This game is massive to my mind.
But is it a game that we should really expect to win?
I’m not convinced it is, as much as Brighton are struggling alongside us.
It would seem that the concensus amongst us Villa fans now, is that we really aren’t very good when it comes to the Premier league
I actually think this is a good thing, in that it will help to lower expectations.
I’ve said I’d take 17th from the off and as things stand, I’d suggest that’s a reasonable expectation.
But it’s 50/50 to my mind.
I firmly think there will be two teams worse than us.
But will there be three?
Squad news says Brighton’s Aaron Mooy, Shane Duffy, Adam Webster and Alireza Jahanbakhsh have overcome minor issues.
As for us, Matt Targett and Bjorn Engels should be availble, but Kodjia, as has been long suspected, can’t get out of the Villa quick enough, so won’t be available, as he looks to get a last payday in Quatar or whatever.
I don’t blame him, to be honest.
Let’s hope the warm weather suits him better.
I know he’s Marmite, but I suspect he’s a confidence player, who needs to be molly-cuddled to get the best from him.
And I just think he doesn’t fit Dean Smith’s style and has had little encouragement.
Oh, no doubt Reina starts.
I’m not convinced he’s going to be any sort of saviour, but hopefully he might save us a couple of points, with his reading of the game.
Ha, I don’t know what to think about this game.
It’s Brighton, after all and my history says we should just beat them because they’re a “little” club and we’re not.
But it doesn’t work like that, does it?
We won’t play five at the back, that’s for sure, because Brighton play an expansive game, but they don’t have the quality of Man City.
I’d expect us to go toe to toe in trying to get the win.
Which makes it anyone’s game.
But then, we don’t even have a striker and as much as you might say we don’t necessarily need one, it’s just a pathetic position to be in.
I honestly just can’t call this one.
I favour 1-1, but suspect it’s more likely to be 2-1.
If we continue to keep giving the ball away, which I think we will, because the team overall just can’t do the basics in the Prem, I just don’t see the win.
And while a loss wouldn’t be the end of the world, it would be just another dagger that we’d have to fight against.
Brighton 2- 1 Villa.
Prove me wrong, lads.
Sorry, but I’ve no confidence whatsoever for this one.
How can you enter a Prem game with no designated Striker?
I really don’t think Smith is responsible for this and the Hierarchy (Pitarch) has many questions to answer.
Guess who’ll get the sack first though?
DOF = load of bollocks, in the English game, imo.
Tough times I am afraid Badger. The folly of not having bought an additional striker in the summer has come home to haunt us. This is made even worse as Smith clearly did not want Kodja. I guess it means the Villa hierarchy attempted the season with only two strikers – Wesley an unknown quantity from abroad and Davis a fringe player. Poor decision making.
Let’s see what today brings. If I see the team sheet with Hourihane, Elmohamady and Taylor starting we will loose.
Villa must get a new striker or two through the door ASAP so that we have an outlet. Against Man City with no outlet it was 90 minutes of City with the ball. Tempers will be frayed if Brighton do the same to us today.
Brighton are not Citeh so It seems pointless to make comparisons. The fact is we played so poorly last Sunday that pretty much any team in the Prem would have knocked us over. Time to move on.
Brighton are not in the greatest of form but they do have Mooy back who, IMO, is a very good player and will improve Brighton’s performance (whilst not making a direct comparison he is to Brighton as JG is to Villa).
The other point is that Brighton are not prolific goal scorers but have an excellent defence marshalled superbly by Dunk. Without a recognised striker I just don’t see where our goals (goal) will come from although tbf El Ghazi and JG showed they could link up pretty effectively.
Trez has to start as does Guilbert and, if we are still playing 5 at the back then a Targett should start ahead of Taylor (if fit).
So my analysis should say 0-0 but I reckon it could go 1-0 either way.
Not a game for the purist.
It will be tough to get anything from this game. I can’t see us scoring but I thought the same at Leicester. I think we willl lose 1-0 or 2-1. We really need point(s) from this one though.
Thanks lads you’ve cheered me up no end, but your right , I’ve no heart anymore in the club, the writing was on the wall many games back , D.O.F. never meant anything to me its a way of watching the manager’s needs and no doubt arguments. Today will be another heart wrenching time for us fans, 2-1 or possible 3-1 and hopeless situation for the club.
Has Targett played in a 3-5-2 formation? In a 4-3-3 he looks poor defensively and Taylor would suit a 4-3-3 because he defends better than Targett and is more vocal.
