Season 22/23 Target League Position

[villa4europe]

19 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

West Ham finished 7th didn't they....

Antonio could barely hit a barn door from March onwards last season. Still got 10 prem goals and 13 overall. Bowen hit 18 for the season from the wide position. Was giving Benrahma stick the other day, genuinely didn't realise he also hit double figures, 11 in all competitions for a squad player.

By comparison Danny Ings hit 7 goals.

This was all under ultra conservative David Moyes system so if we want to be seriously in shake up for 7th we need a couple of our front 3 players to be hitting double figures tbh across the competitions.

Hopefully with form Bailey is showing in pre season he hits the ground running as he was hitting double figures for Leverkusen across Bundesliga and europa.

So what you're saying is we don't need a better striker we need our wide men to score more

But seriously we do, we need more goals from everywhere

West Ham do make an interesting comparison, Bowen was their top scorer with 12 league goals Ollie got 11 for us

they had 8 league goals from defenders 18 from midfield 21 from wingers 10 from strikers

We had 10 from defenders 20 from midfield, 2 from wingers, 18 from strikers 

You can read that 2 ways, the 2 strikers we have aren't good enough or playing 2 up top doesn't work and we don't get enough out of our attacking players

I lean towards the latter, Watkins is better than Antonio, so is ings IMO but we don't play a system that let's us have the numbers of Bowen or Benrahma 

 

[messi11]

Final Final Final predictions

If Ings and Watkins start together the majority of the games- 12th
If we play 1 up top and get Coutiho, Buendia and Bailey starting together- 7th
 

[Zatman]

18 hours ago, VillaChris said:

West Ham finished 7th didn't they....

Antonio could barely hit a barn door from March onwards last season. Still got 10 prem goals and 13 overall. Bowen hit 18 for the season from the wide position. Was giving Benrahma stick the other day, genuinely didn't realise he also hit double figures, 11 in all competitions for a squad player.

By comparison Danny Ings hit 7 goals.

This was all under ultra conservative David Moyes system so if we want to be seriously in shake up for 7th we need a couple of our front 3 players to be hitting double figures tbh across the competitions.

Hopefully with form Bailey is showing in pre season he hits the ground running as he was hitting double figures for Leverkusen across Bundesliga and europa.

West Ham played about 15 more games than us in fairness

[Zatman]

Probably the best thread for it but interesting and agree with most of it

Quote

Aston Villa

How am I feeling? A bit “meh” actually: the two early high-profile signings were good statements and we seem to have two decent players for every position. Which is all fine and dandy, but I’m not sure the manager was any nearer knowing his best team in May than when he started six months earlier. It’s a big three months for Steven Gerrard: we have a relatively easy start and if we’re 15th in October the natives might just get a bit restless. Top 10 and a cup run would be my idea of a decent season but I sense it’s optimistic.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jul/31/premier-league-2022-23-fan-previews-part-one-arsenal-to-leeds

[Vive_La_Villa]

10 minutes ago, Zatman said:

Probably the best thread for it but interesting and agree with most of it

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jul/31/premier-league-2022-23-fan-previews-part-one-arsenal-to-leeds

This guy has gone with Archer, Coutinho and Watkins as front 3 in his first 11.  I’ve had to dismiss everything else he said because of that.

Edited August 1, 2022 by Vive_La_Villa

[Follyfoot]

On 31/07/2022 at 00:20, messi11 said:

Final Final Final predictions

If Ings and Watkins start together the majority of the games- 12th
If we play 1 up top and get Coutiho, Buendia and Bailey starting together- 7th
 

12th it is then

[MWARLEY2]

Hypothetical and all that but lets say we had Conte as manager. Would everyone on here say that top 7 was achievable .That our squad was good enough ? 

 

[sne]

3 minutes ago, MWARLEY2 said:

Hypothetical and all that but lets say we had Conte as manager. Would everyone on here say that top 7 was achievable .That our squad was good enough ? 

 

Yes.

[MWARLEY2]

Just read the Daily Mail league position preview. Apparently we should have enough to avoid a relegation scrap this season and that there is still something missing from the squad . 

[jim]

43 minutes ago, MWARLEY2 said:

Just read the Daily Mail league position preview. Apparently we should have enough to avoid a relegation scrap this season and that there is still something missing from the squad . 

Vladimir Smicer.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

3 hours ago, sne said:

Yes.

This sounds good on paper or to people who lean that way.

However Conte would want a load of money, and if people are moaning about certain players being " left out " now, they'd be moaning even more, because a load of them would 100 percent be in a " Bomb squad " or shipped out. lol

Other ironies are, wasn't there a rumour of them wanting McGinn?

I don't see how Conte without any signings suddenly makes us guaranteed to be the best after

- Man City

- Arsenal

- Man U

- Chelsea

- Tottenham

- West Ham

 

 

Edited August 1, 2022 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN

[sne]

Just now, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

This sounds good on paper or to people which lean that way.

However Conte would want a load of money, and if people are moaning about certain players being " left out " now, they'd be moaning even more, because a load of them would 100 percent be in a " Bomb squad " or shipped out. lol

Other ironies are, wasn't there a rumour of them wanting McGinn?

 

Not really out of this world to think one of the best managers in the game would get the team to perform on a higher level than Gerrard. No one seriously think Gerrard is already on the level of Conte, right?

