Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Arsenal

[Zatman]

3 hours ago, BleedClaretAndBlue said:

 

This was a disgrace, to sum up the shit referee Cash made a tackle late on vs I think Smith Rowe that was worse and no card 

[Five Ken McNaughts]

[Five Ken McNaughts]

According to Arsenal fans we are looking at a straight red card offence here... Wow.

Edited March 20, 2022 by Five Ken McNaughts

[SimplyTheBez]

1 hour ago, Five Ken McNaughts said:

According to Arsenal fans we are looking at a straight red card offence here... Wow.

I know a few Arsenal fans and they have been saying how dirty we are. Genuinely surprised as I think we are possibly the least dirty team. Am I being one eyed? I go to the games, so didn't hear the BT commentary and analysis yesterday, but I can imagine it would have been heavily biased towards our darlings of the media from London opposition, and I can only think that what they've heard from the totally impartial pundits and commentary team has made them think we're dirty! All I saw was yet another weak and inept refereeing performance giving everything to the team that moans and rolls around the most i.e. never us!

[flashingqwerty]

In a game where you know you are going to have a very small percentage of possession, why play 2 guys in Coutinho and Buendia who offer pretty much nothing off the ball?  Massive error in judgement from Gerrard.

Couple that with the fact that the team was clearly instructed to sit back and not employ a high press and that's 2 huge errors from Gerrard.

Not the first time he has made these mistakes - he needs to start learning if he wants a job beyond Christmas.  

Positive changes 2nd half, we looked far better with wingers and Ings up top.  But still not good enough.

McGinn in particular for me gave away possession in dangerous areas multiple times and failed to impose himself on the game.  Ramsey was also poor.  I still am mystified how neither of them have been rested given the options we have at CM.

All in all, for me, Gerrard more than individual players cost us the game.  I think he set us up wrong, wrong formation and wrong lineup.  Took him way too long to change it.

[VillaChris]

20 hours ago, TRO said:

That was one of the worst displays from a centre forward, I have seen for some time.

The lack of physical challenge, is breath taking.

My god, their centre backs must have thought they was playing against our academy......That was a faint -hearted effort, if ever I saw one.

I can put up with a striker not scoring, to a point........but that offering, NO.

Ollie was bad no doubt. However he wasn't the worst at holding it up on the pitch as every time I see Nkeiteh I find it incredible how bad his hold up play was.

Really hope he's not someone on our radar as would be massive waste of money.

[VillaChris]

19 minutes ago, flashingqwerty said:

In a game where you know you are going to have a very small percentage of possession, why play 2 guys in Coutinho and Buendia who offer pretty much nothing off the ball?  Massive error in judgement from Gerrard.

Couple that with the fact that the team was clearly instructed to sit back and not employ a high press and that's 2 huge errors from Gerrard.

Not the first time he has made these mistakes - he needs to start learning if he wants a job beyond Christmas.  

Positive changes 2nd half, we looked far better with wingers and Ings up top.  But still not good enough.

McGinn in particular for me gave away possession in dangerous areas multiple times and failed to impose himself on the game.  Ramsey was also poor.  I still am mystified how neither of them have been rested given the options we have at CM.

All in all, for me, Gerrard more than individual players cost us the game.  I think he set us up wrong, wrong formation and wrong lineup.  Took him way too long to change it.

Buendia's pressing stats were off the scale at Norwich weren't they?

Coutinho can track back but that's not why we've signed him, it's for bits of magic in final third which he's shown over last month. Also had our only serious shot on target yesterday right at the end, he hits it top corner and again it's him impacting massively on the game.

[Louis]

Very naff game. That said.

[CLARETANDBLUEFOXY]

Pisses me off more that Targett pushed to leave. Could have done with him this weekend but as he said in a recent interview- he didn’t want to fight for his spot, he just wants to play. Sad really he has that attitude because Young and his Zimmer frame just can’t do it anymore. 

[TRO]

On 20/03/2022 at 09:08, skell said:

To be fair we did against Manchester United. I think we have fight in the team, we lack confidence going forward as players like McGinn and watkins are not technically good enough. As a result we are more.withdrawn knowing the ball will change ha ds quickly 

I thought we had spirit against Southampton by why the sudden change, in mentality and intensity.....if they can do it in one game, why not more.

Arsenal had an arduous game in mid week, but they "looked up for it" more than we did......we just stood off.

[TRO]

19 hours ago, VillaChris said:

Ollie was bad no doubt. However he wasn't the worst at holding it up on the pitch as every time I see Nkeiteh I find it incredible how bad his hold up play was.

