Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Lille

[TRO]

10 hours ago, briny_ear said:

Um, unless I was hallucinating, we scored twice from corners so we are twice as good at defending corners as Lille?

Your powers of deduction, are overwhelming.

Oh and stay off the magic mushrooms

Edited April 12 by TRO

[omariqy]

Who is at risk of being banned for the semi final first leg if we get there? McGinn, Diaby, Cash and now Luiz?

[TRO]

10 hours ago, OutByEaster? said:

A weird game, we played very well in patches, but allowed them a lot of control, especially in the first half - both sides looked dangerous throughout, all of the goals came from corners, the atmosphere was fantastic and yet despite the win we finished feeling a little flat, the referee was appalling and we're left wondering whether we've done enough.

When it was good though, it was really good, that's as loud as I've heard Villa Park in years and we've won a European Quarter Final first leg, I think if we go through we'll look back on this one a lot more fondly.

I really want a second leg win and the opportunity to see Carvahlo Santos cry - he's a little shit.

Work to do, and this season promises to be a real test of the nerves.

 

 

Edited April 12 by TRO

[RichW]

Happy with the win of course, better to be heading into the second leg with a lead rather than being level or behind but that goal was a sucker punch especially when it came late in the game. 

Won't be any easy games at this stage of the competition regardless, but I'm expecting a tough, tough night Thursday. Got to avoid conceding an early goal because as we have shown recently - we concede the next quickly. Important we score the first goal I feel. 

[NeilS]

I am happy to come away with the victory, although disappointed that we conceded late on. To be fair to Lille they probably deserved a goal, and they were unlucky not to score sooner but for Emi Martinez in goal doing what he does and a close offside decision going our way. I would say that Lille are easily the best team we have played in Europe this season, and We will have to play a hell of a lot better defensively in the second leg to progress.

Both teams looked weak at defending set pieces though, and for us I believe this is where we massively miss Mings, I am certain that Lille goal wouldn't have happened with Mings playing instead of Carlos. That ball would have been attacked by Mings and cleared. With Matty Cash missing with injury we have been favouring playing Konsa at RB and Carlos in the middle, I think that leaves us weaker defensively as Konsa and Pau worked well together, but I am not sure what alternative we have at the moment other than throwing Kesler-Hayden into the fire.

Finally, I am not sure what happened with the referee last night. He didn't seem too bad in the first half and was very even, but something changed at half time and in the second half he was very one sided in my opinion. He was happy to book our players, but no action when the Lille players committed fouls that were equally as bad or sometimes worse. How the guy who ripped Konsa's shirt off his back got away without a yellow, yet Douglas gets booked for a minor shirt pull minutes later I will never know. Also, Watkins was wiped out from behind with a barge in the back in the penalty box. How is that not a penalty? It is a mystery to me. I guess all of the decent European referees are not selected for the Europa Conference League.

 

[TRO]

17 minutes ago, RichW said:

Happy with the win of course, better to be heading into the second leg with a lead rather than being level or behind but that goal was a sucker punch especially when it came late in the game. 

Won't be any easy games at this stage of the competition regardless, but I'm expecting a tough, tough night Thursday. Got to avoid conceding an early goal because as we have shown recently - we concede the next quickly. Important we score the first goal I feel. 

We keep saying it in every game....our vulnerabilities, stand out like a beacon.

Injuries, have caught up, and at some point, they tip you over the edge, where it weakens the team.....I think we are there now.

I hope the Summer, allows us to fix some of the more obvious, flaws....but the noise around FFP, spook me, quite frankly.

I don't want to labour the point, but we do need players in various positions, who have a clear understanding of the virtues of defending, and can read situations and organise retreats, with aplomb.

I think this squad, has the manager at its mercy....and his patching up job has been admirable....it's been some, manipulation job.

Some criticise the substitutions, and talk about shutting up shop......with who?....we really need to give him the tools in the Summer, to be able to manage tactically, which he clearly can do, with the right personnel....returnees, will surely help.

He clearly needs better balance in the squad, to deal with ALL eventualities......despite the huge job he has done. I don't know how, quite frankly.

