Just as I’ve been quiet because I didn’t want to keep saying how poor we are, it’s only fair that I do the opposite after I think we’ve played well.
Which is exactly what we did tonight. Indeed, we were by far the better side and could easily have scored four or five goals.
Before I come on to who I thought wasn’t up to scratch, I should say who I thought played well and it gives me great pleasure to say it was practically the whole side.
I know we showed signs of improvement against the Albion last week, but it wasn’t prolonged enough by a long chalk and I find myself wondering what’s gone on to cause such an improvement in this game.
I’m quite perplexed, having had a good few minutes to think about it, but I can’t get away from asking why it seems the players worked harder than they have done for months?
The improvement in workrate and desire was marked and it was almost as if the lads had been threatened with the sack.
The player that stood out for me was Traore. Where did that effort come from? I’ve often said I rate him, but he’s been so inconsistent and in and out of games that I’d got ho, marked as a waste of money and a squad player at best.
If he can keep that sort of effort up he’s one of the first names on the teamsheet.
I can’t get my head around his performance.
Ross Barkley too, was mostly excellent and I don’t understand how someone who has played so poorly for so long can suddenly work so hard.
McGinn was nowhere near as generous in giving the ball away, Ollie worked even harder than usual and the whole side were just sharper and up for it from the off.
There were some downsides and our defending of set pieces is one of them, in particular.
Barkley was at fault for Everton’s goal, but I think it’s harsh to blame him.
We zone mark and it makes us look daft when it goes wrong, because you get the likes of McGinn marking usually the biggest player on the opposition’s side.
I’ve never understood the reasoning behind it and much prefer man marking, but then I think Mings is a cowardly, poor defender.
Yet our defence is statistically very good. Hence I have to concede that there’s a good chance I don’t know what I’m talking about.
I thought our worst players were Luiz, who hasn’t looked on top of his game for a while and yep Anwar El Ghazi, who had done nothing all game.
Until he proved me wrong too and popped up to strike a cracker to give us the points. Only a couple of minutes after saying I’d have subbed him.
Football has a knack of proving you wrong, but fortunately it was in a good way today.
We’re up to ninth then and leapfrog Leeds and Arsenal.
If we can keep that up, there’s still plenty of points to be played for.
The big question is, can we?
I’m wondering what’s gone on behind the scenes to cause that.
I definitely think something has.
Agree with most of what you have posted but you are wrong in saying that we zone mark. Like many teams we do a mixture of man to man and zonal. Barkley was man marking Calvert Lewin, Luiz was also man marking. Luiz kept with his man but Barkley was ball watching and let his man get away.
Even though it was his fault I can excuse that given that he had an impact going forward. As you say, the energy in the whole team was up, and it was noticeable how quick we attacked as soon as we won possession. We had a look of the Liverpool thrashing about us. Get men forward and in the box then you create chances and score goals. Simple really.
I wasn’t expecting that performance but it was nice to see.
Perhaps it is a mix DS. All I know is Mings has often been accused of marking thin air.
The main issue I have though, is that Calvert-Lewin is probably Everton’s best header. So why was Barkley marking him in the first place?
And how often have we moaned about McGinn marking players way bigger than him?
If we do man mark, it doesn’t seem to me we’re very good at it and it was demonstrated by the fact that we struggled on every corner.
Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t been Barkley’s biggest fan for a good while, but if it was say Konsa who’d let Calvert-Lewis go like that, I’d be complaining a lot more.
I know the ultimate aim is to be a perfect all round player, but it’s horses for courses and ultimately Barkley isn’t a defender.
It seems a bit harsh that I’m going on about it somewhat, tbh.
The most notable thing was the massive increase in energy and desire. If I didn’t know better, I’d be thinking someone handed the drugs out, such was the improvement over what we’ve seen in previous months.
I said it on your last post Badger, something has gone on but we won’t be told it, my thoughts on tonight’s game , Luis was poor, Mcginn I’ve every respect for him , his work rate is needed. He worries players and shields balls well, ok miss passing a few times but so does one or two others, all in all excellent game well worth all the whisky I’ve drunk tonight may I see many more games like that again.
McGinn was still sloppy, but nowhere near as bad as he has been Bill.
Agreed, his workrate is a big plus.
The best Jackless performance to date.
I never rated Pickford over Pope, but I have to admit he stood between his team and a thrashing in this match.
It helped that Everton have two bad central defenders that their manager still selects so Watkins was able to dominate down both flanks. The ref and commentators overlooked the retaliation on Watkins after he robbed one of them and scored. That elbow was coming for him and landed – it was blatant.
We were aided also by another infuriating player Richarlison having one of his zero-product days.
On to our positives, pretty well everybody except Luiz who was at least average, the others were good to excellent.
