AndyBM Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 arsenal, chelsea, liverpool, whoever decided these fixtures clearly didnt want us to start well, although we did sh it on their picnic with 3 points at arsenal, chelsea and liverpool was expected, the sh it games are now behind us, now the warm up and testing is done, we can start the campaign properly :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmarsha_926 Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 I think a few fans have raised their expectations to high after the Arsenal result, Considering we have played 3 top 6 teasm in 7 days I think we have done very well as atleat for one half we have been the better team in the gamesLast season we got 0 points with a -10GD as the same 3 fixtures so it is a massive improvement 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villarule123 Posted August 24, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted August 24, 2013 Guzan 6 Lowton 6 Vlaar 5 Okore 6 Luna 6 Bacuna 2 Delph 5 Westwood 6 Weimann 5 Benteke 7 Gabby 6 I would have ripped your hands off for 3 points after those 3 games. Good start to the season, but we need to learn how to play at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troglodyte Posted August 24, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted August 24, 2013 I wonder how many times Redknapp has actually seen Lamela play? "Yeah he'd be a good signing, he's young, very much a Levy type of signing, he's... young." I hate Jamie Redknapp. Fool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troglodyte Posted August 24, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted August 24, 2013 To have a goal difference of 0 after playing Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool isn't bad, and I'd have taken that before the start of the season. Unfortunately, we deserved a minimum of a point from at least one of the performances against Chelsea and Liverpool but didn't get it. That said, the fact that I feel that way indicates that we're improving, particularly compared to last season. Onwards and upwards. UTV! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poitier Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Terrible performance, the passing and first touch throughout the entire team was very poor, more so first half than second, which makes me think tiredness wasn't an excuse. I think Vlaar has done well the last two games, let's hope that continues. I don't understand why so many people are getting on Bacuna's back. Sure, it wasn't a great debut, but first half he was no worse than several of the team, and he looked fairly steady in the second. It wasn't his fault that Lambert chose to break up the existing midfield by playing him, and let's just remember how many people had already written off both KEA and Delph as being unworthy in the not very distant past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoony Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 A quick mention of Liverplop's kit. What in the name of all that is holy was that??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electric Avenue Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Totally outdone tactically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradarmstrong_ Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Liverpool fans on twitter acting like Kolo Toure is a God. They were like this after the Stoke game. Good signing on a free transfer and did well against Stoke. Contrary to lots of opinions on here, I think he had a decent game today as well, although he is very much from the Jamie Carragher 'slyly foul as much as possible to make up for your lack of pace' school of defending. He'll get found out against the likes of Agüero though, if he plays. Do remember he's really a backup player. I just find it petulant when they search for Benteke's twitter and ask him how it feels to be in Toure's back pocket. Didn't hear them piping up when he destroyed them away at Anfield last season. Shouldn't really be surprised, this is Liverpool after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post jimcohen Posted August 24, 2013 Popular Post Share Posted August 24, 2013 I know I can be over optimistic at times, but i really think I must have been watching a different game. I thought we did ok. A bad start, but Liverpool very very good, and a lot of teams would struggle against them when they play like that, we did well to keep their chances to a minimum, and the goal was class. We then came back into it and had the best of the second half by far. Bar two very good saves, Benteke could have scored and that would have changed the entire feel to the game. I also thought Bacuna and Tonev did ok! Cue angry responces telling me Im an idiot I know, but I thought that was frustrating, annoying but not terrible. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponky Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 People being WAY too harsh on Bacuna. I agree it wasn't the greatest of debuts but I thought he was quite useful at RB and played some good balls in the 2nd half. I can see Lambert's thinking swapping KEA out for him, with the need to be more attacking at home, but unfortunately our midfield and forwards were extremely sloppy with the ball and that probably made it twice as hard for him to settle. Second half was an improvement for us. We spent a great deal of time in our attacking half but I agree we are just lacking for a playmaker to unclock a few doors for us. Weimann's form is a little concerning and Benteke was only 60% of what he has been. Early in the first half Luna set him up for an almost carbon copy of his Chelsea goal and he totally fluffed it, and that shot he had should have been buried. Even Delph who was absolutely everywhere had the touch of a rapist tonight. Just wasn't our night I think. The positives for me were Okore and Luna. Both were very good and showed plenty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shammynoor Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Bacuna was pretty poor today. Although there does seem to be a bit of a trend for players new to the PL to take a while to settle in. I remember Sylla being pretty similar initially. Anyone know what the Lowton for KEA sub was trying to achieve? