Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Man City

[hippo]

Plenty of huff and puff - not sure what all the dawdling on our goal line was about. Seemed a good way to give man city corners.

[HKP90]

11 minutes ago, chappy said:

Missed first 20 mins as my train was delayed. Sounds like I missed City’s best period. Their first goal I have to say that maybe Emi could’ve done better? Second was a wonderstrike by one of their ‘emergency’ starters.

Whatever SG said at half time worked a treat. We were excellent second half and potentially deserved to nick an equaliser. Chukwuemeka chance was golden, good save by Ederson though. Couldn’t tell if the Konsa one should’ve been a pen or not but no surprise Kevin Friend didn’t think so.

Watkins, Young, Cash, Nakamba all good. Voted Dougie MOTM, loved seeing him with the shackles off in a more attacking role.

I didn’t clap or boo Grealish but thought the “Villa til I die” chant was perfect for his entry to the field. Loudest I’ve heard that song in a long time. City looked rattled in the second half so hope we take some confidence into Sunday against a Leicester team who can definitely be got at.

UTV

Yeah, first 20 minutes was like having root canal surgery.

[Peter Griffin]

4 minutes ago, The_Steve said:

They a revolting lot. That squad alone cost £400m in transfer fees. Just wish they buggered off to the ESL. 

It must have been more than 400m. Jack 100m, Diaz 60m, Sterling 50m, Rodri 56m, Cancelo 58m, Mahrez 60m. That's 380m and only 6 players

[WHY]

Poor first half due to being too passive and we just let them knock it around us. Better second half we were more aggressive. Not complaints overall, City are just a lot better than us. 

[Lochheads twin]

Well, the proverbial game of two halves. The first, totally one sided and the second competitive.

We gave them too much respect and space at the start and were lucky to be only a couple down at the break. I feared the worst. Not sure what happened at half time but it worked. The early goal in the second was exactly the tonic we needed.

Ashley Young certainly adds something to this side. When he came on the organisation seemed to improve. Another sterling performance from Nakamba. Chuck got his chance but this is still a hell of a step up at his age and this stage in his career.. He could have attained instant hero status if he had converted his chance. Sanson looked good in his short spell on the pitch and I hope he can now build on this and become the midfield we hoped for and need. It still looks like heavy going for Buendia.

Amazing that Mike Dean kept his cards in his pocket. City seemed to get away with a lot of niggly & cynical fouls in midfield that broke up play and snuffed out potential threat.

The "Villa till I Die " chant is exactly what we required for tonight and seemed to unify the two factions. It probably also made a clearer point to a former player than booing.

I am sure Stevie G learned a lot about his squad tonight and life in the Premiership.

A heavy defeat tonight could have been a set back but at least we finished on the front foot and this gives us plenty of positives to build on.

UTV!

 

 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Lochheads twin
typo

[DJ_Villain]

We played well and got beaten by a team who were hyper funded have on blood money, people trafficking and oil just before FFP came into place…

We held our own magnificently, made some great chances and gave a really good account of ourselves…

UTV, Shit on the Cities

[Spoony]

9 minutes ago, WHY said:

Poor first half due to being too passive and we just let them knock it around us. Better second half we were more aggressive. Not complaints overall, City are just a lot better than us. 

Tbh my interpretation was not so much us sitting back but City just storming out of the blocks. When a team like that want to destroy us then there isn’t much we can do. 

[WakefieldVillan]

My ratings:

Emi 6

Cash 5

Konsa 7

Mings 7

Targett 6.5

Luiz 7.5

McGinn 6

Nakamba 7

Bailey 2

Watkins 8

Buendia 7.5

Young 7.5

Chuk 6

Sanson 6.5

 

Gerrard 7.5 

 

[DJ_Villain]

1 hour ago, The_Steve said:

Jack looked rattled when he getting ready to come on - did he think the fans would also lay on the red carpet? He tried to pass it off with a wink but it clear as day.

