Ratings & Reactions: Legia Warszawa v Villa

[romavillan]

6 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

 

That's totally fair enough, poor at the back but we need to get all the players up to speed with how we play or we can't rotate. 

[DJBOB]

1 minute ago, VillanousOne said:

I feel it was just two many wrong decisions combined with players playing poorly

Swap Lenget for Pau and Kamara for Dendoncker and maybe we'd have had a better balance. Chambers rarely ever does well at right back, in midfield he is passable.


 

At the very least - I hope we never see that combination again. Truly was horrible to watch.

[Spoony]

I’m baffled as to how this is being pinned on Emery. Legia Warsaw are not good at all they just aren’t. The players clearly didn’t give a ****. Emery clearly did. We have an attitude problem with some of our players it seems. Yes it’s Emery’s job to beat that out of them but there’s only so much he can do.

The pundits on the awful TNT did spot this to their credit. Think it was Joe Cole who said they were lazy. That’s all there is to it really. Arrogance. Laziness. We’ve been seriously let down by players who are perfectly good enough to destroy Legia. 

[DJBOB]

2 minutes ago, Spoony said:

I’m baffled as to how this is being pinned on Emery. Legia Warsaw are not good at all they just aren’t. The players clearly didn’t give a ****. Emery clearly did. We have an attitude problem with some of our players it seems. Yes it’s Emery’s job to beat that out of them but there’s only so much he can do.

The pundits on the awful TNT did spot this to their credit. Think it was Joe Cole who said they were lazy. That’s all there is to it really. Arrogance. Laziness. We’ve been seriously let down by players who are perfectly good enough to destroy Legia. 

Some of it is in Unai. He picks the squad. So while, yes, clearly some of them thought this would be a piece of cake - Legia were faster and more aggressive overall. He picked a slow defense and the slow defense got roasted.

[Chindie]

We turned up expecting to piss it, and got found out. 

Emery did make mistakes tonight - the defence was wrong, the way we play is so set on being drilled that making those changes together with changing the central midfield was a huge gamble, that didn't work at all.

But that team should still have enough to beat Warsaw. They're a good team, but the side we put out should best them. We just didn't turn up. I'm sure Emery wouldn't encourage the mindset that we can win this game at a canter, that we can pay within ourselves and win at leisure.

[The Fun Factory]

So far we have played 5 cup games under Emery and lost 3 of them.  Need to improve  that stat sharpish.

Edited September 21, 2023 by The Fun Factory

[HanoiVillan]

Even after calming down (a bit) I'm still really annoyed by the selection. The logical partnership at CB for this game would have been Konsa and Carlos, but since the latter is out and Torres and Lenglet are somewhat interchangeable (both better at distribution and creating pressure from deep in a game where we have the majority of possession, not so much a game like tonight) it made some sense to give Lenglet his debut. But if you're going to do that you can't also bring Chambers in, it's too many changes. And isn't it kind of weird we didn't start Cash after he'd been getting the big media build up all week?

In central midfield, another selection headache, with Kamara and Tielemans both looking way out of form at this stage of the season. Not a good combo right now! 

For all the talk of how we have to rotate the squad, we've now placed ourselves in a hole where we'll have to play basically our strongest side for the rest of the group stage anyway. 

[andym]

9 minutes ago, Spoony said:

I’m baffled as to how this is being pinned on Emery. Legia Warsaw are not good at all they just aren’t. The players clearly didn’t give a ****. Emery clearly did. We have an attitude problem with some of our players it seems. Yes it’s Emery’s job to beat that out of them but there’s only so much he can do.

The pundits on the awful TNT did spot this to their credit. Think it was Joe Cole who said they were lazy. That’s all there is to it really. Arrogance. Laziness. We’ve been seriously let down by players who are perfectly good enough to destroy Legia. 

Its not the only reason we lost, but the goals against don't dissuade me this was a key issue.

First two goals were from wide balls in, with full backs half heartedly dangling legs out to block and others just ball watching as the scorer runs unimpeded into the box.

