Ratings & Reactions: Liverpool v Villa

[IrishVilla10]

1 hour ago, Demitri_C said:

Feel massively sorry for unai. The players shamed him today with that diabolical performance. 

Emerys responsible for the majority of that performance, didn’t learn from Newcastle. Hopefully that’s the last time 

[foreveryoung]

Just now, IrishVilla10 said:

Emerys responsible for the majority of that performance, didn’t learn from Newcastle. Hopefully that’s the last time 

I don't think so, most of the players were poor today, couldn't even see anything from Watkins or McGinn. 

The system works, but if the players don't work hard, like today, it fails.

[briny_ear]

1 hour ago, Aston_Villan4 said:

What exactly is so funny about that? Is he above criticism because he’s a new signing? All the sane posters aren’t writing him off, just acknowledging he was terrible today. Does that really not make sense to you?

@jackbauer was trying to persuade me that most posters think he will come good whereas all I could see was scapegoating. I think you forgot to add in the bit about how you are sure he will come good.

[IrishVilla10]

4 minutes ago, foreveryoung said:

I don't think so, most of the players were poor today, couldn't even see anything from Watkins or McGinn. 

The system works, but if the players don't work hard, like today, it fails.

You can’t allow sit back against Liverpool and allow them to play through us though, we did the same against Newcastle and the exact same thing happened. The system works against lesser opposition, I said after Newcastle we’re naive if we think we can play against the better teams in the league like that and it’s been proven again 

[AVTuco]

Duran motm for the stare and the laughs.

Can't keep the ball and dominate -> loss.

This is our level.

[foreveryoung]

Just now, IrishVilla10 said:

You can’t allow sit back against Liverpool and allow them to play through us though, we did the same against Newcastle and the exact same thing happened. The system works against lesser opposition, I said after Newcastle we’re naive if we think we can play against the better teams in the league like that and it’s been proven again 

So Unai is naive you mean

 

[striker]

1 hour ago, RicRic said:

Luiz a 5 come on have some respect 

What is it about Luiz that makes most on here blind to the fact that whenever he plays against decent midfielders he almost always is second best! A vastly overrated player alongside the rest of Villa’s starting midfield!

Anyway, back to the game.

High line against Liverpool is absolute suicide as it was against Newcastle. The thing is I don’t feel Emery will change it. He was hated at Arsenal for it yet kept playing it with better players than Villa have.

You simply cannot play such a high line against the top six. All have players that can play defence splitting passes to players with pace to burn. Couple that with playing a defender who has no pace and the turning speed of a tanker then you are setting up to be on the end of a hiding. Torres needs to play in a deep lying back four to get the best out of him.

I watched Villa in pre-season. Philogene stood out an absolute mile for me. Quick, direct, hungry and aware of his defensive duties. Looked a real player.

Rather than play him in the first game Villa ended up selling him. Why the Jesus give him plenty of playing time in pre-season where he excelled then drop him? No wonder he wanted away! Would have exposed that poor Liverpool back four today.

A reality check then for those mentioning possible Champions League qualification and questioning why one or two of the Villa players  were passed over for international selection.

I also had a quiet chuckle to myself when I read on here posters congratulating the club on keeping Villa’s best players.

Could it be that there was no interest in the likes of the much lauded Luiz, McGinn, Kamara and Watkins for a reason?

[IrishVilla10]

3 minutes ago, foreveryoung said:

So Unai is naive you mean

 

Naive to think we could go out and play the same way we did against Newcastle yes. That’s how he set us up

[ferguson1]

To be honest, I blame Olsen! He just sat on that bench and just watched those three goals in. Upgrade needed. 

[rjw63]

18 minutes ago, Keener window-cleaner said:

 The amount of times they caught us with balls behind

[Demitri_C]

23 minutes ago, IrishVilla10 said:

Emerys responsible for the majority of that performance, didn’t learn from Newcastle. Hopefully that’s the last time 

I disagree. The players were pooe and just gave up. That mental fragile mentality is slowly creeping back in. It looks to me like we are lacking leadership on the pitch which for me is a massive worry

[ozvilla28]

1 minute ago, Demitri_C said:

I disagree. The players were pooe and just gave up. That mental fragile mentality is slowly creeping back in. It looks to me like we are lacking leadership on the pitch which for me is a massive worry

agree, like they got stage freight.No one grabbed game and lend by example all went in there shell.

[Adam2003]

Meh. Not happy with that or with Newcastle. But if you offered me six points and comfortable qualification for the group in Europe by the international break I’d have taken it. So par for this season so far.