So what?

He isn’t wearing our shirt anymore… He was laughing when they scored… He is literally paid money to try to relegate us in order for him to gain personal success…

**** him and the whore he rode in on

[Peter Griffin]

2 minutes ago, WakefieldVillan said:

My ratings:

Emi 6

Cash 5

Konsa 7

Mings 7

Targett 6.5

Luiz 7.5

McGinn 6

Nakamba 7

Bailey 2

Watkins 8

Buendia 7.5

Young 7.5

Chuk 6

Sanson 6.5

 

Gerrard 7.5 

 

-2 for each for the 1st half +2 for each in the 2nd half

[TheMelvillan]

Pure shithousery from pep to sub jack on. They didn't need him to come on - in much the same way they didn't really need to buy him. Think he was just being mischievious.

Think bailey could have done better than just turn his back on the shot for the first goal - bit soft that

Buendia gets a lot of stick but most of the good things that villa do involve him. I think when he cocks up it is often because he is on the half turn or trying a delicate/ clever touch. I think with creative player there is a very fine line between something clever coming off and not. He could have had three extra assists to his name this season if finishing had been better.

I like Sanson. Gets around the pitch really well and seems intelligent.

 

 

[icouldtelltheworld]

Feel the same as I did after the cup final against them a few years back - disappointed to lose but not massively really, more just proud to be Villa and not follow a pathetic plastic nothing club. Thought every player gave it their all and a draw would definitely have been a fair result. Can't remember a quieter set of away fans at Villa Park, their whole club is just soulless.

[Joshie2000]

1st half was terrible and as the gaffer said we stood off them and gave them to much respect, and if and when baileys back he needs to be told to pass, buendia was in and it was a simple pass to make, also 1st half ollie had 2 chances to take the fullback on and just dallied and looked lost, he needs to stay in the middle for me. 

 

2nd half what a turn around totally different team and mentality and great strike by ollie and he played more down the middle and that helped. 

My biggest gripe would be passing out from back, we struggle to do it at the best of times and tonight we were playing the best possession team and pressing team and it could of been embarrassing, thank god they just launched goal kicks 2nd half 

UTV 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Joshie2000

[WHY]

8 minutes ago, Spoony said:

Tbh my interpretation was not so much us sitting back but City just storming out of the blocks. When a team like that want to destroy us then there isn’t much we can do. 

I’m not denying they are a very good team but I just thought we lacked aggression first half. The second goal could have easily have been cut out if we had just done the sort of shithousery foul City did all game. 

[Tomaszk]

14 minutes ago, DJ_Villain said:

So what?

He isn’t wearing our shirt anymore… He was laughing when they scored… He is literally paid money to try to relegate us in order for him to gain personal success…

**** him and the whore he rode in on

Your Grealish posts are becoming my favourite thing about VillaTalk.

[Chine]

20 minutes ago, WakefieldVillan said:

My ratings:

Emi 6

Cash 5

Konsa 7

Mings 7

Targett 6.5

Luiz 7.5

McGinn 6

Nakamba 7

Bailey 2

Watkins 8

Buendia 7.5

Young 7.5

Chuk 6

Sanson 6.5

 

Gerrard 7.5 

 

Not sure about the Cash 5 , Sterling was lively and hardwork , I thought Cash did well and was better than that 

[Nigel]

Douglas Luiz....please say that is a glimpse of what is to come....outstanding quality today!

Kudos must also go to Watkins, without his ability to hold the ball up front they would have been out of sight in that 1st half.

Have to say the vtid song was the perfect response to grealish....he didn't warrant either extremes of booing or clapping for me.  An unplanned union of singing said what a thousand words couldn't!

 

[TomC]

1 hour ago, tonyh29 said:

i get he’s young etc but I don’t think Chuck is going to fit the Gerrard system , he just seems way too laid back , didn’t press enough… I think  he needs a few years to develop I hope he does it with Villa and doesn’t get blinded by the talk about clubs eyeing him up.

