Ratings & Reactions: Southampton v Villa

[HKP90]

4 hours ago, Brumstopdogs said:

The guys are happy...

 

I'm genuinely starting to think that despite the manner of his leaving the first time, Ashley Young is on the way to Villa legendhood.

[Lochheads twin]

Well MOTD’s 5 minute highlights hardly reflect the balance of the game

never mind, we won in the real world!

[MrBlack]

Just now, Lochheads twin said:

Well MOTD’s 5 minute highlights hardly reflect the balance of the game

never mind, we won in the real world!

Indeed.  Looked nothing like the match I've seen described here. Bailey looking his wasteful self in it,  Southampton coming across looking hard done by, despite having 1xg less than us. 

[Annoyman]

At least Simon Brotherton didn't mess around with manufacturing controversy over the disallowed goal

[beasley14]

10 minutes ago, Lochheads twin said:

Well MOTD’s 5 minute highlights hardly reflect the balance of the game

never mind, we won in the real world!

Tactically ignored our 9 shots in the first half, managed to get Armstong making a run though.

[briny_ear]

Just watched MOTD and I think the editing favoured Southampton somewhat given what I was seeing reported online this afternoon. 

Pretty clear that Martinez was MOTM though.

Good to see Ollie acknowledging that the onus is on him to score more goals now Ings has gone, and vowing to do so. Maybe Danny’s departure will actually be good for him.

Edited January 21, 2023 by briny_ear

[fruitvilla]

9 minutes ago, briny_ear said:

Just watched MOTD and I think the editing favoured Southampton somewhat given what I was seeing reported online this afternoon. 

Pretty clear that Martinez was MOTM though.

Good to see Ollie acknowledging that the onus is on him to score more goals now Ings has gone, a vowing to do so. Maybe Danny’s departure will actually be good for him.

I just went to Villa's bite-sized highlights ... they too had mainly Southampton's highlights.

[6065_Villa]

Great 3 points, thought the ref did well and got their goal rightly chalked off for the studs on JJ's ankle.

3 wins away on the bounce, more possession and chances created than previously 100℅ heading in the right direction.

UTV

[sheepyvillian]

I thought we lacked cohesion today and for all our possession we didn't really offer much of a goal threat, but, another three points on the road, you can't complain too much. I look forward to when Emery has got his full stamp on this side. I've a feeling we're heading upwards. 

[sheepyvillian]

6 hours ago, fruitvilla said:

I agree ...  but last week there was that judo throw on Gnonto by Mings  

But that didn't involve a goal having to be checked. It wasn't scrutinised the way today's incident was, otherwise they may well have been rewarded with a penalty. 

[FLVillan]

Watched it live and just watched the extended highlights again.  How anyone can say we were lucky or that Southampton were unlucky is beyond me.  The foul on Ramsey in the build up to the VAR-disallowed goal was blatant.  The ball was going straight to where Ramsey was positioned to head it clear until the Southampton player shoved him and stood on his achilles.  Even in real time I said it was a foul.  It was only the incompetence of the referee that led to him needing a VAR review.

 In the 90 minutes we created far more chances and on another day could have been 2 or 3 goals clear.  The Buendia shot, the Kamara header, the Moreno effort, the Ramsey shot and yet another air-shot by Bailey all spring to mind.  They had a purple patch for about 15 minutes in the second half and Martinez made two decent saves.  There were a few passages of play that were brilliant one-touch passing moves that had Southampton at sixes and sevens.  

The only worry I had was Moreno was struggling defensively and they were definitely targeting that side in the second half after moving Ward-Prowse deeper.  I think its going to take him a few more games to get up to the pace and physicality of the league.  Southampton threw the kitchen sink at us in the second half, but we didn't panic and saw the game out relatively comfortably.  

My better-half always asks me why I don't celebrate when we score and I have to remind her that I've endured decades of Villa sides who will find a way to capitulate in those types of situations and ruin my week.  Today I jumped up when we scored as Unai is bringing a sense of optimism and confidence about Aston Villa that I haven't felt in a very very long time!

