Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Spurs

[striker]

26 minutes ago, TRO said:

 

We have some serious thinking to do, with the nature of our team and the make up of its approach.....We simply cannot be masking over poor performances by quoting the season, every time.

 

This all day long. Sick to death of hearing it particularly from the manager. He mentioned top 7 yesterday again. If that’s the target then he’s going to hit the 7th place bullseye if recent performances continue.

Luiz looked completely **** yesterday. Should be rested but Villa have no quality cover in central midfield which is now biting in the arse!

Edited March 11 by striker

[birdman]

Argh...trying to erase yesterday from my memory we seem to have a knack of conceding a goal and then another quickly afterwards. After a relatively solid first half too, albeit play in the final third was painful whole game. It just wasn't happening was it with a few of the players lacking that fire in the belly that SJM has. Tiredness definitely a factor I think. Now we just have to weather the storm without our captain which will require some smart tactics from Unai to pick up decent points before the city game. Would bite a hand for 4 points. Tough period coming up but nothing we haven't come through before

Edited March 11 by birdman

[John]

McGinn gave the referee a decision to make and he really didn't hesitate in making it, ignoring the over the top reactions of the Spurs players, particularly then, but throughout the game too. Did anyone else think their first and perhaps even their second goals were offside? I haven't seen them get out their slide rules yet, to justify the on pitch/VAR decisions, but on a quick play back last night, I thought so myself, as I thought our early shout for a penalty was too hastily ignored.  

[TRO]

39 minutes ago, striker said:

This all day long. Sick to death of hearing it particularly from the manager. He mentioned top 7 yesterday again. If that’s the target then he’s going to hit the 7th place bullseye if recent performances continue.

Luiz looked completely **** yesterday. Should be rested but Villa have no quality cover in central midfield which is now biting in the arse!

couldn't muster a run to close down the lively Son, as he pulled the trigger....its all so very sad.

He must have our fixture marked down on his happy calendar, each year.

Edited March 11 by TRO

[TRO]

2 minutes ago, John said:

McGinn gave the referee a decision to make and he really didn't hesitate in making it, ignoring the over the top reactions of the Spurs players, particularly then, but throughout the game too. Did anyone else think their first and perhaps even their second goals were offside? I haven't seen them get out their slide rules yet, to justify the on pitch/VAR decisions, but on a quick play back last night, I thought so myself, as I thought our early shout for a penalty was too hastily ignored.  

The cross from Sarr, was quality, but someone should have been there to cut it out......The fact it got to Maddison sandwiched between 2 of our defenders is quite bizarre......I wouldn't fancy one of our players, getting away with that at the other end.

[Jas10]

56 minutes ago, TRO said:

Jas....All teams in the Premier League have talent, sure varying degrees, the top boys have the most.....but they also have the 2 emboldened attributes.

If you saw the Liverpool v Man City game....it was in clear evidence.....you see it with Arsenal too.....and you saw it second half on Sunday with Spurs..... we saw Newcastle out gun us, with intensity, and we saw Chelsea do the same.

You cannot play, slow, lethargic, insipid football and expect to get favourable results.

When you don't go after opponents to win the ball or turn it over, it leaves a vacuum for them to do it....it's called inviting pressure, and that is precisely what we are doing......you do that, and the initiative in the game shifts.....subsequently their attack gets a foothold, and then it's just a matter of time, before we concede.....its been a recurring theme, lately.

We all talk about the quality of Spurs, Newcastle, Chelsea and Man U......but we are getting away with it, with lower teams like Luton, Nottingham Forest and Sheff Utd at home, where we was ultra lucky to get a face saving equaliser.

We have some serious thinking to do, with the nature of our team and the make up of its approach.....We simply cannot be masking over poor performances by quoting the season, every time.

What we did pre Sheffield Utd at Home, to since, is stark contrast.....We all have our opinions as to why, and they may well vary....but I don't see it changing any time soon.

You call for fight.....and you are bloomin' right too, this team right now is lacking in it.