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troglodyte Posted August 24, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted August 24, 2013 Right, I'm off to bring the fifth consecutive Champions League trophy to Villa Park on FIFA, and drink bourbon. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juteface Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 3 points after playing two top teams and a big spending team in 7 days isn't a bad return. Last season we would have collapsed after conceding, still leaking too much but the lads don't let their heads drop. Gabby seemed to be the only player that was looking to take the game by the scruff of the neck, he was always looking to push up and run at the defence. I'm disappointed but at the same time I get the feeling the lads were getting a bit wrecked from two previous high tempo games in quick succession. Liverpool practically parked a bus in the second half and we're missing that midfielder that can just open up a defence. Our attacking options are fast, having someone who can just read the game and thread a nice pass on to a forward would really help us control games. Delph looked game for it and really got into some form in the second half, his first touch is a bit off but hopefully that sharpens up. Bacuna looked ok, much better in RB. KEA looked pretty decent as well, broke up play on a number of occasions. Luna looks pretty handy with his feet, he skinned two Liverpool players at one point I couldn't believe I was watching a LB. Okore could well be something special. These things take time, I think we went at it pretty well in the second half and are a little unlucky to come off without a point. Still a good start to the campaign and I really think we'll do fine this year and hopefully build further next year. That's all we can really expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electric Avenue Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 At times our CM seemed non - existent. I'm a big Westwood fan but he was really a passenger today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanBalaban Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Much better in the second half, but encountered the perennial problem of not being able to create enough chances. Definitely need a lock picker to call upon. Having said that, Benteke had a good chance and, judging by today's Hull v Norwich game, should've had a penalty for Toure's push on Benteke too. Very tight game, let down by their only chance taken well n the first half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.I.C.O. Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 An incredibly frustrating, bad day at the office. That first half was so dire, I thought we were back in the bad days of last season. Bacuna was particularly poor. To be played off the park by one of the worst Liverpool sides in 30 years during that first 45 minutes was a disgrace. Second half we improved and actually started to boss the game like a home side should. However we still give the ball away so cheaply. I can't see much of an improvement over last season, so I'm going to temper my predictions of a top 10 finish somewhat, and reckon we'll finish slightly above where we were last season. Benteke is the only player who looks like he can pull something out of nothing, the rest are too predictable. Deplh had a good go though. As far as I'm concerned the season starts now. Lets see where we are after the circus/car crash that is Newcastle come to town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefanAVFC Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Bloody hell that was frustrating. If its any consolation, they're not winning anything this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Factory Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 (edited) Watched it in the pub as its my protest at stupid kick off times. Fight the power. So my views not as good as the villa faithful who went! I thought it was bit of a meh game. Not the greatest of 1st halfs, but we got better in the second as Liverpool looked comfortable for the 1 nil win. A okayish peformance, which shows the team has still a bit of a way to go. Great save by the plop keeper in the 2nd half- if we were going to get a goal, that was it. My long term fear is that yet again we will be much better on the road than at home as essentially like under O'Neill, we are a good counter attacking side, but not as good trying to break a side down. 9 wins in 39 league games is not going to help to get these 42,000 crowds very often. But lets take a chill pill. 3 pts out of these 3 games is a decent return. Need a win v Rotherham and have a few weeks to take stock. UTV. Edited August 24, 2013 by The Fun Factory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoony Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Bloody hell that was frustrating. If its any consolation, they're not winning anything this season. Besides more admirers from football fans across the world who will enjoy their fluid football, loveable fans and tireless fights for justice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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