Give him some time. Ramsey never impressed me until this year. Look at him now.

 

[Villarcana]

Gerrard interview after the game, comments on the Bailey injury that intensity has been raised in training and niggles will happen. I really like how Gerrard mentions the upping of standards and comes across as someone who expects 100 percent off every player in every session. I remember a clip with him someone posted here. It was him as a pundit talking about going into training and seeing his team mates as competitors and he was keeping his shirt no matter what and that if he wasn't the best every day he would go home and reflect and make sure he was the best the next day. That's what we need in our corner. Already looking much fitter and well drilled.

My first game back for a few years due to travel with the old man on Sunday as a surprise. Cant wait

[OutByEaster?]

A night of incompleteness.

I hate the way they play, it's pass and move perfection, it's about technique, tactics and skill, it's beautiful but it's so good that it's like watching a machine tick through it's valves, there's something that becomes almost monotonous in it - it shouldn't, it's fabulous football, but it becomes a little bit dull - somehow unfulfilling.

And then there's the thing they do that's as cynical as anything in the game and that I absolutely hate, where they put eight men in your half, in your final third most of the time, and they use all those bodies to mesmerise, to play the ball around you, to make space and find holes, but then the second that you get a foot into the ball or they lose it, they wrap an arm around a waist or trip someone - just enough for the foul, so that those eight players can all get back into their defensive shape and they can reset - it's infuriating, especially when the worlds cardiest referee decides to give his laminated friends the night off - Mike Dean can be a complete pain in the backside, tonight he was incomplete.

Cancelo should have been booked two or three times, Rodri a couple, Fernandinho a couple and Dias at least once, nothing nasty, just a collection of niggly professional fouls designed to stop an attack before it starts, a pull, a push, a trip or a handball. Drives me potty it does and if there's nothing to stop it, they don't deviate from that plan.

For us I thought Douglas Luiz was outstanding tonight. In a technical game he absolutely stood out, imagination, technique, workrate and responsibility, it was a performance of real stature, in my opinion his best for the club, he was at the centre of everything we did and I thought he was fantastic. 

I thought Cash did well and Mings was pretty good, McGinn looked better as the game went on and Ollie worked very hard. I thought Ashley Young looked good at right wing and okay at left back and I thought Buendia did pretty well second half. 

I think it took us far too long to realise that our centre halves and keeper weren't good enough to play through the City press and I thought we blew a coverage somewhere for the second goal leaving us without any bodies in the middle - which isn't to take away from a wonderful strike from Silva.

The opening five minutes were terrifying and it took us a while to figure out which way was up, but we battled into it and then conceded, which always seems the way, the second goal made things very difficult but we got back into it with a clever set piece - for the whole second half I had a feeling we'd get a point.

Carney Chukwuemeka. Ah boy. Those are the moments that turn great potential into great players. He's got it on target, he's made the keeper work, I'm not taking anything away from him, but oh if that had gone in it would have been lift off. In general play he looked okay and then not okay and then okay again, he's learning, he not quite complete.

And that's us, this side, not quite complete, learning. We showed signs of learning quickly today and there are lots of positives to take from the match. Manchester City, despite Peps claims to the contrary are very much complete - they have balance, talent and know how - and we've given them a decent game in the end even if we couldn't complete a comeback. What we have to do is keep learning, keep developing and move forward. I think there are signs we can do that.

Grealish got five minutes and the reaction was mixed, which I think is a fair reflection of our feelings, he applauded the Holte End after the whistle and blew a kiss, with a smattering of boos alongside the plentiful but lukewarm applause - we're not completely sure how we feel.

Hopefully we've not picked up too many knocks, Bailey didn't look great, Targett looked groggy and both McGinn and Nakamba were limping at the end. We'll need them, and if we have them, bring on Leicester because we're a team on the up even if we're not quite there.