3rd goal the Legia player picked it up 40 yards from goal, with Konsa infront of him and Chambers and Digne tracking him from the side. Basically 1 against 3, and he wasnt even fast  Yet all 3 allow him to stroll to the edge of the box, and Chambers and Konsa's attempts to block the shot were a disgrace.

And check out Kamara's effort at getting back  - jogging while a Legia player is busting a gut past him to provide the perfect decoy run. 5 mins after half time.

 

[villaglint]

25 minutes ago, Django_Zooms said:

Keep Calm And Look At Brighton's Result At Home

That did make me feel better thanks. European newbies showing their colours tonight. 

[Starscrem_Prime]

Defo some players who didn't cover themselves in any glory, Tielemans and  chambers in particular could have really used this opportunity to make a proper mark on their potential to fight for a place in the team. Instead they were in second gear the whole game, lack of energy and effort, nearly ever forward pass from the half way line went absolutely no where. 

[TomC]

I'm not going to overreact. I think that we need to look at this match as part of the bigger picture.

Under Unai last year, we defended very well but could have used a few more goals. Things have reversed.

Our weakness under Deano and SG was breaking down packed defences. We have gotten better at that now. Yes, we left it late against Palace, but we still put three past them and could have had more in the first half. Yes, we needed another goal tonight, but we still put two past them and created some late chances. Two goals would be enough to win most nights. I take this progress as encouraging, even if we still have a ways to go, because as we get better, we will see park-the-bus more often.

Duran's physicality seems much more fit to terrorize packed defences, whereas Ollie's best chances seem to come on the counter. We looked less likely to score with Ollie out there. That said, as others have pointed out, the sub was understandable given that Duran had fatigued. By the way, while Zaniolo deserves plenty of credit for our first goal, I thought Duran's finish was superb. If you get to see the replay from directly behind the net, watch how well he picks out the corner.

On to the ugly, the defence...first, make no mistake. Chambers, Lenglet, and at times Digne were poor tonight individually. Far more concerning to me than their individual faults were the poor organization. I missed Legia's first goal, but on the second and third goals, and on several other opportunities, the players seemed confused about who should be marking whom. This is not the fault just of tonight's backline; it's part of a larger trend. We've seen that in other matches with other players. It doesn't help that we've played eight different players in our backline (Mings, Konsa, Cash, Digne, Diego, Pau, Chambers, Lenglet) and will be adding a ninth on Moreno's return. The injuries are not Unai's fault, but our system requires synchronization and familiarity. You can't get that when you juggle your backline constantly. Pick a backline and stick with it. If someone needs a rest, then rest one at a time. Or divide into two units of four and play the same players together. Maybe next year when Mings is back you can play Cash-Konsa-Mings-Digne on the weekend and New RB-Diego-Pau-Moreno midweek.

Chambers has no pace...so why did he go forward so much? If you're going to use him at all, use our now-traditional asymmetric back line with only the LB attacking.

I agree with the comment somewhere above that the problems in defence are also in part because Kamara is not playing as well this year, which means less protection for the backline.

Anyway, one bad performance is not the end of the world. Sort out the defence and we'll be better than last year.

Edit: Forgot to mention...without Mings or Pau in the backline, who was supposed to be the distributor? You could notice their absence.

Edited September 21, 2023 by TomC

[Made In Aston]

38 minutes ago, romavillan said:

Maybe, maybe not, that combination at the back has never played together, ever. By extension that back 4 and midfield have never played together and it's important that they work together well against any opposition. Learning curve, they deserve more than one chance.

Yes it's a definite contributing factor and emery alluded to that in his post match interview. But it was the glaring lack of pace in defensive positions that directly led to all their goals tonight. 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Made In Aston

[Reivax_Villa]

I will say that..

As an outfit we are figuring our this European football stuff out..

This is our first proper European football match in terms of flying to another country and experiencing a different atmosphere..

Maybe the Hibernian draw was a very familiar atmosphere for the players..

We are not a fully fledge European level team yet..

Our squad need to get familiar with the playing on a Sunday and then flying out on a Thursday and then playing on a Sunday again and remain competetive..