Really hope he's not someone on our radar as would be massive waste of money.

Its not just Holding it up Chris, its the timid, non challenging that irks me.

I accept that strikers have various ways of working....e.g Lukaku uses power....Vardy uses pace and IQ.

Ollie right now is just a passive forward, running around, with no fire in his Belly....His runs have no conviction, they lack intent.

I was also confused to who he was waving to when he was coming out of the tunnel, it seemed in the direction of the Arsenal fans.

Edited March 21, 2022 by TRO

[OutByEaster?]

28 minutes ago, TRO said:

Arsenal had an arduous game in mid week, but they "looked up for it" more than we did......we just stood off.

I agree - I thought particularly at the start we seemed really timid, showed them far too much respect and spent the first half like a team hoping not to get badly beaten.

It's clear from his comments after the game that that's not come from the manager, it's a mentality thing and in the second half when we were behind and a little more reckless we were much the better for it. I thought in the first half we didn't get enough bodies forward tp support Watkins and he seemed completely unable to control balls up to him when he was on his own - we need to braver and that means the fullbacks getting forward, Ramsey running beyond Coutinho and Buendia and McGinn getting into supporting positions - we started the game with a safety-first mindset and took seventy minutes to come out of our shell. 

Gerrard has shown that he can see a problem and change it (our defensive shape and positioning after the Leeds game is the example in my mind) it'll be interesting to see how aggressively we open our next game against a quality opposition.

 

[TRO]

33 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

I agree - I thought particularly at the start we seemed really timid, showed them far too much respect and spent the first half like a team hoping not to get badly beaten.

It's clear from his comments after the game that that's not come from the manager, it's a mentality thing and in the second half when we were behind and a little more reckless we were much the better for it. I thought in the first half we didn't get enough bodies forward tp support Watkins and he seemed completely unable to control balls up to him when he was on his own - we need to braver and that means the fullbacks getting forward, Ramsey running beyond Coutinho and Buendia and McGinn getting into supporting positions - we started the game with a safety-first mindset and took seventy minutes to come out of our shell. 

Gerrard has shown that he can see a problem and change it (our defensive shape and positioning after the Leeds game is the example in my mind) it'll be interesting to see how aggressively we open our next game against a quality opposition.

 

I agree, with all of that, too.

I accept, that we should have got forward more, but how can we, when our ball control is so iffy, and it takes several attempts to control the damn thing...then the indecision of where to put it kicks in ,then the customary, challenge robs us of possession.....clumsy play = giving it away.

McGinn was a prime culprit, he looks ungainly at times....conversely, their passing was crisp, sharp  and concise.....their running off the ball was organised.

When the ball control is lumpy, when the passes go astray, or require a stretch or a run back to get it......confidence, gets tested.

When players fail to close down or press adequately, or show indecision in moving the ball quickly, the initiative, is passed to the opposition....our off the ball performance was even worse, no chasing down or negating the opposition from close quarters.

I am tempted to join in and blame a poor ref.....which he was, well he was for us, his decisions seemed biased, but a slick team, will always get the benefit of the doubt from a poor ref.

We have to help ourselves, to become less passive and more forthright.

The debacle against Wolves, was no one -off as some tried to cling to........That lily livered display that day, is still in our DNA....it lurks beneath the surface, like a Herpes virus, rearing its ugly head on certain days.

SG has a job on his hands in injecting the sort of mentality, in to this team, that he himself had......I fear he needs some help on the pitch......I am expecting more games like Saturday, irrespective of the line up, formation, tactics, call it what you will.

Its hard to set up any game plan, when the individual quality is poor.

 

Edited March 21, 2022 by TRO

[danceoftheshamen]

Sadly for me that defeat and shocking performance was on Gerrard.

As soon as we saw the line up me & my daughter said "Oh great, it's Newcastle & Watford all over again so no shots on target it is then" ..... Guess what! 

Why on Earth would you revert to a system which had brought zero points along with embarrassing & completely toothless performances against some of the worst teams in the division?

It seems SG is determined to play this 2 x no.10s but it is just awful in my opinion. If it didn't work against the bottom teams on what planet would it work against one pushing for top 4? It's a horrid, sterile formation. No wonder the players lack belief in it!

[danceoftheshamen]

2 hours ago, TRO said:

I thought we had spirit against Southampton by why the sudden change, in mentality and intensity.....if they can do it in one game, why not more.

Arsenal had an arduous game in mid week, but they "looked up for it" more than we did......we just stood off.

