Aston Villa post match thread 2-1

[gw_leics772]

2 hours ago, Fox85 said:

Are you saying what he said is wrong?

 

Bar the maddison part he is 100% right.

 

We needed to buy players we are just not good enough, we did well the first half of the season and towards middle of December it was clear we needed strengthening.

We have failed in the market and this will cost us the season.

Apart from the bits not in bold, you are 100% right.

[Leeds Fox]

26 minutes ago, urban fox said:

Thought that myself on the replay. Gray is clearly distracted by the fact that the winger is in space also and he hesitates. Chilwell should have gone to intercept the wide player and given Gray a shout that he had his man, Gray could then have pushed on to close down his man without worrying about the other one. Even if he doesn't get there he is putting his man under pressure and maybe the cross is rushed. 

I am not defending Gray, nor trying to lay the blame on Chilwell, but rather that they must at least share responsibility. It is all about communication and confidence in your team mates to be where they should be. 

I think that Rodgers has swapped Evans and Cags around to put Evans next to Chilwell to give him some guidance (Ricardo can look after himself no worries) as he has been a bit off recently (i think that being torn a new one by KDB and Mahrez dented his confidence). The down side to that is that Chilwell seems to be a lot narrower in defensive positions, giving too much space to opposition winger.

I wasn’t trying to blame either Chilwell or Gray either, but Chilwell can see the full picture, Gray can’t. 
 

Chilwell just needs to tell Gray to engage the one in possession, knowing that the winger is covered.

[Guybino]

24 minutes ago, fuchsntf said:

I reckon Ricardo,gets Away with alot of shit,But its Chilwell who has to Take it.....!!

 

Ricardo has consistently been one of the best RBs in Europe!

 

you take that comment back. 

[Leicester_Loyal]

1 hour ago, henrik_62 said:

That infuriated me tonight and made me think back to CL nights when we got a tonking and still insisted on trying to pass it around our own 18 yard box, inviting pressure. It infuriated me so much I was shouting at the tv tonight in the second-half.

 

Was as plain as the nose on your face in the second-half the way to beat that press was to go direct and in behind to Vardy.

 

Rodgers needs to sort that out, never seems to learn and blindly sticks to the same principles. 

If its been happening for years and he’s never changed it, will he suddenly decide to change it now? Probably not. 

[HesNotGudjonsonn2]

11 minutes ago, yorkie1999 said:

Stats are for spurs fans 

Unless we have 100 shots on target and the opponents have 1 shot and we lose. Then I would think the stats are saying something.

[BraunstoneFox23]

Eeeesshh that was rough. I'm still feeling a bit confused about how we managed to lose that tie, but whatever we go again Saturday and that.

[fuchsntf]

14 minutes ago, Guybino said:

 

Ricardo has consistently been one of the best RBs in Europe!

 

you take that comment back. 

No..!!!   In my IMO,we have seen him,make poor decisions when defending....Unlike some I know all FBs make crass errors,Ricardo always looks Good going forward,he has covered the CBs excellently,but so many necessary crosses /goals comes from his side/position....but in this forum,it gets lost..!!!

Difference is I Don T go on negative campaigns against Any player....

Edited 29 January 2020 by fuchsntf

[Nicolo Barella]

I'm very salty about this. We did more than enough to win, not to mention that fvcking handball

[Chrysalis]

2 hours ago, Les-TA-Jon said:

This forum is bloody embarrassing. After every loss you just turn on all the players. 
 

shameful. 

Shameful to criticise a losing team? oh shock the horror.

 

Didnt watch, but am I right we probably didnt press again?

[Foxaholic ME]

1 hour ago, sm1 said:

I can understand the frustration but if it wasn't for their goalkeeper, we'd have walked both ties for an easy aggregate win. Not to mention the blatant penalty not given. Sometimes it's not the best team that wins but the luckiest. Villa had everything go their way over 180mins and they still only barely beat us. 

 

1 hour ago, sm1 said:

I can understand the frustration but if it wasn't for their goalkeeper, we'd have walked both ties for an easy aggregate win. Not to mention the blatant penalty not given. Sometimes it's not the best team that wins but the luckiest. Villa had everything go their way over 180mins and they still only barely beat us. 

Goalkeepers are part of the team.All the  big games  Liverpool 2  Man c 1 and 2 semi finals we have not performed at our best  although the blatant penalty I think cost us as we would I thinkhave won the shoot out although the form  their  goaliewas in possiblly not

[Stuntman_Mike]

This wasn't given.

 

I mean, there are no words. 

 

The ref is looking at it AND it's being checked through video technology. 

 

But still nothing. Sickening. 