PS when you witness the fight and determination of a 21 year old Udogie and a 22 year old Mickey Van der Ven, it strikes me, its being bred in these young players.

PPS Something to me, is not quite right....Unai cuts a frustrated figure, when we are conceding goals, so clearly he is not expecting some things to happen. They are not worldies and marking is shambolic.

Ok… I’m trying to control my emotions… but it’s not easy. I feel utterly deflated tbh.

I’m just talking in general terms mainly so don’t see any of this as an attack… or a personal response/reaction or argument.

First of all… there is no masking going on. I don’t see why we can’t look back on or quote the season as you said… we have shown we have what it takes to beat anyone in the league on our day. The way we played against Man City should not be forgotten, for instance.

We blew teams away like Brighton and West Ham (who you often use as an example, mainly in terms of things we lack in physicality, but we are way better than them and have proven it emphatically and consistently)…

This squad (when the majority or best/important players are available) has the ingredients but… and you’re probably not going to like me saying this… or see it as some sort of excuse… we have been ravaged by injuries and disruptions like suspension and players out of form and unable to keep fit or in the team. Maybe having JJ back and injury free would be a good boost (how does that help CM though?)…

Still… we should always have the right approach and mentality (easier said than done, to do that consistently)…

I take zero pleasure or amusement from poor performances and results… or criticising the team… no matter how justified it may be… even though I do it… it is not enjoyable at all…

I was disappointed by our approach to the game… I do feel we gave them too much respect (but I wouldn’t go as far as we “feared them”) and should have imposed our game on them (especially at home) rather than focus on restricting them… but we did make inroads in that first half and could have been more clinical… I didn’t enjoy the long balls up to Ollie though…

It looked like we strayed from our normal style… when we are out out best, we are controlling possession and dictating play, pass after pass with accuracy and genuine intention and threat… there wasn’t enough of that yesterday (or all that much recently)…

We just don’t have the depth of squad or array of quality as some other teams do…

When our best players are available… we will give anyone a game… this should not be forgotten…

it’s too easy to be overcome with negativity and pessimism and wallow in that kind of misery… I don’t see why we can’t look at the high points and use that as reasons for hope and belief…

Like I always say… this is not the old Villa. Performances like this (and worse) were more the norm than the exception… that isn’t the case under Unai but… at the same time… I acknowledge that we haven’t been all that great this year so far and have thrown points away… it’s frustrating. 

I just feel a bit down… because this was a big opportunity and… tbh… I am dreaming of Champions League football and how transformative it would be for our club… I really want us to “rise”… (we may not get such an opportunity or, at least, it will be more difficult in future seasons… and we can’t match the spending of our rivals either) I’m not all that bothered about the Conference League in comparison but… it is a very useful experience and good preparation in terms of experiencing and managing European football… and a trophy would be lovely, sure…

What’s most got me down (as well as our poor showing against a team we should have faced and tried to dominate… like we have done in previous games a la the examples I gave) is how depleted our midfield is… I don’t feel confident about upcoming  league games…

Losing McGinn for 3 games is huge… he is the heartbeat, the energy and the drive of this team. He has fully grown into that leadership role… we are going to miss him… moreso because Kamara is out and all we really have for central midfield is Doug (he is really going to have to step up and shine again and take on that leadership role… I do think he has dropped off a little but… he is still a massive player for us… we need him on top form) and Tim (not been impressed by him yet, but young and inexperienced - we have to be patient with him and he could develop quickly and impressively. Unfortunately, he is going to have to be thrown in now and the pressure to perform is immediate…)

I do think injuries and some form of lethargy or fatigue are playing their part… I’m not looking for excuses but reasons for our drop off… and I think it’s reasonable to point this out. Also… the make up of this side has almost been constantly changing… we have had to change our defensive lineup over and over again for example… there has been little stability… I wish we could just stick with Pau and Konsa as our CB partnership and let them grow/develop/improve together but… injuries have put paid to that…

I have all the faith in the world in Unai and huge sympathy for the adversity and challenges he has had to face… (as noted above) how many times have we had our strongest team out on the pitch? Obviously we have to disregard Mings and Buendia… but the Kamara injury is more recent and a huge blow. I do wish we had signed a CM/DM in Jan but we were restricted…

We can’t put out the side that we did in some of our best performances… that has to be acknowledged to some degree.