101 corner defending. Replay the Westergaard goal for Saints. When the opposition have a clearly outstanding header of the ball he must be man-marked by Mings or Konsa. Ludicrous to zonal mark with that threat.
A very interesting article on Ivan Toney:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56868097
80 million for him and Tammy and we’re looking at a flirt with the title next season. Go get ’em Mr Purslow! 😉
Shopping List
1 x Axel
1 x Tammy
1 x Toney
1 x creative back up for the skipper
2 full backs, one on each side (unless a youngster can step up)
TOTAL: 140 MILLION
So what are you thinking BFR, £30 mill or more for Toney when Abraham is similar money and proven?
Seems a bit excessive, tbh and who plays up front, given Smith likes one up top?
I don’t see either coming, tbh, but it would be nice.
3 mids is way more important to me, to give us options, as the wimgers are way too inconsistent, as is McGinn. Barkley will be gone and Trez is out too.
I agree with your full backs, but LB is the priority. I’d be ok with Guilbert as back up, but think Smith wants him gone.
Badger, Toney will cost at least what Ollie cost, so it’s at least £33 million; he’s scored more goals than Ollie in the Championship so you’re looking at 35+. 40 for Tammy so it’s about 75. If Ollie goes left or right, then surely, you need two top class goalscorers for the loan central position. We’ve gone into the last two seasons with one striker, which is madness. If you play one up, then you need minimum two in the squad – I can’t include Wesley or Davies in that, as they simply don’t guarantee goals. This summer has to be about acquiring guaranteed goals. If it’s two up, then you need four; think Yorke, Cole, Soskjaer and Sheringham at United – arguably the best quartet ever assembled – it won them the treble. Strength in depth and goals is what we need. Imagine being able to select a front 3 from Jack, Ollie, Tammy, Toney, Chuky and Bert! Wow. That would scare the shit out of most defences in the league. There are so many permutations there! We’d not only have a plan B, but a C and D!
My thinking is we play a (proper) front 3, like Liverpool – I hate the notion of a loan striker and that’s why we’ve been struggling; it’s supposed to be a 3, but too often it’s Ollie working his bollocks off by himself, much like Wesley last season. That’s not going to get you success, in my view.
Beef up the midfield behind them and we’re looking a formidable prospect! I think there will be a lot of movement in and out this summer.
On a side note, if the season finished today, we finish top 10 and look at the teams above us. There isn’t a single team there that you’d be disappointed to finish behind going into the season, apart from maybe West Ham. In other words, if we finish top 10, we’ve basically won our mini league. Anything above and it’s like being promoted to the mini premier super league. Then it’s a case of recruit in the summer to compete with those big-hitters.
Exciting times.
UTV
Antonio Conte has just won the league in Italy, again with a 3, 5, 2 system as he did at Chelsea. If it worked in England and Italy to such an extent, maybe it’s worth looking at.
How about this for a team:
Emi
Konsa Mings Axel
Bert Luiz Mcginn (one new top class centre mid) Jack
Tammy Ollie
I’d say no to that as we’d lose Cash in that line up. Cash has been awesome this year.
He has been excellent, but he’s dropped at least as many clangers as Mings, yet seems to not be criticised like the big man. Replace Bert with Cash for away games in the lineup. 😉
And Targett too. He’s been pretty good all season.
Mind you, the pair of them would be worth a good few quid and would contribute nicely to any incomers.
As for Cash moving forward to replace Bert, I’ve not seen a single sign that he looks much use as a winger?
Quite strange seeing as that’s where he played first.
BFR, I love what you’re proposing and 99% agree with what you’re saying.
Except we’re talking Smith and I just don’t see him deviating from his one up top.
He’s intransigent to say the least and he doesn’t seem to do tactics either (although I am willing to cut him some slack here, as I often look at the bench and think “what alternative is there, really?”)
Given that I think there’s no chance he’ll go with a proper 3 (which I’d love to see, there are plenty of teams in the Prem that can’t withstand a proper onslaught) and will stick with one, maybe he will push Ollie wide left. If so, yep, I could see Tammy coming in as the no 1 striker.
I think Wesley and Davis are squad at best, so that would leave room for Toney, who might come if we triple his wages.
I just think that’s a big ask in money spent when we already have back up.
Whichever way I look at it, the midfield is the weak link and I think that’s where the money will go.
But you’re right, it’s going to be interesting seeing who comes and goes and with FFP less of a threat I wonder if the owners are really going to push the boat out?
Exciting indeed.
You are of course, correct in saying we’ve done very well this season.
But it gnaws at me that look where we are and we’ve been awful for weeks.
It could have been so much better and Europe was there for the taking.
It was our best chance in years and it just feels like we’ve thrown it away.
I know, we probably wouldn’t have been good enough.