[Guest Harrydc]

So we lost... We're third in the league, 2 wins away from an FA cup semi final and have arguably our best ever squad. Please do not forget where we came from... I'm sure you would have taken this position at the start of the season? 

[Zaid]

2 hours ago, RowlattsFox said:

now we get to see everyone say how great Grealish is when he was barely in the game.

Grealish is a top player imo, barely loses the ball and always seems like doing something dangerous. 

[H.a.r.r.y]

I don't know why i even went, i knew this was going to happen

[Brizzle Fox]

Again I think tonight illustrated that we're decent but certainly nowhere near the finished article.

 

We could potentially be entering a new golden period for our club. What we would have given just a few years ago to be in the position, however we must also try and appreciate how fleeting this could be. 

 

I think it will tell us a lot as to how the team, the manager and the fans bounce back from this disappointment and build on very solid foundations during the remainder of this season and in the summer.  This could still end up a phenomenal season and beyond that who knows. 

 

You sometimes only develop having experienced adversity, as we can evidence from relatively recent experience (Watford play off defeat etc), so let's trust that this is what happens. 

 

Of course alternatively everything could fall apart and turn to shit but lets try and stay positive! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fox of WA]

It’s seemed for a while now that we really need more of a leader in midfield. Schmeichel isn’t doing the job as captain. Doesn’t seem like there’s ever a player willing us to be aggressive, directing play, and moving it forward up the pitch.

[OadbyBlue]

Fa cup still on👀 but what this spell of games has showed is that we should not take top 4 for granted, another couple spells like this and it will be trips to Minsk rather than Madrid. 

Edited 29 January 2020 by OadbyBlue

[AndyMaidenhead]

We all need stay calm....

BUT objectively

1..Schmichael is causing massive problems..needs replacing next year or so..sadly I fear same for (2) below..

2..Vardy has n't looked at all right since daughter's birth (hoofed clearance v West Ham was unnecessary non league standard.. resulting in injury)...anonymous today tbh

3..Perez n Gray not good enough

4...Maddison n Chilwell flatter to deceive

5..Soyuncu gone off d boil

 

Top 4 finish not gonna be at all easy

[Jakemoore]

Just got home from the game. 
 

what to say about that shit show?!

 

I’ve just watched Brendans post match interview, and if I’m totally honest, I disagree with him. And it’s very rare that I disagree with him but we didn’t deserve anything over the two legs. I think Villa had an obvious game plan and they executed it superbly. Yes we were very unlucky not to be 2-0 up before they scored their first and we definitely should have had a penalty. But as soon as they started to press us and harass we made mistakes. We looked rattled for long periods of that game tonight and this seems to be a reoccurring theme. If a team wants to rough us up and fight us, we hit the self destruct button. 
 
I can’t be bothered to go through every detail of that one but congratulations to Villa, you deserved it. I’ll enjoy watching you get hammered though and I hope you go down. 

[Jakemoore]

4 minutes ago, AndyMaidenhead said:

We all need stay calm....

BUT objectively

1..Schmichael is causing massive problems..needs replacing next year or so..sadly I fear same for (2) below..

2..Vardy has n't looked at all right since daughter's birth (hoofed clearance v West Ham was unnecessary non league standard.. resulting in injury)...anonymous today tbh

3..Perez n Gray not good enough

4...Maddison n Chilwell flatter to deceive

5..Soyuncu gone off d boil

 

Top 4 finish not gonna be at all easy

Top 4 is done. Don’t worry! 

[cruzFOX]

22 minutes ago, Fox of WA said:

It’s seemed for a while now that we really need more of a leader in midfield. Schmeichel isn’t doing the job as captain. Doesn’t seem like there’s ever a player willing us to be aggressive, directing play, and moving it forward up the pitch.

Totally agree! Villa keeper has been saving their bacon in both legs. In the Southampton game their keeper too stepped up. I love Kasper and he's our legend forever but we've really needed his heroics in the games where the rest of the team have struggled. I'm sure he's trying but we the fans just aren't seeing it. As captain it's tough to drill the guys from the back - I say give the arm band to Evans and tell him to start being that sergeant major on the field. He's our most experienced and prize coveted player that can be that Roy Keane type of leader. With all his experience of that Fergie winning mentality at United we really should be utilizing him more than just being a defender. Brendan is just too passive on the touch line too often head in the notepad when he should be more spirited ala Klopp and really shout and encourage the players to drive on. Shouldn't just come from the fans!

[Gamble92]

2 hours ago, Lesta2014 said:

Not been a semifinal in this comp in my life, why would I even expect us to get there? 