It was down to that ridiculous two number 10's formation in my view. Buendia & Coutinho are tiny so we immediately lose any duels in the air plus lose the physical battle in the middle, especially with Ramsey having a poor game too. So we effectively were chasing shadows in midfield and then when they did get possession you only have Watkins up top to hit who was surrounded by three or four players all game. With no wingers either and Digne missing we were completely toothless with the only threat coming from set pieces.

[TRO]

2 minutes ago, danceoftheshamen said:

It was down to that ridiculous two number 10's formation in my view. Buendia & Coutinho are tiny so we immediately lose any duels in the air plus lose the physical battle in the middle, especially with Ramsey having a poor game too. So we effectively were chasing shadows in midfield and then when they did get possession you only have Watkins up top to hit who was surrounded by three or four players all game. With no wingers either and Digne missing we were completely toothless with the only threat coming from set pieces.

so, I ask the question?

Is it the 2 x 10's that are at fault.......or the stature of them, because for me, the whole team, outside of Mings is not exactly bustling with stature.

I agree with you by the way, in the sense of stature.......but when the wingers did eventually arrive, I seen maginal difference, and they were so easily negated.

[TRO]

14 minutes ago, danceoftheshamen said:

Sadly for me that defeat and shocking performance was on Gerrard.

As soon as we saw the line up me & my daughter said "Oh great, it's Newcastle & Watford all over again so no shots on target it is then" ..... Guess what! 

Why on Earth would you revert to a system which had brought zero points along with embarrassing & completely toothless performances against some of the worst teams in the division?

It seems SG is determined to play this 2 x no.10s but it is just awful in my opinion. If it didn't work against the bottom teams on what planet would it work against one pushing for top 4? It's a horrid, sterile formation. No wonder the players lack belief in it!

I don't know what is in his head and don't profess to know......but maybe he is having the same problem as Dean Smith, trying to keep happy, players who are questionable in the team, no matter what system he chooses.

Bailey, Buendia, Traore, Sanson are all playing beneath their performances that they mustered at their previous clubs.....so searching to find their form is inevitable.

When the wingers did come on, it wasn't like a massive shift, from bad to good......because they was just negated.....and for me they offered no threat at all.

When I go down to the game, I am not enamered, by any permutation of the line -up....because I am hardened to the notion, it won't make any difference to the main issue, and switching players around just camouflages, it all....but I am aware it keeps the natives happy and content in the hope we find something.

Even when we win, bar the odd occasion, we don't control the game, so the issues are just shelved, not gone away.......we just counter and score goals in special moments.......We are a "special moments" team......We frighten no one.

 

[TRO]

I see a team, that should it move dramatically, is more likely to drift down, than up.

[danceoftheshamen]

5 minutes ago, TRO said:

so, I ask the question?

Is it the 2 x 10's that are at fault.......or the stature of them, because for me, the whole team, outside of Mings is not exactly bustling with stature.

I agree with you by the way, in the sense of stature.......but when the wingers did eventually arrive, I seen maginal difference, and they were so easily negated.

Well for me they are just too small as a combo and therefore we surrender any high balls and the physical battle (& thus a lot of possession) immediately. Neither are very quick either. It would be ok maybe if they had a tough general backing them up, that midfield enforcer which i know you long for Tro (& i agree wholeheartedly). I just think it doesn't suit anyones game up front either. Watkins is not able to shirk 3 markers as his game is more about physicality than speed so he simply gets bogged down in that system making us toothless. 

[TRO]

1 minute ago, danceoftheshamen said:

Well for me they are just too small as a combo and therefore we surrender any high balls and the physical battle (& thus a lot of possession) immediately. Neither are very quick either. It would be ok maybe if they had a tough general backing them up, that midfield enforcer which i know you long for Tro (& i agree wholeheartedly). I just think it doesn't suit anyones game up front either. Watkins is not able to shirk 3 markers as his game is more about physicality than speed so he simply gets bogged down in that system making us toothless. 

I know you do.

but the problem is, it won't go away.......and no manager can make it go away.

I knew it would eventually cost Dean Smith his job....and I still think ultimately it did....and Unchecked, it will cost Steven Gerrard his job.

SG at least has time to fix it.

Trouble is, its like a hole in a sock, it's just got bigger and spread....now its like this is who we are.

I am not able to give excuses for Watkins, because another striker with fire in his belly, would have given at lease one of them a hard time.....White, was as comfortable as sitting on a gondola in venice, being serenaded......Ollie never went near him or Gabriel, he just accepted too easily a bad day for the team.