But it’s the ride in europe that does it for me.
The exchanging of pennants against Antwerp in 1975 is still very strong in my memory 🙂
I like your proposed 3-5-2 team too.
All we need to do is wait for Smith to get the sack, because that’s the only way you’d get to see it, imo.
El Ghazi on his goal: “I had one one thing on my mind… shoot. I love to shoot and I do this strike quite often in training…”
That, for me, sums up where we’ve been going wrong lately. Anwar has absolutely nailed it there. If you do do it in training and it works, do it on the pitch! Apparently, his pal Konsa told him to do it as he does it all the time in training. Moreover, the skipper is on record as saying he’s the best finisher at the club.
We know he’s got a tremendous shot on him. He now has 8 goals this season, despite not being a regular starter, more than De Bruyne. Perhaps, we underestimate Anwar, just a tad?
Bottom line, if you don’t shoot, you don’t score; this man likes to shoot and is quite good at it! It’s the simple things.
On a bum note, allegedly, Bayern are in for Chuky and there’s a real danger he’ll be snatched away. That would be a sickening.
El Ghazi does have a good shot on him and he’s done well.
It’s his overall contribution that makes him a no-no for me, exactly the same as Hourihane.
It’s great if they score, but if not, you’ve just played with 10 men and that won’t do.
As for the crap about Bayern, I don’t believe it for one minute.
You really ought to stop believing the shite that’s posted.
If you listen to that rubbish, we’ve lost Grealish, Emi, McGinn, Mings and Ollie already.
The media haven’t yet got it into their thick heads that Villa don’t need to sell anyone and, if they do so, it will be for sound football or business reasons – not because some ‘big’ club has knocked on the office door.
Purslow is looking to build a group of the best talented 16 – 18 year olds the club can get their hands on. He’s on record as saying that Chuky is ‘the best young footballer of his age in the country’. How would selling him square with that?
Purslow’s credibility would disappear overnight.
However, we do need to offer him real first team opportunities not pay lip service to it. European teams seem more willing to play their talented youngsters at the highest level at a much younger age than in the UK. This has been true for years and not just in football.
If Ramsey is good enough then so is Chuky – even more so,
Do we want Tammy Abraham, and do we want him for £40M? If you were managing Chelsea, would you put Tammy in your starting 11 and if so in whose place? IMO Tammy and Ollie are similar. They have the same weakness, neither is a good header of the ball, and when considering their strengths Ollie has improved past Tammy.
It is an expensive gamble to play them as twin strikers when neither has played that role recently.
I agree with your assessment OLL.
If we are going to buy a new striker we need a strong proven central striker and, as you imply, a good header of the ball. Both Davis and Wesley are big central strikers and if we’re not going to use them and buy a new striker then someone in the style of Mitrovitch with Watkins playing from the left would be my choice.
Tonev’s the latest to be touted about by the media but would be a real gamble after just one season in the Championship – anyway if Brentford do get promoted there’s no way they’ll sell any of their best players.
Danny Ings anyone – that would be a statement
Hitch, Mitrovic scores less goals than Wesley and Davies.
BFR – I was using Mitrovitch as an example of the type of cf rather than advocating we should buy him. Danny Ings might have been a better choice though!
If and only if, !! your interested , Aston Villa u18 v West Brom u 18s Semi final are on BT2 at 6 oclock on the 14th .chance to see our potentials.
Thanks Bill
I cant see us spending 40m on another centre forward. No way is Dean going to play with 2 strikers, so it would mean Watkins pushed wide-which makes no sense. I think our priority will be a number 10 and a right winger. Can see us spending big there.
A good performance from a number 10 (Barkley) in our last performance made such a difference in the way we played. In fact we played that well that you almost forgot that Grealish wasnt playing!
Very surprised that you don’t believe we need to spend big on a striker this summer, guys. Ollie has played every minute of every game this season. That’s unsustainable. Especially if you want some cup runs. There is no strength in depth there whatsoever.
Since Christmas, we’ve struggled badly for goals. If it wasn’t for the clean sheets and the odd 1-0 win, we’d be languishing in the bottom half. Look at the results since the New Year. How do you turn 0-0 draws into wins? How do you turn 1-1 draws into wins. How do you turn 1-0 and 2-1 defeats into draws or better?
Football is about goals, lads, and we don’t score enough of them, which is why Badger’s been so grumpy lately. There was an opportunity for Europe but lack of goals snuffed it out.
Synthesising the other conversation about Dalian this evening, we lost the title in ’93 when Dalian got injured in December and he didn’t score another goal again all season. Saunders’ form plummeted as a result. Our results in the second half of that season were similar to this, in that we were scraping 1-0 wins to stay in there and losing games by the odd goal.