Edited April 12 by TRO

[fightoffyour]

31 minutes ago, omariqy said:

Who is at risk of being banned for the semi final first leg if we get there? McGinn, Diaby, Cash and now Luiz?

Dougie is hankering for some more rest.

[TRO]

3 minutes ago, fightoffyour said:

Dougie is hankering for some more rest.

I think certain players, have carried us......and he is one.

I don't accept the whole team is tired......but I do think these boys who have carried us, are running on fumes.

with the possible exception of Ollie.....He looks ready for the next game, directly after a game....slight Hyperbole....fit as a butchers dog.

Ollie is in the form of his life, and seems to want every game....I think, I will whisper this....I think he has upped his aggression levels, too.

He is wallowing in this form, maybe that's his motivation.....and boy, do we need him?

Headed goals too, to boot....little tinker.

[TRO]

I think the emphatic nature of the MOTM...rounds up nicely the story of this game.

 

[MrBlack]

9 minutes ago, TRO said:

I think the emphatic nature of the MOTM...rounds up nicely the story of this game.

 

It does, but all the chances they missed that Emi saved, they were purely down to football being football. We know Emi is world class, we accept that our high line will demand saves from him.  I believe one of his great saves would have been brought back for offside if it had gone in anyway.

We scored two, and should have had a penalty to probably make it 3. So overall, you can say our gameplay worked and should have got a more positive scoreline than we did.

Emery knows we are relatively poor at defending corners, and so he prefers to just not concede then in the first place. We let them have too many opportunities to win a corner, and conceding 3 will be something Emery will probably be as unhappy about as conceding a goal from one.  He doesnt want to compromise the way we play 90% of the match just to have better personnel at defending a corner. Not least because injuries mean we probably can't anyway.

It's all a balancing act, and one Emery continues to do exceptionally well. Hopefully we can get more players in like Rogers who have both the technical ability and the height and strength to win a defensive header.

[striker]

12 hours ago, stewiek2 said:

Has we not had Arsenal on Sunday we'd had carried on getting at them. We've a game on Sunday. They don't play til the second leg next week. Our squad is depleted. We simply have to pick our battles and reserve energy. I the Don we trust. 

Nonsense! Emery was livid on the touch line.

You can’t switch off like that against decent sides as they’ll hurt you.

Emery also subbed several players to rest them.

[sheepyvillian]

18 minutes ago, TRO said:

I think the emphatic nature of the MOTM...rounds up nicely the story of this game.

 

It's also worth noting that we have evolved, under Emery, at a very fast rate. You could say that we have also got ahead of ourselves, as opposed to an incremental evolution. We don't have individuals, aside from Torres and Martinez, who are adjusted to big game management. 

Injuries certainly haven't helped but unfortunately, they come with the territory. Next season we'll probably be relatively injury - free. 

This is why the thought of penalties worry me. As Brilliant as Emery has been, it's still startlingly obvious that, at times, this team has frailties. It's not a criticism to use as a stick, just an honest observation.

We are still some way from being the team that Emery wants, That's why it wouldn't be the end of the World if we only qualified for the Europa League

[stewiek2]

37 minutes ago, striker said:

Emery also subbed several players to rest them.

That's kinda my point. We're running on gas at the moment.

[The Fun Factory]

4 hours ago, delboy54 said:

Got back at 0115 last night after the long drive back home to Newmarket.

This result has to favour Lille tbh. Shame we sat back and let in the inevitable goal, but I think the result was fair. 

 

No it really doesn't. We are a goal up and away goals don't count anymore. A win or any sort of draw and we are through.

[Vive_La_Villa]

I’m still trying to understand why VAR isn’t asking the ref to look at the foul on Watkins again. It’s as blatant a foul as it gets. 

[TRO]

1 hour ago, MrBlack said:

It does, but all the chances they missed that Emi saved, they were purely down to football being football. We know Emi is world class, we accept that our high line will demand saves from him.  I believe one of his great saves would have been brought back for offside if it had gone in anyway.

We scored two, and should have had a penalty to probably make it 3. So overall, you can say our gameplay worked and should have got a more positive scoreline than we did.

