Ratings & Reactions: Man City v Villa

[sheepyvillian]

50 minutes ago, TRO said:

I agree Sheepy.....but this has been around for yonks.

Even Roy Keane coming in failed to eradicate it, with Gabby having a benny with him for driving the hard....its been in the DNA for such a long time.

We need to bring in a few players, who can play, but willing to be up for the fight, and make the intensity the rule, rather than the exception.

I watch many other teams in the Prem and we seem way off their tempo, intensity, urgency and physical appetite....The only time we get physical, is when we are fending off challenges, we don't do it proactively.

This team at times ( i.e first half) is puny.

You're right, it's mainly the players who are at fault, however we're not talking about weaknesses that can't be fixed. To go and play against one of the best teams out there, and for the first 45 minutes, give such an insipid performance is just unforgivable. They looked frightened, even Young , with his experience. Digne, inept. Chambers, exposed for what he is, championship level. Konsa, no desire to try and galvanize. Kamara, finding out he still as some way to go. Jacobs, totally anonymous, his perplexed look over the penalty told you everything about our performance. The lad needs to be benched before he loses all his confidence. Bailey, the talent is there, but that miss against the Dingles is still haunting him.

Watkins, the proverbial silver - lining. That finish was sweet and executed with aplomb. There's a humbleness about him and, from yesterday's evidence, a willingness to learn and improve. That's what the coaches need to be instilling in every individual that puts on the jersey. 

We can't progress without self - belief or the commitment and effort to improve and find that consistency which all successful teams have. 

Hopefully Emery can provide those missing ingredients, I believe he can and he will, the real question is how long is it going to take.

 

[sheepyvillian]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

The reason we lost the game, wasn't just because we was playing Man City either.......The traits have been there for some time, even before Emery and Gerrard.

This team needs a Leader, one with steel and an ability to lift the players around him....a character with influence.

The soft under belly, need to be public enemy no1.........in the summer.

Absolutely this.

[The_Steve]

Grealish used his inside leg to generate contact against JJ in the process of tripping himself up 

[est1874]

2 hours ago, ferguson1 said:

Agree. We perhaps could have looked at a Craig Dawson or Ben Mee type as a stop gap in the last window, but didn’t. Without Mings, we’re awful at the back right now.

We certainly have a mentality issue against certain sides or when we concede.

If we'd brought in Ben Mee I'd have chained myself to the goalpost in protest. One of the biggest pieces of shit still playing football in the league that I can think of, which is saying a bit given turds like Ratboy, Greedlish, Maupay and all the alleged rapists and gropers still floating around in it. If Ben Mee was on fire, I'd bring my bellows.

[danceoftheshamen]

19 hours ago, rjw63 said:

Can't we have another category for ultra-wank referees like today? 

Very poor just doesn't cut it. 

I think the missing word is "Corrupt" 

Once again it is a "Favoured 6" team against one of "the other 13" and yet again it was as clear as day he was simply going to give them everything. I lost count of the amount of times their players dived when nobody touched them. DeBruyne & the german bloke were doing it all game... heck they were all at it and every single time he gave them a free kick or whatever.....Meanwhile at the other end of the pitch, our player gets crunched when their defender goes right through him and takes ball man & everything...Nope that's a good tackle apparently. 

So tiniest touch on them it's a freekick or penalty and yet they can go right through us and it's a good tackle.....Yeah alrighty then!

[PaulC]

4 hours ago, TRO said:

Its so, damn obvious, its frustrating.

are you kidding .... there would be uproar, if we brought players like that in....The irony is players above us, have them.

look around the league, other teams have units.....we don't.

I am not saying, every player in our team has to be a unit, thats silly, we we need our fair share and we haven't......we have relied on Mings, for this, just one player, for too long.

We need a Rodri, type player.

 

Maybe we have one who has been  injured most of the season but we need one on the middle of the park. Kamara and Luiz are both good footballers but neither are leaders like Mortimer and that as you say was sadly lacking yesterday. I thought we were very lighweight as a team on the whole. First half was when City were really at it and we outplayed in every aspect of the game. i also didnt get Emery's tactics of Martinez kicking the  the ball up to Bailey and Watkins with nothing sticking. We have gone from the playing it out from the back to the way we used to play. 

Edited February 13, 2023 by PaulC

[TRO]

7 hours ago, Philosopher said:

Always expect City to beat us. However i thought we'd put up a fight. Pep's City don't lose consecutive matches.

 

Mings being out hurt us. Chambers was getting slaughtered out there. He looked.

like a child against Haaland! Digne was absolutely awful again.

 

The ref gave them everything. Jack is Jack. Jack looks awful in that sky blue shirt.

 

I thought Duran would be a big talent and he surely is. That Man City team is actually quite big a strong. Every corner was a worry. Probably needed Donkey as well as Kamara.

 

Second half counts for nothing, game was long done!