I am a bit worried now… I can’t live in fantasy land or have unrealistic dreams… it’s gonna be tough without our captain in the side…

I‘m not the biggest fan of Tielemans… it would hurt us to play him back in central midfield (unless maybe, Doug is sadly forced and restricted to a mainly/purely defensive role again… which would hold back the potential/ability of our side) and even worse in a defensive role… the guy has no pace and regularly looks shattered…

He is only effective in the role and position Unai has found for him… to support and create for the likes of Ollie and Leon… I don’t see another worthwhile place for him in the side… if he drops back, it’s only going to hurt us imo and we have seen him cost us there on several occasions. But his performances have dropped off anyway… he is not creating as he was… needs to get back to it quickly. Diaby’s form has fallen off a cliff too… our attack seems weaker not just our defence…

Anyway… maybe after this dies down or has been forgotten a bit… I’ll feel more optimistic again…

If there’s anyone who can deal with this and get us going again it’s Unai…

it’s just that… it’s gotten even harder now… I really don’t want to see a decline or run of losses…

I believe in Unai… but… the squad is light and there aren’t enough players performing atm…

Can only wait and see what Unai can conjure up…

Just hope we can fight back and perform…

We must keep fighting and us fans should keep supporting and believing in the team and manager… look what they have done this season… no matter what, it is still our best PL season in ages… let’s not overlook and fail to appreciate that… the progress has been staggering and swift…

[Tom13]

Fecking hate Spurs as well...very few worse teams to lose like that at home to 

Hope we can have a good performance Thursday, go through, and move on.

[Jas10]

29 minutes ago, TRO said:

The cross from Sarr, was quality, but someone should have been there to cut it out......The fact it got to Maddison sandwiched between 2 of our defenders is quite bizarre......I wouldn't fancy one of our players, getting away with that at the other end.

Yeah that goal was disappointing… either defender should have got that ball away… it’s not like he’s a big, powerful CF or anything…

Oh it’s just such a downer… 

It’s the hope that kills you

[fightoffyour]

10 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

Ok… I’m trying to control my emotions… but it’s not easy. I feel utterly deflated tbh.

I’m just talking in general terms mainly so don’t see any of this as an attack… or a personal response/reaction or argument.

First of all… there is no masking going on. I don’t see why we can’t look back on or quote the season as you said… we have shown we have what it takes to beat anyone in the league on our day. The way we played against Man City should not be forgotten, for instance.

We blew teams away like Brighton and West Ham (who you often use as an example, mainly in terms of things we lack in physicality, but we are way better than them and have proven it emphatically and consistently)…

This squad (when the majority or best/important players are available) has the ingredients but… and you’re probably not going to like me saying this… or see it as some sort of excuse… we have been ravaged by injuries and disruptions like suspension and players out of form and unable to keep fit or in the team. Maybe having JJ back and injury free would be a good boost (how does that help CM though?)…

Still… we should always have the right approach and mentality (easier said than done, to do that consistently)…

I take zero pleasure or amusement from poor performances and results… or criticising the team… no matter how justified it may be… even though I do it… it is not enjoyable at all…

I was disappointed by our approach to the game… I do feel we gave them too much respect (but I wouldn’t go as far as we “feared them”) and should have imposed our game on them (especially at home) rather than focus on restricting them… but we did make inroads in that first half and could have been more clinical… I didn’t enjoy the long balls up to Ollie though…

It looked like we strayed from our normal style… when we are out out best, we are controlling possession and dictating play, pass after pass with accuracy and genuine intention and threat… there wasn’t enough of that yesterday (or all that much recently)…

We just don’t have the depth of squad or array of quality as some other teams do…

When our best players are available… we will give anyone a game… this should not be forgotten…

it’s too easy to be overcome with negativity and pessimism and wallow in that kind of misery… I don’t see why we can’t look at the high points and use that as reasons for hope and belief…

Like I always say… this is not the old Villa. Performances like this (and worse) were more the norm than the exception… that isn’t the case under Unai but… at the same time… I acknowledge that we haven’t been all that great this year so far and have thrown points away… it’s frustrating. 

