Daholteend Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Gabby Agbonlahor's slip in the first minute prophesied the end result. To be fair to Aston Villa's youngsters we ought to remember that we started the week at The Arse and Chelsea and played two hard fought games at both. Liverpool on the other hand beat an ordinary Stoke had had a week to stay fresh and were ready for this game coming in with fresh feet and a controlled rehearsed strategy to press quickly for the first and as it turned out only goal. Liverpool's football was very crisp and made us run for the ball and tiring us out in the process particularly in light of the games we played earlier this week. Ex Villa youth's Sturridge's goal was a piece of artistry and allowed Liverpool to sit back and defend which they did by keeping possession under the generalship of Gerrard. Gerrard playing deeper than he usually does was able to move the ball around and he did so with precision which made it very hard for us to gain possession . In the first half Villa's control of the ball was lacking touch and too often when we gained the ball we gave it away predictably to a sharper Liverpool midfield. Second half we played much better. Delph was sharper and also Tony Moon on the left showed touches and a great deal of promise. It can be argued that El Ahmadi might have started the game but I don't think that he alone would have made much difference to the way that Liverpool started. However with El Ahmadi and Delph in the midfield we seemd to find more space but the ball just wouldn't fall to us where we could really make the penetration that would allow us to have players in strong goal scoring positions. Weiman looked tired and off his usual game which is no doubt why He got subbed. I don't think Bacuna deserves the stick that some have given him. He actually looked quite good at right back when Lowton left the game. Lambert did the right thing by keeping him in the game. You don't want to discourage a young player on his debut and to say it is the worst debut that you have seen at Villa Park means that you haven't been down the Park too many times. I have been an Aston Villa fan for a good many years and I can tell you that there have been many worse and Bacuna's wasn't one of them so give the bloke a break. He has some touches and with experience will prove the early biters incorrect. Tony Moon and Okore were pretty solid for me. I like what I see in Okore . He has pace, he has strength, he reads the game and he has guts. I would expect Okore to become a permanent fixture. When Baker and Clark are fit Vlaar will be hard pressed to keep his place. I think a case that Vlaar didn't follow Sturridge through the middle could be argued which allowed Sturridge to score. Mind you Sturridges touch for that goal would have been hard to deal with by any defender so again I won't rest the blame on any one player in particular. Looking at Liverpool's CB's they played Agger and Toure and they were able to keep Benteke in check but when Benteke did get an opportunity in the 85th minute Mignolet brought off another game winning save. The result was disappointing but AVFC can bring a lot of good things forward from this and should have no shame in the way we played today. We Go Again! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Lions_Roar Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Spot on! I've missed the fickleness of villa fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennyPowers Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 We missed Bannan's corners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Lions_Roar Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Although bentekes shot in the 85th min was deflected by toure. Benteke was trying to put it in the far corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennyPowers Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 To be fair what a signing Toure looked for them. When they replace Aspas with Suarez that will be a hell of a good team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briny_ear Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Undone by a tired first half and early goal conceded again. That said, much better second half. Bacuna wasn't as bad as many are making out. Passing judgment on a player far too early. Progress is what we are after and from end of last season to now we have steady and encouraging improvement. Can't believe how we have been stitched up with having to play the Chelsea game within a few days of Arsenal then Liverpool today. Moyes moaning about Utd's first few fixtures last week was an insult. Didn't hear Lambert saying the fixtures were a fix. I guess you weren't listening too hard http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/aston-villa/10245863/Paul-Lambert-accuses-Premier-League-of-favouring-Jose-Mourinho-and-Chelsea-over- fixtures.html Paul Lambert accuses Premier League of favouring Jose Mourinho and Chelsea over fixtures Paul Lambert has angrily accused the Premier League of giving Jose Mourinho and Chelsea preferential treatment over fixtures. Cheesed off: Paul Lambert's Aston Villa side faces a tough start to the season with games against Arsenal and Chelsea Photo: GETTY IMAGES By John Percy 10:30PM BST 15 Aug 2013 13 Comments Lambert has been handed a daunting start to the season that will see Aston Villa face Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in the first week, after the Premier League ordered his team to travel to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. Villa were scheduled to meet Chelsea on August 30th but the date clashes with Mourinho's obligation to play Bayern Munich in the Uefa Super Cup, and Lambert was confident of delaying the game until later in the season. But Lambert and Villa were left stunned when the Premier League ordered the fixture to be fulfilled in the first midweek of the season, potentially handing Chelsea the prospect of travelling to Manchester United on Aug 26 