Im sure you've had a few semis 

[Gamble92]

17 minutes ago, Jakemoore said:

Just got home from the game. 
 

what to say about that shit show?!

 

I’ve just watched Brendans post match interview, and if I’m totally honest, I disagree with him. And it’s very rare that I disagree with him but we didn’t deserve anything over the two legs. I think Villa had an obvious game plan and they executed it superbly. Yes we were very unlucky not to be 2-0 up before they scored their first and we definitely should have had a penalty. But as soon as they started to press us and harass we made mistakes. We looked rattled for long periods of that game tonight and this seems to be a reoccurring theme. If a team wants to rough us up and fight us, we hit the self destruct button. 
 
I can’t be bothered to go through every detail of that one but congratulations to Villa, you deserved it. I’ll enjoy watching you get hammered though and I hope you go down. 

I have to admire the way that all nearly finished with humility and being humble, only to completely destroy them.

 

I have to say i strangely agree with what you say. 

 

Although the general consensus is we deserved it and i think we did, you cant help but feel this is exactly the two type of legs Villa wanted. They were outplayed but always in it and created enough on the break to always be a threat. It wouldn't normally succeed over two legs, but it has and we have to hold our hands up.

 

Still ****ing gutted though

[Gamble92]

49 minutes ago, Harrydc said:

So we lost... We're third in the league, 2 wins away from an FA cup semi final and have arguably our best ever squad. Please do not forget where we came from... I'm sure you would have taken this position at the start of the season? 

Agreed. I never lose sight of anything like this after going to games like Swindon at home on my own when none of my mates could be arsed - but it doesnt mean we cant be gutted and worried about the form we have been on.

[inckley fox]

I understand all the reaction and over-reaction, but some of the conclusions people come to are pure daft. In both directions. We seem to be all or nothing here on Foxestalk at times, it's either 'slate them all' or 'pardon them for everything and pretend it was fine'.

 

The criticism of Gray is excessive. I'm not a fan, personally, and he has a share of the blame for the goal because - between Chilwell and him - they didn't figure out who was picking up who. But he's not the first to struggle to work alongside Chilwell on that side of the pitch, and in all fairness to the pair of them the (possibly) greater problem was the two-on-two at the far post. If you watch the movement before the goal, Wilf follows a man out and Youri fails to see the danger and join the two defending players. As a direct result of that, and in the absence of a right winger tracking back, there's an over-load at the far post.

 

It's an on-going theme, in recent weeks, that too many of our players don't carry out a significant defensive function. And when they do, they don't do it effectively enough. Very few teams can afford to have a Perez, a Maddison, a Youri and a forward on the pitch, not to mention two of the most attacking full backs in the EPL. Regardless of where they're stationed on the pitch, they simply aren't effective enough in their defensive roles. Those fans talking about 'balance' are quite right.

 

And people saying Schmeichel is past it are going way too far. For most of the season he's been fantastic despite the dodgy distribution (some of which is clearly an ill-thought strategy, and has been an issue for Ward too) and the question marks over the first goal tonight. I can't believe how flippant people are in thinking we can go and upgrade one of the best keepers in our history just like that. Not to mention the fact that he's hardly our biggest headache right now. Poor tonight? Yes. A major flaw in the side? God no. And the over-elaborate moving of the ball in our own half has been a problem for lots of people of late, not only Kasper.

 

I'd agree that we were the better side. That the refereeing was poor. That if our midfielders looked at the options in front of them instead of going for gold we'd probably walk a game like this.

 

But you can't go overboard with the excuses. Nearly 50 shots over two games? Maybe that's the case, but who's taking those shots? Where from? Villa had almost as many gilt-edged chances as us over the two ties, and we should be looking at that.

 

It's wrong to paper over the cracks. Sides have seen that they can get in behind our full backs. That our build-up crumbles when we're pressed. That we can be out-muscled and out-worked in the centre of the park. Not all of the aforementioned were a huge issue tonight, but collectively these factors have been the story of the last month or so.

 

So there are question marks about some of these players when it comes to the proverbial crunch. And, at EPL level, about Rodgers too. Tonight highlighted the need for the manager to address certain problems with a more open mind; and for the likes of Maddison, Chilwell, Youri, Riccy and Perez to prove that they're not simply pretty-on-the-eye - and, in their own right, excellent players - but also winners, capable of sustaining success.

 

For me, the logical reaction is neither to feel that the world has come to an end, nor that all is well and we were damn hard done by. It's true we were far from dog**** tonight. Equally, we should be looking at ourselves before feeling too aggrieved. If we accept that, all told, we need to do better on occasions like this, explore new ways to win games, address on-going problems and generally toughen the hell up, then it could be a great springboard.