Emery knows we are relatively poor at defending corners, and so he prefers to just not concede then in the first place. We let them have too many opportunities to win a corner, and conceding 3 will be something Emery will probably be as unhappy about as conceding a goal from one.  He doesnt want to compromise the way we play 90% of the match just to have better personnel at defending a corner. Not least because injuries mean we probably can't anyway.

It's all a balancing act, and one Emery continues to do exceptionally well. Hopefully we can get more players in like Rogers who have both the technical ability and the height and strength to win a defensive header.

I think you make some salient points.....However, I don't think he is as happy with the trade offs your suggesting, as much as he has no choice. He is just doing what he can to get results. I don't believe he is happy with certain aspects of our play, but he is improvising, so he just gets on with it....That's unai's interpretation of a no excuse culture......He will try to improve things, game to game, for sure....but he knows, the main points, need surgery.

I think you will see some defensive reinforcements enter the fray, in the Summer.......I don't believe, this is the way, he wants to play, I think he is short on choice.....Unai Emery, knows what a good defence looks like, I am certain of that....its on his agenda, I am certain of that too.

He does have a clear way of playing in his head....but it is also compromised by the squad he has and the balance of it. I don't believe for one second, he doesn't see what many of us see.....doing something tangible about it is a different scenario. He has no window at present and and a FFP wanting to rear its ugly head.

I have said and others on here we are WIP....and we will be for some time....It doesn't inhibit us from calling a game for what it is.....but it must be interpreted as Observations, not criticism....there is a subtle difference and I think some are mistaken by that.

Observing flaws, discussing them, identifying them...is positive, not negative.....we, Including Unai are all on the same page...we want to improve. We all want to improve, despite huge strides forward.

It's also worth noting, some of our players are dealing with the absentee's better than others, some are noticeably affected.....A players game can vary, depending on who they are playing with, after all, that's the feature of a team game.

[John]

Emi will be really up for the return. He loves a big game and their fans will only increase his determination by goading him. He was at his brilliant best last night. 

I was hoping for a minimum of a two goal advantage to take to Lille and had we got the penalty we deserved, we could have got one. It will be a tough task next week, they are a decent team, I'm worried, but I was worried going to Anderlecht in 1982 and that didn't turn out to badly. The bookies are confident enough, Coral now have us 11/8 to win the cup and Lille at 10/1. UTV!

[romavillan]

16 minutes ago, John said:

Emi will be really up for the return. He loves a big game and their fans will only increase his determination by goading him. He was at his brilliant best last night. 

I was hoping for a minimum of a two goal advantage to take to Lille and had we got the penalty we deserved, we could have got one. It will be a tough task next week, they are a decent team, I'm worried, but I was worried going to Anderlecht in 1982 and that didn't turn out to badly. The bookies are confident enough, Coral now have us 11/8 to win the cup and Lille at 10/1. UTV!

I think we'll need to score twice over there to win the tie and looking at how well they controlled possession at VP I don't think we're going to be seeing a lot of the ball. Going to be tough.

[John]

5 minutes ago, romavillan said:

I think we'll need to score twice over there to win the tie and looking at how well they controlled possession at VP I don't think we're going to be seeing a lot of the ball. Going to be tough.

You may well be right, or one on a good night for our defence. 

[MrBlack]

51 minutes ago, romavillan said:

I think we'll need to score twice over there to win the tie and looking at how well they controlled possession at VP I don't think we're going to be seeing a lot of the ball. Going to be tough.

 

45 minutes ago, John said:

You may well be right, or one on a good night for our defence. 

But we don't need to win the tie. So zero on a good night for our defence could also be enough. (Edit: I know a 0-0 for Emery is an extremely rare occurrence so probably a pointless comment)

They'll look to control the ball at home, much the same way they did at villa park. They will be maybe slightly more adventurous, and that should play into our ability to exploit the gaps that brings in transition.

I'm predicting a high scoring game. David surely won't be as bad as he was last night, but if we're in it,  we'll find more chances ourselves. So logic would point to a higher scoring game. If it goes that way, I'd expect us to get the better of it.

If its a cagey affair with few opportunities then I'd be more concerned strangely.

Edited April 12 by MrBlack