Steven Gerrard

[Tomaszk]

3 hours ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

I’m really surprised fans aren’t encouraged by how the team fought today. They wanted to get forward but Liverpool’s press was just too much. They are one of the best teams in the world. It’s always going to very difficult.  They have turned most teams over at Anfield. Look what they did to Arsenal. 
 

Some of our fans just love to **** moan. 

Absolutely.

Another really encouraging performance. We go from strength to strength.

[The_Rev]

Loved Gerrard's game face today.  Here on business, acknowledges his history with Liverpool but came as a Villa man.  A million miles away from Houllier at Anfield. 

[WallisFrizz]

3 hours ago, The_Rev said:

Loved Gerrard's game face today.  Here on business, acknowledges his history with Liverpool but came as a Villa man.  A million miles away from Houllier at Anfield. 

I think he’s handled it impeccably all week unlike the media and his mates who have turned it into a complete circus. 
Ive no doubt he probably would have wanted a big love in with the Kop but knows that day will come when he goes back there and today he’s there for us.
Sent the right message to his team aswell. He can’t ask them to run through brick walls for him if he’s there having his ego flattered by the opposition fans. 

[lexicon]

4 hours ago, WHY said:

Pretty much how I saw it. Doesn’t matter if you think we did well or not, we lost. Would rather have a go at teams than wait for the inevitable!

It wasn't inevitable, though - it was a dodgy pen call. If we'd 'had a go' we'd have been brutalised and the damage to morale far greater. You have to be pragmatic sometimes.

[LondonLax]

8 hours ago, villalad21 said:

There's being defensive, then there is parking the bus/adopting damage limitation tactics.

We were like a hare running from a pack of wolves today.

It was inevitable they were going to win. Too much sustained pressure, it was always gonna happen. Said so at half time.

No I did not like what I saw today and I'm proud enough to stand by my opinion. If this will be his approach in the big games that's a massive problem for me.

I think it was the Anfield occasion getting the better of him.

I get the impression he would not show any other team that much respect and the game against Man City backs that up. We’ll see against Chelsea as well in a couple of weeks as well. 

The return of Liverpool to Villa Park will be interesting though. 

[LondonLax]

59 minutes ago, lexicon said:

It wasn't inevitable, though - it was a dodgy pen call. If we'd 'had a go' we'd have been brutalised and the damage to morale far greater. You have to be pragmatic sometimes.

Though if Dean Smith had taken that attitude we would never had had the famous 7-3 game. Sometimes you don’t know what you could have achieved if you don’t give it a go. 

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

2 hours ago, lexicon said:

It wasn't inevitable, though - it was a dodgy pen call. If we'd 'had a go' we'd have been brutalised and the damage to morale far greater. You have to be pragmatic sometimes.

Mate I watched Liverpool make Atletico Madrid look " panicky " at times.

I'm fine with what we did, at this stage of our development and with the phase of management Gerrard is in with us.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

1 hour ago, LondonLax said:

Though if Dean Smith had taken that attitude we would never had had the famous 7-3 game. Sometimes you don’t know what you could have achieved if you don’t give it a go. 

The Liverpool we beat 7 - 2 last season, aren't the Liverpool we played yesterday. Nor are they anywhere near to being that Liverpool this season.

Edited December 12, 2021 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN

[LondonLax]

19 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

The Liverpool we beat 7 - 2 last season, aren't the Liverpool we played yesterday. Nor are they anywhere near to being that Liverpool this season.

Yeah we might have only beaten them 4-2 yesterday

[Kiwivillan]

Which of the 4 top 5s winning penalties was people's favourite? #nofix 

[tomav84]

8 hours ago, villalad21 said:

That wasn't a good defensive performance. It was panicky, last ditch and chaotic. Not sustainable. 

Listen. The previous games has been good and encouraging. Today was disappointing, and it has to be OK to say that without people losing their shit over it. 