Top-7 could be achievable under Conte or any world class manager with the current squad. Certainly would not be a given. 

As for the rest of the post it doesn't really relate to anything I'e posted so no idea.

[MaVilla]

If we dont make any more signings - top 10 aim.

If we make 1 or 2 more quality signings - top 8 aim.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

38 minutes ago, sne said:

Not really out of this world to think one of the best managers in the game would get the team to perform on a higher level than Gerrard. No one seriously think Gerrard is already on the level of Conte, right?

Top-7 could be achievable under Conte or any world class manager with the current squad. Certainly would not be a given. 

As for the rest of the post it doesn't really relate to anything I'e posted so no idea.

I think it's quite straightforward in the sense that Conte has a reputation of always needing to spend money for ready made players to get results now?

You first sentence is simply you playing with a narrative, no one is debating that he could potentially get the team to perform on a higher level than Gerrard, OR that Gerrard is on Contes level.

The debate is more about thinking the squad is all of a sudden good enough for top 7 based on a switch of Manager. All of a sudden players stop giving the ball away and strikers start being clinical etc. lol

I'm also still struggling to see how the rest of my post isn't relevant, as finishing " Top 7 " would require being the best team after the top 6 ( As i assume you mean 7th..surely? )...it's not really complicated is it?

With multiple teams around also with very good squads, some of them arguably more balanced as well.

Where did Brendan Rodgers finish with Leicester? Although i'm sure for arguments sake we'll now decide that we wouldn't take ANY players from the likes of Leicester or other teams around us, as all of ours are much better than them. lol

Edited August 1, 2022 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

23 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

If we dont make any more signings - top 10 aim.

If we make 1 or 2 more quality signings - top 8 aim.

We don't need anymore signings, just another Manager apparently.

Hire Pochettino and we are guaranteed top 6.

Edited August 1, 2022 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN

[sne]

1 minute ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

I think it's quite straightforward in the sense that Conte has a reputation of always needing to spend money for ready made players to get results now?

You first sentence is simply you playing with a narrative, no one is debating that he could potentially get the team to perform on a higher level than Gerrard, OR that Gerrard is on Contes level.

The debate is more about thinking the squad is all of a sudden good enough for top 7 based on a switch of Manager. All of a sudden players stop giving the ball away and strikers start being clinical etc. lol

I'm also still struggling to see how the rest of my post isn't relevant, as finishing " Top 7 " would require being the best team after the top 6...it's not really complicated is it?

With multiple teams around also with very good squads, some of them arguably more balanced as well.

So would it be achievable to reach 7th? Ii think it could be if we got the most out of it, you don't. That's fine.

The whole think hinges on a what if scenario where Conte has agreed to come here to manage Villa. No one is suggesting that Conte would come here.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

2 hours ago, MWARLEY2 said:

Just read the Daily Mail league position preview. Apparently we should have enough to avoid a relegation scrap this season and that there is still something missing from the squad . 

Dean Smith or Conte?

[PieFacE]

4 hours ago, MWARLEY2 said:

Hypothetical and all that but lets say we had Conte as manager. Would everyone on here say that top 7 was achievable .That our squad was good enough ? 

 

Absolutely. 

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

13 minutes ago, sne said:

So would it be achievable to reach 7th? Ii think it could be if we got the most out of it, you don't. That's fine.

The whole think hinges on a what if scenario where Conte has agreed to come here to manage Villa. No one is suggesting that Conte would come here.

Ok let me stop being argumentative, long story short, I don't think the squad is good enough to finish top 7 as it stands, even with Pep Guardiola.

Is it achievable without more signings? Of course it is,  but so is the League title, but multiple stars would have to align for that to be so.

If the team clicks, and we get zero - minimal injuries to key players for the whole season then perhaps.

We are 1 or 2 injuries away from having the same team which often struggled last season.

Granted, a fit and firing Bailey is  a massive boost, but that wasn't the area where our real problems were/are.

Bare in mind, my " prediction " for a " good " season with current squad is 8th, so we are not far off, but i keep stressing that it appears people grossly under estimate the competition. The whole top 10 will be an immense battle IMO

I think we need at least ONE more proper signing to be more confident.

Although, if the current talents we have step up to their level this season, it's a different conversation. This, I don't feel is purely down to any " Manager "

Edited August 1, 2022 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN

[useless]

It's possible to finish top seven under Gerrard, no other team outside of the top six looks clearly ahead of us,

people might say West Ham, but their form for most of last season was worse than ours they just got off to an amazing start which made the difference, acutally their form since early November last season was comfortably bottom half form, they're a little overrated as a team.

Newcastle won't continue the form they showed, second half of last season, they're in a strange position where their form was that good that they probably won't better it no matter who they sign.

Wolves struggled towards the end, haven't done much in the transfer market, talk that their owners are in big trouble, and the aims of the club have changed, their fans very worried.

Leicester haven't strengthened much and showed indifferent form last season, they've done well in recent past, but the kind of team that are one bad transfer window or managerial decision away from going back to being an average midtable team.

All that's not to say we're guaranteed to finish seventh, or should be demanding that that's where we should finish, just that if things go our way it could be achievable, but it shouldn't be the minimum aim, I think minimum aim should top ten, lets at least get our first top half finish in twelve seasons.