I think Smith will stick with a 3-5-2 but he needs to try Targett and certainly Guilbert over Elmo. That way we can switch Grealish to a more central attacking midfield position with Luiz, Nakamba or Drinkwater behind. I would try El Ghazi and Trezeguet as a front two in the absence of a striker.
Prediction wise though I think we will be beat today with 3-1 my gut feeling.
As for the DOF, surely their role should be questioned considering the failure of spending £130m on a lot of inexperienced players who are out of their depth. They might come good like some of our 2015/16 signings but unfortunately it will be history repeating itself and other clubs will benefit from Villa being their learning curve at our cost.
Hitch
It was not about playing Coty more the fact that there was no out ball with someone to hold it up. This would be my fear today. Plus we still have a Keystone Cop defence moment in us.
Wasn’t meant as a criticism of your post Sid so apologies there – more meant as a general comment that it’s gone and it’s about how we approach this next game.
I agree with your point and that’s why we have to play Trez and El Ghazi.
i think today game is massive too, i also do not like us playing the 352. formations changes takes some work to perfect and we can not be comfortable changing this with so little work on it. i am alone in this ppl think this system worked against Burnley and Leicester but i believe other factors in these games were more telling than our new formation working,
the problem lies with the ball or the transition from without to having the ball to be more specific. we have so many number back behind the ball we then struggle to support when we regain the ball. breaking is best done with how quick you turn defense into attack and we are too slow. we then end up attacking in ones and twos.
Brighton are a very decent team, organised and very good in possession, i can not see how we will deal with their patience and their ability to attack as a team and defend as one. simply having men back behind the ball will not work against them, you have to press them in right areas, villa against city were too passive, they never got into city personal space all game. i saw one challenge which we did in the 90. too much wrong to sort out in one week.
3 0 Brighton hope i am wrong
we signed a striker at least
Sod you all. 2-1 Villa. You owe me a pint if I call it right!!!
i will buy you a brewery 🙂 hope you are right too
How about if we buy you the brewery Bum Bum 🙂
Great start, Guilbert no pace, Drinkwater booked, we’ll be lucky to get sod all, Watford made Tottenham struggle and we have them in the week. Happy days.
1 down . Goal for Brighton.
Relegation here we come!
Yep – no way will we score – unlikely even to get a shot on target
I don’t want to rubbish my team but we are fucking shite.
Even the commentator saying Villa are poor. Free kick for Villa can we score? El Garzi missing a sitter.
Please don’t sign anymore players. Let’s accept relegation and go again without Mings, Grealish and McGinn. Recoup the £130m from those sales and offload the likes of Drinkwater plus the other shite we have taken on like stray dogs. We can call them the bomb squad Mk2!
Utterly toothless and we look a really poor side 🙁
When you consider the amount of money we spent in the summer on average inexperienced players, surely we have to sack someone. Whether that is the DOF or Smith and his coaching team for not getting the best out of them. If we were continually making mistakes at work we would be out of a job.
Guilbert has no willing or pace, looking at Smith’s face he’s in trouble with the pressure. We have had 1 on goal we are at six and sevens and not even worrying Brighton . Painful to watch. Championship here we come, and I hope not with Smith.
i thought they played better than i imagined they would. we pressed high and that was one of my grievances lately. but the three cb backed off again and again. you have three so one of them has to come out of the shape and stop runners instead they keep backing off to the penalty area.
were we struggled is when we regain the ball, we just are set up too defensive to get men into the attack, therefore we struggle to hurt the opponents, also ghazi needs to drop a little deeper and pick up the ball and turn and run at the defenders.
hard to see us scoring unless we change shape, but if we can some how commit more men forward and find some composure on the ball, we might nick something. we are committing loads to press we just need to show the same commitment when we got the ball.
It’s time to start taking some risks. Add Vassilev for Trez and Hourihane for DD or we’ll get nothing out this game.
Pundit wondering why Grealish is playing out wide.
So am I. Again.
Does Smith not see he’s better in the middle?
Ok NO fight, Drinkwater a player who appears unfit and couldn’t get a game for Burnley, our best player on the left wing not allowed to influence the game, no strikers, look at the bench.
No tactics, who is at fault?
SMITH out
Get El Gazi off so so Lazy
Vassilev coming on!!!
Tez and DD off, Luiz and Vassilev on.
Probably the right call, imo.
Get a goal kid.
Its so painful to watch