If you think yesterday was a poor and disappointing performance you're going to be in for a shock when we actually produce a poor one 

We played well, we were well organised and the defending was good overall. Fortunately most could see that 

[villalad21]

2 hours ago, LondonLax said:

I think it was the Anfield occasion getting the better of him.

I get the impression he would not show any other team that much respect and the game against Man City backs that up. We’ll see against Chelsea as well in a couple of weeks as well. 

The return of Liverpool to Villa Park will be interesting though. 

Disgraceful if that is the case. 

[nick76]

35 minutes ago, tomav84 said:

If you think yesterday was a poor and disappointing performance you're going to be in for a shock when we actually produce a poor one 

We played well, we were well organised and the defending was good overall. Fortunately most could see that 

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head.  I think some who have been salivating about Gerrard are going to be surprised over the coming year or so and will likely turn on him because he’s not a miracle worker, he’s not going to beat everybody in his path, he’s not going to try to go toe to toe with everybody, he’s going to fall short in their eyes.  The reason why this is, hopefully, is because he’s going to be a bloody good manager for us…pragmatic, understands reality, understands the opposition, understands our Villa squad and abilities and use them in the best possible way.  If he’s successful at that, it’ll mean we’ll be flying high but not in way some will want and like yesterday, as we can see from some of the comments, fall short in their eyes.

[TRO]

10 hours ago, hippo said:

Finally.

So today we were respecting the opposition. I can agree with that prognosis. 

You make it sound like we had a choice, I don't think we did....They simply pushed us back.

However, SG is beating himself up over not attacking them more, he is questioning his own gameplan.....personally, I think he was right in what he did, otherwise the scoreline could have been worse.

[TRO]

10 hours ago, hippo said:

Ok. I was taking drive to mean we worry the opposition

But hey he's ex Liverpool so must be doing something right.

 

Thats a bit contrived, If I may say so.

They have done a fair bit right for some time, so I guess a bit rubs off.

[Vive_La_Villa]

3 hours ago, LondonLax said:

I think it was the Anfield occasion getting the better of him.

I get the impression he would not show any other team that much respect and the game against Man City backs that up. We’ll see against Chelsea as well in a couple of weeks as well. 

The return of Liverpool to Villa Park will be interesting though. 

Not at all. We just couldn’t keep the ball against their press and it meant be ended up dropping deeper and deeper.  We tried to at times but just kept losing it. This ain’t tactics or occasion. They are just much much better than us and most of the teams in Europe.

[Laughable Chimp]

Just noticed that we've had less possession in each of the last 5 games under Gerrard than we've had in any of the previous 11 games under Smith this season. It seems as if we have become even less concerned with holding possession under Gerrard.

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by Laughable Chimp

[a m ole]

3 minutes ago, Laughable Chimp said:

Just noticed that we've had less possession in each of the last 5 games under Gerrard than we've had in any of the previous 11 games under Smith this season. It seems as if we have become even less concerned with holding possession under Gerrard.

 

Yeah we’re definitely conceding the ball in favour of keeping defensive shape, then trying to do more, faster with the ball. I think we’ll have to get used to ‘losing the ball’ relatively often when we’re playing against the good defensive teams, especially while we grow.

[Zatman]

I am not saying we should be going to Anfield and beating Liverpool but no shots on target is a bit poor. We had 5 in the same game last season 

FWIW Gerrard has brought solidity to the defence but I have to say I think the quality of football has been really poor so far, we are averaging 37% possession under him. While possession isnt that key of a stat but it is very important to have the ball 

[sne]

4 minutes ago, Laughable Chimp said:

Just noticed that we've had less possession in each of the last 5 games under Gerrard than we've had in any of the previous 11 games under Smith this season. It seems as if we have become even less concerned with holding possession under Gerrard.

 

Luiz being injured and Nakamba playing instead will have effected this to some extent. But it's probably a chance in how we approach the game as well.

No big deal for me, as always it's more about quality of possession and where it is than sheer quantity.