with six points from two home games in what could prove an early psychological blow in the title race. Villa are even more frustrated as the change mean they will face an unwanted three-week break after their home game with Liverpool next Saturday, as they do not return to action until Sept 14 when they play Newcastle. And Lambert was clearly furious as he reflected on Villa's difficult introduction to the campaign and hinted that his club may be a victim of "big club syndrome". He said: "I disagree with this, I don’t think it’s fair. There was no compromise there whatsover. I gave them [the Premier League] five dates to choose from originally. Then I picked one and I thought everything was fine. "Then all of a sudden, they tell us we’re getting jammed in between Arsenal and Liverpool when we had given dates before. "We had about 45 different explanations - but I don’t know if one of them is true. I don’t get it. Would have it been different if it had been the other way round? Possibly, yes, are you talking about big club syndrome? "I wasn’t convinced by the answer I got, put it that way. I still came away none the wiser. I’d love to know in years gone by if Villa have had a harder start than we’ve got. "It’s a hard game against Arsenal, but to put the Chelsea one in between was strange I thought." The Premier League have argued that the game had to be played at the first available date, due to the fear of fixture congestion later in the season should both clubs be involved in cup competitions. Last season Chelsea's game against Reading was rearranged for the first midweek due to a clash with last year's Super Cup meeting with Atletico Madrid. But it leaves Lambert facing two difficult trips to London in the space of five days, with Villa understood to have complained bitterly to the League after the decision was made. Villa will head to Arsenal on Saturday with a drastically revamped squad, after a summer spending spree that has seen six new additions. Darren Bent's frustration is over as he prepares to complete a loan move to Fulham, with Martin Jol agreeing to pay a substantial loan fee and all of the England international's £65,000 a week wages. Bent's departure ends a nightmare 12 months in which the £24 million record signing was first stripped of the captaincy and then spent the majority of the season on the sidelines, largely due to the emergence of Christian Benteke. Lambert insisted there had been no rift and claimed he had been vindicated in his decision to exile the forward. "There has been not one crossed word between us," he said. "I brought in Benteke. If anyone can tell me it was the wrong decision (to pick him ahead of Bent) then they'd take you away in a white van! "It's just the way I play and the way I look for people to play under me. That's football. All over the world that's the game. It's nothing to do with faces, I just had to make decisions about who I played." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smetrov Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 To be fair what a signing Toure looked for them. When they replace Aspas with Suarez that will be a hell of a good team. Toure looked superb to me. I don't agree liverpool are top side though - thought fatty gerrard had the look of an old man - and they looked slow all over the pitch. Interesting where all there academy prospects have gone .......and where the cash has come from - take note Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8pints Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 We lacked a spark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedge Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 A lot of you are so fickle, so very fickle, it's almost laughable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennyPowers Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 To be fair what a signing Toure looked for them. When they replace Aspas with Suarez that will be a hell of a good team. Toure looked superb to me. I don't agree liverpool are top side though - thought fatty gerrard had the look of an old man - and they looked slow all over the pitch. Interesting where all there academy prospects have gone .......and where the cash has come from - take note Randy I think when they get Suarez, Coutinho and Sturridge together that will be devastating. There's a few questions about the midfield and the tempo they're so keen to play at but with no European commitment this year giving them an advantage over Spurs/Arsenal I can see Liverpool finishing fourth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daholteend Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Toure looked superb to me. I don't agree liverpool are top side though - thought fatty gerrard had the look of an old man - and they looked slow all over the pitch. For an old fat man Gerrard had a good game today. He marshalled his team well enough to win the game. You cannot overlook the blocked passes , the boot aways from Benteke that are critical attributes of Gerrard's play today. With Gerrard, Toure and Agger all being solid today only something special was going to get us a win and it just wasn't there today, not because we have a lack of talent, but because old fat men can still play good football and do just enough to stifle our young lions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daholteend Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 We lacked a spark. Yes, too bad those rumours of Kiyotake and/or Wijnaldum don't seem to have any legs at this stage. It's early days yet and we have yet to see how some of the new signings like Helenius and Tonev will add to our creativity. WE also don't yet know what will happen with Nzog if and when he returns. Who knows, once the window closes perhaps even Bannan might make it back to contention. Delph is still growing and so too is el Ahmadi and even though Westwood's game wasn't sparkling today it is just one game and a lot of players might gel into quite a creative force once they get a few games under their belts together. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oaks Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Thought we were the better team in the second half. That Bacuna played awful though - let's hope he's better than he showed today! A few fans on this very board were calling Benteke another Emile Heskey after a few games last season...just saying. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samjp26 Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Why didn't Lambert put on Bent at all? Oh, yeah...he is scoring goals for another team... A team that still lost 3-1 to a team we beat 3-1 the other day, with 2 goals scored by the striker we replaced Bent with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cambridge-AVFC Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Just got back. Thoughts on the game Lambert got the formation horribly wrong, why we played 4-4-1-1 is beyond me, especially when we've had so much success with 4-3-3. When Lambert changed it after 35 minutes, we looked much better and matched Liverpool for the rest of the game. Bacuna is not a winger. He played alright centrally but is worse than Sylla and El Ahmadi. Bacuna did a good job at right back and I see that as his best position truth be told. Thought we were unlucky not to get a result out of it, we definitely deserved a point from it. Despite looking sub standard and tired throughout. Ratings Guzan 6 - Had nothing to do, could do nothing about the goal. He was lucky not to give away a penalty Lowton 5 - Didn't have the best of games, looked a bit shaky at the back and was ineffective up front. However he did look tired Okore 7 - Was one of our best players. He looked a beast and looked solid all game. he left Guzan short with a back pass which should of led to a penalty, but apart from that, he didn't put a foot wrong the whole game. Vlaar 6 - Maybe his positioning wasn't the best for the goal, however that goal was more down to Sturridge's brilliance as oppose to poor defending. He looked solid enough. Luna 7 - Looked solid enough defensively and was a threat going forward. Bacuna 5 - Like I said before, the guy isn't a winger and he was below par in midfield. However he did a good job at right back. Westwood 5.5 - I think Westwood had a poor game today. He got over run in the first half and was wasteful in possession. He improved in the second half(when we played with 3 in midfield) but he wasn't as reliable as we've come to expect from him. Delph 7 - He's come on heaps and bounds. He looked our best midfielder. He won the ball made a few good bursting runs and gave us some much needed energy and bite. More of the same please. Weimann 6 - He looked tired but I think he played the best out of the front 3. Thought we should've taken Gabby off instead of him. Benteke 5.5 - Unlucky with his 2 shots that were saved from Mignolet. But his touch was poor today and his interplay just wasn't up to scratch. Gabby 5 - Poor game from Gabby today. He just didn't really get into it. got dispossessed far too many times for my liking and nothing was really coming off from him. He should've done better with the volley he scuffed wide as well. Subs El Ahmadi 6 - Meh. Gave us more stability when he came on. He did a better job than Bacuna did in midfield Tonev 5.5 - Looked a bit raw. Woeful free kick near the end as well. Helenius - N/A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Think there are some massive overreactions in here. We weren't great by any stretch of imagination but the attacking intent was there for the majority of the game. Is a bit annoying constantly conceding early goals though. Wonder why that is? I'm disappointed that we lost but to get 3 points out of Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in the space of a week is pretty decent to be fair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Why didn't Lambert put on Bent at all? Oh, yeah...he is scoring goals for another team... Scoring goals in a losing game against a team we beat. Why didn't Lambert put on Bent at all? Oh, yeah...he is scoring goals for another team... Oh dear, that didn't take long. Why didn't Lambert put on Bent at all? Oh, yeah...he is scoring goals for another team... A team that still lost 3-1 to a team we beat 3-1 the other day, with 2 goals scored by the striker we replaced Bent with. But we needed just one goal. A Bent goal! Hehehe Don't worry dudes. Lighten up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarpie Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 To be fair, I think our players were simply tired and pretty much drained mentally and physically. Two high tempo, energetic and charged games against top 4 teams takes their toll and without much time to recharge batteries I can't blame our lads. I can't understand the mentality when we lose one game against pretty damn good side people are already unpacking their razorblades ready to slit their wrists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cambridge-AVFC Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 I didn't watch the game. Was Bacuna THAT bad? What was it about his performance that was so hideous? No. Out wide he was woeful, centrally he was slightly better but was below par. Her did a good job for us at right back though. Poor selection by Lambert, but he wasn't that bad. I'd give him a 5/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 But seriously. The second half was good. Villa had a lot of possession, and a few clear cut chances. One could have gone in, and then the game would have opened up. That would free space behind Liverpool's defense for our attacking players to exploit. But the goal didn't come, and we practically lost because of bad play the first 30 minutes. Felt sorry for Bacuna first, but he picked himself up for the second half and played well. Good night! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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