[IrishVilla10]

14 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

I disagree. The players were pooe and just gave up. That mental fragile mentality is slowly creeping back in. It looks to me like we are lacking leadership on the pitch which for me is a massive worry

Poor or set up to sit deep, allow Liverpool time on the ball with superior players and just out played. Hard work starts from pressing higher up the pitch which we seem reluctant to do, and any quality teams going to benefit playing against it. 

Edited September 3, 2023 by IrishVilla10

[IrishVilla10]

15 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

I disagree. The players were pooe and just gave up. That mental fragile mentality is slowly creeping back in. It looks to me like we are lacking leadership on the pitch which for me is a massive worry

And just to add did we give up against Newcastle too then? What takes the blame for that result? We played the exact same way and they put 5 past us. For all the praise I’ll give Emery when its clear our tactics caused us problems it needs to be called out too 

[Lerner's Driver]

2 minutes ago, IrishVilla10 said:

Poor or set up to sit deep, allow Liverpool time on the ball with superior players and just out played. Hard work starts from pressing higher up the pitch which we seem reluctant to do, and any quality teams going to benefit playing against it. 

This.

[lexicon]

20 minutes ago, ozvilla28 said:

agree, like they got stage freight.No one grabbed game and lend by example all went in there shell.

It's times like these that you look to your captain to lead by example but McGinn was nowhere to be seen (except for missing a relatively simple shot). 

[Marka Ragnos]

Well, no players should ever be scapegoated. What an odd term to use in professional sport fan context, anyway. I mean, it's from the Bible. It carries a lot of moralism & very harsh, gouge-out-your-eyes judgment.

I don't want to be grouped into some "camp" if I want to critique a player's playing or unprofessional behavior. Why do people feel so compelled to create little imagined fan factions? This is a Villa fan forum, right? It's kind of the raison d'etre of the thing, isn't it? It's not Putin's Russia. Based on what I saw and read today, I have some legit concerns about unprofessional behavior among a couple players. It's no big deal. Doesn't mean I "hate" them or think they should be axed or sold or any of that bullshit. Surely there's a range of critique allowed where every criticism isn't somehow evidence of some kind of deeper disrespect or betrayal or, conversely, that praise means we need to canonise someone.

Edited September 3, 2023 by Marka Ragnos

[duke313]

50 minutes ago, striker said:

What is it about Luiz that makes most on here blind to the fact that whenever he plays against decent midfielders he almost always is second best! A vastly overrated player alongside the rest of Villa’s starting midfield!

Anyway, back to the game.

High line against Liverpool is absolute suicide as it was against Newcastle. The thing is I don’t feel Emery will change it. He was hated at Arsenal for it yet kept playing it with better players than Villa have.

You simply cannot play such a high line against the top six. All have players that can play defence splitting passes to players with pace to burn. Couple that with playing a defender who has no pace and the turning speed of a tanker then you are setting up to be on the end of a hiding. Torres needs to play in a deep lying back four to get the best out of him.

I watched Villa in pre-season. Philogene stood out an absolute mile for me. Quick, direct, hungry and aware of his defensive duties. Looked a real player.

Rather than play him in the first game Villa ended up selling him. Why the Jesus give him plenty of playing time in pre-season where he excelled then drop him? No wonder he wanted away! Would have exposed that poor Liverpool back four today.

A reality check then for those mentioning possible Champions League qualification and questioning why one or two of the Villa players  were passed over for international selection.

I also had a quiet chuckle to myself when I read on here posters congratulating the club on keeping Villa’s best players.

Could it be that there was no interest in the likes of the much lauded Luiz, McGinn, Kamara and Watkins for a reason?

Luiz was probably our best player today, certainly one of the few that comes away from that game with little criticism. You seem to ignore all his performances last season in the wins against United, Brighton x2, Spurs x2, Newcastle and the draw with Liverpool. I suppose it’s because they don’t suit your narrative.

[Leeroy]

Absolute shite to be honest. For all the good Unai has done for us, playing that high line against top teams with runners in behind, away from home, is stupid. He must see this surely.

 

Yes, we can't sit back for the whole game against a side like Liverpool and hope to nick a 0-0, but there has to be a balance. The fact he doesn't alter it during games is also a huge concern. At minute 70 or so, another ball over the top put Salah clean through. He seems to be ultra stubborn in his approach with this.

 

We just look like flat track bullies this season. Batter the teams we are expected to beat, but get battered by the teams we are not expected to beat. Hence our goal difference of -1 right now. If we lost to Newcastle and Liverpool, but kept it tight and were hard to beat, I'd be ok with that. It was just far too easy for both teams.

 

Our games do get easier and we have had a relatively tough start with three away games out for four, so perspective is needed, but I have not liked what I have seen in the Newcastle and Liverpool games. Unai must adapt for these types of games or he will eventually come in for criticism.