So, no lads. We desperately need at least one more striker who’s capable of 20+ league goals a season. Tammy is. As for heading, I’m pretty sure Toney ain’t bad. Strength in depth is a major key to success. Goals are the key. And we need more of ’em. But they don’t come cheap, and rightly so. Whats the use in a number 10 and a winger if there’s no one to finish what they create???
Time will tell what the board have up their sleeve this summer. I’d be staggered if a top end centre forward didn’t arrive.
UTV
BFR – recent article I read suggested that Villa may not spend big on a new striker but will give Wesley time to prove he can deliver.
If true that sounds like a high risk strategy for the start of next season.
Don’t know if you’re following the news, but the death of Dalian Atkinson looks appalling. Horrified by the police here.
Just been reading about it, Bum Bum.
Tasered for 20 secs when the standard is about 5.
And was then stood with his foot on his head?
Doesn’t sound good at all and it seems other officers are giving evidence against the copper.
Without wanting to get into politics it’ll be the same as usual and I’d guess he’ll get done for manslaughter..
It’s never murder is it?
Well, I’m no lawyer, but my understanding is that it can only be murder if they (the prosecution) can show it was a premeditated (planned) attack with an intent to kill. So, for instance, if he’d told colleagues of his intent or desire to kill someone or had attempted it before.
Content to be corrected on this but I think they go with manslaughter as the more likely charge under which to get a successful prosecution.
Agreed Hitch.
The 20 seconds should have read 30 seconds.
And that’s the dubious part for me.
How long does it take an obviously normally sensible person to realise that he might be more than just incapacitating someone?
I don’t think for one minute he meant to deliberately kill him, but there are degrees of manslaughter.
I’d be pretty confident the judgement will prove to be on the more lenient side, on a par with someone lashing out with a knife and killing someone or similar.
I do get it. You don’t want to be seen to be punishing your police officers too harshly.
But it’s not exactly equal for everyone is it, if that’s what’s happening?
With that, that’s the end of that conversation on my part.
Appalling is exactly right, Bum Bum. Used it for over 30 seconds when 5 is recommended. Booted Dalian in the head twice even though he was out. Meanwhile the female officer beat him with her truncheon. Sickening, shocking and yes, totally appalling, not to mention very very sad when you think how the big man’s life ended. Always a very bubbly personality and made a lot of people happy when displaying his immense talent on the pitch. Agree with Bill; I also hope they get their just deserts.
(I dont think for one minute he meant to deliberately kill him Badger) I think there was hate in that police officer and his ex girlfriend. She hit him while he was on the floor with her truntion they was a couple at the time. Did I read he used that tasser more than once? 30 seconds was well over the police training manuals I would think. And yes he might have been a copper that knew who he was and that’s in my opinion. I’ve said it many times their are police that have O levels and A levels but common sense your born with, that idiot is a bad advert for a descent policeman, hope he gets his just reward.
Badger, Bill – no argument from me.
Badger, see it’s one of your favourite kick off times on Sunday – 14.05 🙂
Well, I suppose it’s better than 8pm on a Sunday.
That’s just an awful time to play a game.
I see Chuky apparently wants away because he was promised games and hasn’t got them.
I don’t blame him if that is the case.
Or is it a case of him just flexing his clout?
I think he’s contracted for another 2 years, so I wonder what stance we’ll take with him?
If he is just pulling his face, I hope the club give him a dressing down and tie him to his contract.
You can’t have kids calling the shots.
That said, if Smith hasn’t played him now, when will he?
I doubt he’ll ever get another chance like this to experiment.
We’ll either be competing for top 6 or fighting relegation.
Don’t forget, this is the first time in donkey’s years since we’ve had a middling season.
By the same token though Badger, you can’t knock confidence and ambition. Chuky’s probably told Smith he’s better than Ramsey 🙂
Having said that this will show us how good (or poor) Smith is in managing the expectations of our top young players.
Barry will be knocking his door down next and with some justification.
If and only if, !! your interested , Aston Villa u18 v West Brom u 18s Semi final are on BT2 at 6 oclock on the 14th .chance to see our potentials.
If Ollie gets a long term injury we are truly buggered. It’s not just his goals we’d miss but his work rate. Teams have to keep their defence back because he’s such a threat, therefore teams can’t attack us in numbers because of this.
Spending big on a striker is a risk but I think now we’ve discovered we can play well without relying on Jack, Ollie would be a bigger miss.
And yes, play the bloody youngsters before they all bugger off!!!!!
That Bum Bum been proved with Grealish being out. I agree for what ever reason the club held back news on Grealish well being from us fans will now bite them on their arse , he will miss out on European games now Southgate will see the chance of picking his first chance players. Smith must show us promising young Villa lads now, waiting won’t do the club any favour as football not that exciting this season .