Edited January 22, 2023 by FLVillan
accuracy

[TheMightyVillans]

1 hour ago, FLVillan said:

Watched it live and just watched the extended highlights again.  How anyone can say we were lucky or that Southampton were unlucky is beyond me.  The foul on Ramsey in the build up to the VAR-disallowed goal was blatant.  The ball was going straight to where Ramsey was positioned to head it clear until the Southampton player shoved him and stood on his achilles.  Even in real time I said it was a foul.  It was only the incompetence of the referee that led to him needing a VAR review.

 In the 90 minutes we created far more chances and on another day could have been 2 or 3 goals clear.  The Buendia shot, the Kamara header, the Moreno effort, the Ramsey shot and yet another air-shot by Bailey all spring to mind.  They had a purple patch for about 15 minutes in the second half and Martinez made two decent saves.  There were a few passages of play that were brilliant one-touch passing moves that had Southampton at sixes and sevens.  

The only worry I had was Moreno was struggling defensively and they were definitely targeting that side in the second half after moving Ward-Prowse deeper.  I think its going to take him a few more games to get up to the pace and physicality of the league.  Southampton threw the kitchen sink at us in the second half, but we didn't panic and saw the game out relatively comfortably.  

My better-half always asks me why I don't celebrate when we score and I have to remind her that I've endured decades of Villa sides who will find a way to capitulate in those types of situations and ruin my week.  Today I jumped up when we scored as Unai is bringing a sense of optimism and confidence about Aston Villa that I haven't felt in a very very long time!

Yep we had plenty of chances in the first half and also should have had 1 pen. Take those chances and we go into half time 2-0 up and southampton have no hope of getting something out of the game with how we are defending at the moment. We were in control for probably 80% of the match. Even after we scored we looked comfortable. didn't feel nervous watching the last 10 minutes.

Crucial we sign some attacking competition. At the moment bailey starts whether he performs good or bad. For someone as hot and cold as him we really need more options. 

 

[tinker]

I don't bother to watch match of the day and the BBC news coverage of us is hopeless. I watched the whole 90 minutes and we was dominant, our left side was our weak area but that was due to Southampton having their most effective player there and doubling up. Moreno did well under the circumstances. 

Emery will force them to take notice though, he's building a team that is improving every game, unbelievable tbh. The way we controlled large parts of this game is something I haven't seen from villa for decades. UTV 

[S-Platt]

I watched the game and was impressed.

For me the evidence is there that Unai will get it right.

From a just a few months the change is amazing.

There will be blips like Stevenage but I put that down to the players not the system.

Watching the game I thought the gameplan and play is there to see its now getting the players to play it.   If the present ones cannot I trust Unai to find ones that can.

Exciting times ahead

UTV

[The_Steve]

Caught the highlights and surprised JJ doesn't get this pen

JJ was clearly fouled on his ankle then pushed. But yes, Southampton were "robbed".

[gaffer85]

17 hours ago, romavillan said:

Now that was precisely the type of game we'd have been stuffed in before Emery. Southampton very much on the rise at their place, made to suffer but look at the possession and the number of chances we had. What Emery is doing is working, 

We were not at our best, but we got 3 points away from home for the third game in a row. He's got 15 points from 7 games with a group of players that a lot of people were saying were rubbish. It's pretty clear we need competition for Bailey, it might actually help Bailey up his game. Same is true for Watkins and seeing as Coutinho has retired mentally it seems we need a proper 10 as well. So that's 3 out of 4 forward positions we need to look at. 

Moreno I like a lot, he suits how Emery wants to play down that side perfectly. Konsa and Mings look a great pairing again, Young has been incredible under Emery but we need a young Young now.

Excellent in the middle without either Luiz or Kamara seeming to pull up any trees, first half we bossed the midfield without breaking a sweat. Martinez man of the match though, with a different goalkeeper we lose that by a couple of goals seeing as we didn't take enough of our chances.