 

 

 

Most teams in the Prem are big and strong......they ensure they are, through recruitment.

Brentford, Fulham and Newcastle are too.

We need to address this in the summer.

[TRO]

6 hours ago, AVFCDAN said:

I think most of us did but were possibly blinded by the form under the new manager. It was never going to last unfortunately.

With or without Emery this team isn't quite top half for me.

Very few, have made an issue of it on here, in fact I have been challenged for it.....some have for sure, I accept that.

I was at a funeral today and spoke to many villa fans who all said......weak, soft underbelly.

This has been the case under 3 managers....not blaming UE, but it has gone on for too long....and we keep coming back to it....How long does it continue before we address it?

Its hard to coach, courage, Bravery, desire and a willingness to fight for the ball.....even the press, is a semi press, most of the time.

UE is a top coach, not a miracle worker....we have too many lightweights in the squad versus heavy weights....the balance is out of kilter.

Edited February 13, 2023 by TRO

[TRO]

4 hours ago, est1874 said:

If we'd brought in Ben Mee I'd have chained myself to the goalpost in protest. One of the biggest pieces of shit still playing football in the league that I can think of, which is saying a bit given turds like Ratboy, Greedlish, Maupay and all the alleged rapists and gropers still floating around in it. If Ben Mee was on fire, I'd bring my bellows.

I think you are missing the point, and concentrating on the name, which could be misleading.

It doesn't take a thug, but it does take the mentality of a player who goes after players to win the ball......we have too few of them, in the squad.

 

[fruitvilla]

6 hours ago, The_Steve said:

Grealish used his inside leg to generate contact against JJ in the process of tripping himself up 

Tackles always look so much worse in slow motion.

[TRO]

3 hours ago, PaulC said:

Maybe we have one who has been  injured most of the season but we need one on the middle of the park. Kamara and Luiz are both good footballers but neither are leaders like Mortimer and that as you say was sadly lacking yesterday. I thought we were very lighweight as a team on the whole. First half was when City were really at it and we outplayed in every aspect of the game. i also didnt get Emery's tactics of Martinez kicking the  the ball up to Bailey and Watkins with nothing sticking. We have gone from the playing it out from the back to the way we used to play. 

All the managers have been searching for answers Paul, hence they change things, when they don't work.

We are lightweight as a team and those second half subs impoved in that sense, with McGinn and Duran adding a bit of physicality.

We find it hard to stop marauding raiders in midfield....we have also been caught out with long balls, over the top, by several teams this season.

I think some of the players are reverting back to type.

[stewiek2]

8 hours ago, The_Steve said:

Grealish used his inside leg to generate contact against JJ in the process of tripping himself up 

So what you're saying is that Jack initiated contact, not the other way around and should have been a free kick for a foul on JJ?

[The_Steve]

2 hours ago, stewiek2 said:

So what you're saying is that Jack initiated contact, not the other way around and should have been a free kick for a foul on JJ?

No, the point is simple: contact doesn’t mean foul. JJ pulls his arm but it’s not enough for Jack to tumble how he did - what makes him tumble is how he brings his leg across to get the touch from JJ’s shin. A braver, competent ref ignores his pleas and tells him to get up. 

[gwi1890]

10 hours ago, The_Steve said:

Grealish used his inside leg to generate contact against JJ in the process of tripping himself up 

And Gary Neville with his annoying ooowwwwww. I’m almost certain VAR have live feed of commentary. That should have been a booking for simulation , remember when he was actually fouled vs palace when he played for us and got booked?  

[danceoftheshamen]

16 hours ago, The_Steve said:

A braver, competent ref ignores his pleas and tells him to get up. 

Or “A ref adjudging the exact same scenario with the teams reversed ignores his pleas and tells him to get up” is probably more accurate 

[TomC]

On 12/02/2023 at 16:54, est1874 said:

It's not about him, again, it's the players. They have shown they're not capable of playing his style of football. He's a very good coach, but look at the best coaches in football and look at the players at their disposal. Emery will achieve nothing with the squad we currently have. It's just not possible in this ruthless league where teams will cheat and steal and overspend.

Look at our team on paper and tell me it's capable of a top 10 finish. There's a reason we've consistently finished bottom half, even with one of the best players in the league - very few of the rest were/are capable of competing at that level.

Of course we're capable of a top 10 finish, even from where we are. And what if we had had Unai from day one? Even if we lose to Arsenal, 16 points in 10 PL matches (a stretch including 5 of the Sky 6) is 61 points over a season. The last 5 seasons that would be (reverse order) 6th, 8th, 6th, 7th, 7th place.

We lost to Leicester because of a few individual errors and to Man City on one of their good days because of a few more individual errors, and now everyone's in a panic. Ashley Young getting caught ball-watching twice has nothing to do with Unai's tactics. He had a bad game.

Please, have some patience! Not capable of playing his style of football? Nonsense. He's already benched or sold most of the players who can't.