Ginko Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Admittedly we have a shot depending on the team that Chelsea put out against us considering they have a full schedule, but they still have a Champion's League spot to play for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Let's just smash Chelsea . That should sort it I don't see any reason why we shouldn't go into that game with the belief that we can win it. I can think of about £100million worth of reasons. Let's not get carried away. We've been playing well but Sunderland on Monday were truly terrible. Secret agent Cuellar helped us out massively, and then again today it could have very easily have been same old story from this season, go ahead only to crumble and concede. We can't keep a clean sheet. As long as Chelsea keep us out from scoring, which is more likely than the other way around, they will beat us. I don't fancy us outscoring Chelsea either, no matter how good our front three have been in recent weeks. I'm just saying we should have the belief we can beat them. We cant just go into that game thinking 0 points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa-revolution Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Are people still worried because we've been down there all season? I don't understand the worry! We don't need to rely on Wigan losing anymore. The worry is quite simple & justified by the following. "We are not safe yet & Woodytom has highlighted a highly probable set of results that could still send us down" I won't be getting any sleep again tonight worrying. Fact!....Nervous or what! Well I think think that set of results with Villa getting 0 points is pretty improbable I hope & pray that you are right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginko Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 I'm just saying we should have the belief we can beat them. We cant just go into that game thinking 0 points. No argument there then. I wouldn't hesitate to say that a factor in our poor defensive record and inability to keep a clean sheet is because of a lack in confidence. The last few results certainly have given us the confidence to create plenty of chances and cause teams problems, so it's perfectly acceptable to believe we could stick a couple of goals past them, but defensively Chelsea are better than what we've come up against recently, more akin to Man United who we didn't manage to score against. I hope the lads go in full to the brim with confidence, I just personally don't think we'll turn them over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciggiesnbeer Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Let's just smash Chelsea . That should sort it I don't see any reason why we shouldn't go into that game with the belief that we can win it. I can think of about £100million worth of reasons. Let's not get carried away. We've been playing well but Sunderland on Monday were truly terrible. Secret agent Cuellar helped us out massively, and then again today it could have very easily have been same old story from this season, go ahead only to crumble and concede. We can't keep a clean sheet. As long as Chelsea keep us out from scoring, which is more likely than the other way around, they will beat us. I don't fancy us outscoring Chelsea either, no matter how good our front three have been in recent weeks. Unfortunately I agree. We have been playing very well against teams around us (which to be fair is about half the league) but against a top six side like Chelsea its another story. Still we can hope we are up for it to avenge our 8-0 humiliation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 You'd like to think the players will be up for it after the 8-0. Personally I think we'll lose but hopefully it won't matter. I just don't want to go into that Wigan game not safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginko Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 The main worry I have is that the 8-0 came as a result of playing an open and attacking game against Chelsea, who were not only good enough to break down our good passing game in midfield, but expose our weak defending more than most teams this season have. I'd be half-tempted to change tactics and try to eke out a draw, but I'm not sure we have the personnel to attempt that so we may have no choice but to go gung-ho. It's times like these that it makes you realise that our squad depth is lacking in bodies and in a plan B or C. Like you say though, Mantis, hopefully at least some of the other results will go our way and we can be safe by the time next week's results are in so we an enjoy the Wigan game a little more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentVillan Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 We only have one respectable result against top 5 opposition this season: 0-0 against Arsenal. I think there are three factors: 1. Lack of confidence 2. Top teams are much harder to hit on the break 3. We don't have anyone who can nullify an attacker sitting in the hole. Most mid-table and lower table teams don't have the luxury of such a player, but all the top teams have players who live in the gap between defence and midfield. The only thing that has changed recently is confidence. In the other two respects, you'd still expect Chelsea to have the advantage. I'm terrified of what Mata, Lampard, Hazard and/or Oscar will do to Westwood and Delph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciggiesnbeer Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 We may not have the players to play for a draw but we sure as hell dont have the manager. The man is fully committed to the attack, I dont think he even knows how to shut up shop. Another reason to hope we are safe on the last day. Going into Wigan needing