15 points from 21 is an astonishing acheivement.

It's actually 16 points which is obviously even better

[TRO]

16 hours ago, Teale's 'tache said:

My stream was a bit in and out so I may of missed a few bits here and there, but I thought we played quite well, in terms of what an away performance should be.

We controlled the first half, I think Emery would of enjoyed seeing that control, the keeping the ball, working the Southampton players, making them chase it down. In the second half we lost control, but stayed in the game and in the end managed to scrape a win.

I'd rather be missing opportunities than failing to create any, our play in the final third still needs some work, but there's progress and it only takes a new player to come in or someone like Bailey to find a hot streak and we'll really be in business.

There's progress everywhere you look, we're much harder to beat, mentally tougher, we have multiple plans of attack and a confidence on the ball that was missing before, we can dictate games for a period of time, we've never really had that since promotion, we are really starting to look like a good team.

This was an obvious banana skin that Villa teams of old would of happily slipped on.

There's still work to do, but the progress is such a short time is really encouraging.

Puuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Edited January 22, 2023 by TRO

[TRO]

1 minute ago, TRO said:

 

I have been waiting a long time for these type of performances.

[blandy]

5 minutes ago, TRO said:

Puuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

The “mentally tougher” thing is (IMO) not at all the right phrase or analysis. I completely get the “harder to beat” aspect, but in terms of players mental toughness I think it’s a complete misnomer. They are the same humans they were in November under the previous manager. They have the same brains and so on. They haven’t changed their inherent mental characteristics from weak to tough, or whatever. It’s nonsense. They weren’t weak people, mentally, before. What’s changed is they have been given, both collectively and individually, better plans, better coaching, better tactics, better organisation and as a consequence have confidence and belief in what they are asked to do.  People might say I’m quibbling over terminology, but I think it’s important to identify what has actually changed. To me people saying “oh, this player or that player is mentally weak” is almost always wrong. To me it’s all about embedded belief in what they are doing. If people believe in their task they do it better than if they have doubts in it, or lack evidence that it will be successful. It’s down to the coaches and manager to provide the framework and then the team to work together to apply their skills and efforts to following the plans they’ve been given. And when they do, confidence rises and reinforces the whole thing, until or unless complacency sets in.

TL:DR it’s not mental characteristics, it’s belief in the plan that’s changed

[TRO]

15 minutes ago, blandy said:

The “mentally tougher” thing is (IMO) not at all the right phrase or analysis. I completely get the “harder to beat” aspect, but in terms of players mental toughness I think it’s a complete misnomer. They are the same humans they were in November under the previous manager. They have the same brains and so on. They haven’t changed their inherent mental characteristics from weak to tough, or whatever. It’s nonsense. They weren’t weak people, mentally, before. What’s changed is they have been given, both collectively and individually, better plans, better coaching, better tactics, better organisation and as a consequence have confidence and belief in what they are asked to do.  People might say I’m quibbling over terminology, but I think it’s important to identify what has actually changed. To me people saying “oh, this player or that player is mentally weak” is almost always wrong. To me it’s all about embedded belief in what they are doing. If people believe in their task they do it better than if they have doubts in it, or lack evidence that it will be successful. It’s down to the coaches and manager to provide the framework and then the team to work together to apply their skills and efforts to following the plans they’ve been given. And when they do, confidence rises and reinforces the whole thing, until or unless complacency sets in.

TL:DR it’s not mental characteristics, it’s belief in the plan that’s changed

I don't think anyone is saying that Pete......and I think you might be right, quibbling over terminology.

Motivation, can have a huge effect on all this, and that can be construed as mentality...Confidence equally is intrinsically linked to mentality.......and the managers driving demands can also be a stimulant to mental approach from the players.

I think you are talking in a slightly different context, 

The changes you cite are correct, and that all has a knock on effect to the players motivation....and that can be seen as mentally stronger. In Its interpretation

If you are saying their mental state of mind is being questioned, you would be right......but I think the references are aimed a different things.