I just feel a bit down… because this was a big opportunity and… tbh… I am dreaming of Champions League football and how transformative it would be for our club… I really want us to “rise”… (we may not get such an opportunity or, at least, it will be more difficult in future seasons… and we can’t match the spending of our rivals either) I’m not all that bothered about the Conference League in comparison but… it is a very useful experience and good preparation in terms of experiencing and managing European football… and a trophy would be lovely, sure…

What’s most got me down (as well as our poor showing against a team we should have faced and tried to dominate… like we have done in previous games a la the examples I gave) is how depleted our midfield is… I don’t feel confident about upcoming  league games…

Losing McGinn for 3 games is huge… he is the heartbeat, the energy and the drive of this team. He has fully grown into that leadership role… we are going to miss him… moreso because Kamara is out and all we really have for central midfield is Doug (he is really going to have to step up and shine again and take on that leadership role… I do think he has dropped off a little but… he is still a massive player for us… we need him on top form) and Tim (not been impressed by him yet, but young and inexperienced - we have to be patient with him and he could develop quickly and impressively. Unfortunately, he is going to have to be thrown in now and the pressure to perform is immediate…)

I do think injuries and some form of lethargy or fatigue are playing their part… I’m not looking for excuses but reasons for our drop off… and I think it’s reasonable to point this out. Also… the make up of this side has almost been constantly changing… we have had to change our defensive lineup over and over again for example… there has been little stability… I wish we could just stick with Pau and Konsa as our CB partnership and let them grow/develop/improve together but… injuries have put paid to that…

I have all the faith in the world in Unai and huge sympathy for the adversity and challenges he has had to face… (as noted above) how many times have we had our strongest team out on the pitch? Obviously we have to disregard Mings and Buendia… but the Kamara injury is more recent and a huge blow. I do wish we had signed a CM/DM in Jan but we were restricted…

We can’t put out the side that we did in some of our best performances… that has to be acknowledged to some degree.

I am a bit worried now… I can’t live in fantasy land or have unrealistic dreams… it’s gonna be tough without our captain in the side…

I‘m not the biggest fan of Tielemans… it would hurt us to play him back in central midfield (unless maybe, Doug is sadly forced and restricted to a mainly/purely defensive role again… which would hold back the potential/ability of our side) and even worse in a defensive role… the guy has no pace and regularly looks shattered…

He is only effective in the role and position Unai has found for him… to support and create for the likes of Ollie and Leon… I don’t see another worthwhile place for him in the side… if he drops back, it’s only going to hurt us imo and we have seen him cost us there on several occasions. But his performances have dropped off anyway… he is not creating as he was… needs to get back to it quickly. Diaby’s form has fallen off a cliff too… our attack seems weaker not just our defence…

Anyway… maybe after this dies down or has been forgotten a bit… I’ll feel more optimistic again…

If there’s anyone who can deal with this and get us going again it’s Unai…

it’s just that… it’s gotten even harder now… I really don’t want to see a decline or run of losses…

I believe in Unai… but… the squad is light and there aren’t enough players performing atm…

Can only wait and see what Unai can conjure up…

Just hope we can fight back and perform…

We must keep fighting and us fans should keep supporting and believing in the team and manager… look what they have done this season… no matter what, it is still our best PL season in ages… let’s not overlook and fail to appreciate that… the progress has been staggering and swift…

[Jas10]

Dear oh dear…

We failed to impose ourselves… strayed from our usual style and approach.. especially at VP…

[Jas10]

Just now, fightoffyour said:

Dw mate, you don’t have to

Just let me grieve

[duke313]

7 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

Dear oh dear…

We failed to impose ourselves… strayed from our usual style and approach.. especially at VP…

We should have just played our normal game like we did V City and Arsenal, instead we gave Spurs too much respect, and tried to change our play to accommodate them. Maybe Emery had no choice due to injuries to Kamara and Ramsey, but I’d rather have got hammered playing our normal style, than hammered playing a system we don’t play.