a draw for example would be fraught with peril. Lambert just doesnt think that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skruff Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 We got Yacouba Sylla, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginko Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Yeah, Sylla is about the only player we have to sit in front of the defence and disrupt Mata playing in the hole. Perhaps that's why he was on the bench today for most of the game, to rest him? Next week, for me, will be more about the other results I'm afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentVillan Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Sylla hasn't played in that position for us yet, though - he generally presses quite high on the right. I agree he looks like he could play there, but that's not how we use him. The only person I've seen play out-and-out DM for Villa in recent years is Ciaran Clark, but it would be a big shout for Lambert to bring him in now to do that. I think Ginko is right about other results going our way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginko Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 I'd rather tell Sylla to occupy that spot than Clark. Clark is lacking match fitness and practice, and even if he wasn't he isn't anywhere near good enough to take on Mata. Sylla isn't either but he's the stronger shout in my opinion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P3te Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 The Chelsea game likely won`t matter a jot. No idea why everyone`s getting so bloody worked up about wigan all of a sudden. They`re one of FIVE teams below us that aren`t already relegated... and at that they`re the WORST of the five teams below us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentVillan Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 The Chelsea game likely won`t matter a jot. No idea why everyone`s getting so bloody worked up about wigan all of a sudden. They`re one of FIVE teams below us that aren`t already relegated... and at that they`re the WORST of the five teams below us On current form, they're definitely not the worst. The string of results needed for us to go down isn't out of the question. I think we need 1 more point to stay up, especially if Chelsea do another job on our goal difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P3te Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 The Chelsea game likely won`t matter a jot. No idea why everyone`s getting so bloody worked up about wigan all of a sudden. They`re one of FIVE teams below us that aren`t already relegated... and at that they`re the WORST of the five teams below us On current form, they're definitely not the worst. The string of results needed for us to go down isn't out of the question. I think we need 1 more point to stay up, especially if Chelsea do another job on our goal difference. Over the course of 36 games in the league to date (granted, it`s 35 for them) only the 2 relegated teams have picked up less points. Why the hell are we so terrified of them? You talk about form too... why does their form get taken into account, but ours doesnt? Ours is better, remember? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiegoD Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Its pretty impressive how many teams us and Wigan have managed to drag into this. Anyone from Stoke down could still go down. Hopefully we can still keep getting results when we need them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentVillan Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 (edited) The Chelsea game likely won`t matter a jot. No idea why everyone`s getting so bloody worked up about wigan all of a sudden. They`re one of FIVE teams below us that aren`t already relegated... and at that they`re the WORST of the five teams below us On current form, they're definitely not the worst. The string of results needed for us to go down isn't out of the question. I think we need 1 more point to stay up, especially if Chelsea do another job on our goal difference.Over the course of 36 games in the league to date (granted, it`s 35 for them) only the 2 relegated teams have picked up less points. Why the hell are we so terrified of them? You talk about form too... why does their form get taken into account, but ours doesnt? Ours is better, remember? Nobody's ignoring our form. The point is that in recent weeks Wigan are the relegation battlers (besides us) you'd least like to face. Of course we can still beat them, but things would be much more comfortable if the Wigan game wasn't crucial. Edit: and check out the quality of the teams Wigan have outplayed in the last two weeks - Spurs and West Brom. Spurs are challenging for Champions League. When was the last time we outplayed a team of that quality? And don't say Liverpool. Edited May 5, 2013 by KentVillan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P3te Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Spurs are notorious bottlers though. Those games are exactly the kind they drop points in. The fact is, regardless of who wigan have apparently outplayed, they've still less points than everyone in the league apart from the 2 relegated clubs. They're not to be feared. Respected, yes, but not feared. For us to go down five clubs have to overhaul us, and anything less than a win for wigan on tuesday will pretty much seal their fate - still with 4 clubs between us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamdog Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 I imagine Luke Moore will replace Michu against Wigan on Tuesday night. I think he knows what we expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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