONEY attitude.

It does however mean we have competition at our mid table level now, but I would say we have the drop on them for a while at least. The best thing that could happen is they appoint Lampard as manager. 

[Kiwivillan]

6 hours ago, villalad21 said:

I always thought top 4 was a pipe dream.

Now top 6 is increasingly looking like a pipe dream.

Basically one spot left now.

Biggest danger for us is Newcastle wanting top class manager and poaching Smith from us