This is a marathon not a race and it is imperetive that we get European football again next season so that our players improve at that level..

Edited September 21, 2023 by Reivax_Villa

[Dillon66]

I think we have to face up to the fact that our summer recruitment, with the exception of Diaby, may not have been the stellar window that some people claimed.

Take a few select personnel out and we're as weak as piss. This sitting back and inviting players on, so we can pass round or through them wil only work with quick movement and snap in the passes. We're slow, ponderous and seem to escape any kind of opposition press, more by luck than judgement or skill.

We never look after the ball after we've recycled possession and we seem to make the same mistakes with alarming regularity. We seem to be the archetypal flat track bullies against ĺesser sides who display little or no attacking ambition.

Run at us, press hard and whip crosses in and our defence looks like it consists of players who've never met before.

Much to do Emery.....and fast.

[Zhan_Zhuang]

Before the match I thought we should have gone full-strength, we could have rested players later and from a stronger position.

The match resembled a cross between basketball and rugby, they roughed us up tonight. Villa wilted....

Kamara and Tielemans are Big culprits tonight, didn't protect the defence. I guess that's why Tielemans isn't starting, he looked slow. Kamara is just out of form or mentally somewhere else?

Zaniolo my MOTM, Duràn looked good too.

 

[andym]

I dont think any player was immune from some really poor momemts.

Diaby's first touch against Palace was superb - yet tonight JJ finds him unmarked 12 yards out and his first touch is a 5 yard pass to the opposition.

JJ himself misses by a mile when set up for a shot 9 times out of 10 he at least gets on target.

Emi was spilling shots, and if it was Olsen in goal for the 3rd his thread would be getting bumped repeatedly.

A distinct drop in quality on the ball from what these players can do, allied with a lack of effort off it, will not win games.

[TRO]

That was a defensive Horror show.

I can't say I am surprised, because i saw evidence of it in Pre-season.

Fans, will have their own views as to why, but this team, in its current guise, can't defend.

Its fairly widely known, under such circumstances, winning any competition, is remote.

Its not a bad night, or bad day at the office, this is in our DNA and it has been before Unai Emery...I have my own views, but missing Mings in terms of his type, has exasperated the situation.

I understand the need to rotate ie 7 games in 21 days.....but there are questions in that, is the squad is balanced  enough or numerical enough to be able to rotate and not lose significant strength.

Tonight it was clearly skill v Will.....and Legia wanted it more, and showed it...we showed no appetite to stop, shut down or disrupt the oppositions passages of play.

Its a serious Flaw, in this group and I see no signs of it changing.

Question....Have we got the personnel to play the highline, or are we merely stretching them?

I understand when certain style questions are raised, a defence mechanism kicks in......but I say this..... we pick our style, and we make our bed, and we have to lie on it..

Edited September 21, 2023 by TRO

[fruitvilla]

I gather the game was disappointing. Luckily (apparently) I could not find a stream to watch it.

Something to consider ... the universe is fundamentally at least chaotic. Football is part of the universe, or at least it was the last time I looked.

This too will pass; get over it.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, The Fun Factory said:

And Young was released.  Would have been ideal for a game like this with some good old-fashioned shithousery.

but we seem to turn our noses up, at players with a bit of that..... we have too many happy to stand off, or just lose the ball, in a duel.

Its alright Unai saying we need to be stronger.....similar games have happened like this since the end of last season......Pre-season we shipped goals for fun.

We had an opportunity to introduce a few players, who like to engage, and stop opponents and didn't pursue such.....our full backs couldn't defend their dinner.

Its been clear to see this season, we are so alarmingly easy to play against.....those goals against tonight, would shock a parks manager.

[TRO]

16 minutes ago, fruitvilla said:

I gather the game was disappointing. Luckily (apparently) I could not find a stream to watch it.

Something to consider ... the universe is fundamentally at least chaotic. Football is part of the universe, or at least it was the last time I looked.

This too will pass; get over it.

for sure...its will pass......and rinse and repeat.

get prepared for the next one, you might feel involved.