Edited March 11 by duke313

[Sulberto21]

lol at the reactions. When we win and have been winning our intensity etc isn’t in question then. It’s not in the DNA of the team. We’re a WIP and it’s going to take Don Unai at least another 2/3 windows to shape the squad the way he wants. 

The players were tired mentally. Don Unai should have rested some of them for Ajax in hindsight. 

[gilbertoAVFC]

6 hours ago, Zatman said:

For people moaning about the system, its how we lined up vs Spurs earlier in the season

In fairness, Cash played RM and we were pretty naff in the first-half of that game.

[Jas10]

6 minutes ago, duke313 said:

We should have just played our normal game like we did V City and Arsenal, instead we gave Spurs too much respect, and tried to change our play to accommodate them. Maybe Emery had no choice due to injuries to Kamara and Ramsey, but I’d rather have got hammered playing our normal style, than hammered playing a system we don’t play.

Yep, completely agree. Summed it up concisely there… I do think as we lose more players we are more limited/restricted by the set up we can implement… remaining players just have to step up and stop being soft or relaxed… we need them to show form if we don’t want to fall away.

[Edinburgh-Villa]

The one thing that struck me watching the game on TV was the Spurs bench, given they are arguably are closest competitiors in the league. Pretty strong and some individuals that can change the game, ours much less so but we know that.

Our injuries and lack of squad depth are really showing now, if we are to push on from here (high benchmark), Emery and the Club have some tough decsisions to make to try and have the tools to tackle domestic and European campaigns.

Still, exciting times.

[Jas10]

8 minutes ago, Sulberto21 said:

lol at the reactions. When we win and have been winning our intensity etc isn’t in question then. It’s not in the DNA of the team. We’re a WIP and it’s going to take Don Unai at least another 2/3 windows to shape the squad the way he wants. 

The players were tired mentally. Don Unai should have rested some of them for Ajax in hindsight. 

Yeah I agree… but it’s hard not to be disappointed or deflated… maybe this game was too hyped up or held too much expectation too but… we really shouldn’t have got thrashed like that… regardless of the sending off. It’s happened a few times too but usually when we are missing key players who heavily depend on…

Nothing wrong with our DNA when everyone is fit and firing… as we have seen. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be so high in the league. 2024 has not gone well so far though… bring back 2023

[AV82]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

Had the other players busied themselves to get a few challenges in, as opposed to conveniently standing off and watching him....his frustration and red mist, may not have happened.

I think John McGinn is more the victim, not the assailant....in a roundabout way.

You're reaching there mate.

[The_Steve]

1 hour ago, striker said:

Hard to imagine any Spurs defence trying to injure a player and yesterday they didn’t. They just had Watkins in their pocket all game.

Go back and watch the penalty shout - Van de Ven cleaned Ollie out. He wasn’t the same after. 

[DJBOB]

12 minutes ago, Zatman said:

My issue is recently and not sure on Unai or somebody else but the players seem to lack concentration after half time and its becoming too frequent

Spurs, Forest and Luton got great joy after half time

A little something to this as it's been a problem in general but I think there's a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Forest - Chambers had to come on for Pau at HT. Luton - JJ came off before HT but we were generally weaker on the left. Spurs - my opinion, it was a good piece of play for Spurs opener. Think we did try to come out and be aggressive but I have issues with the set up and trying to be aggressive with a 532. The ball bounces off Digne, Youri is a training cone, and then the ball deflects off Pau again to put Sarr into space.

It has the "away form"  feeling to it where it is a problem, but I don't think there's much more to it than some bit of happenstance each time.

Edited March 11 by DJBOB