I was reading an article earlier this week which referred to Fan groups of the top 200 ranked EUFA clubs signing a statement against the formation of a European Super League which seems to have reared its ugly head again.
Such a league would be nothing but a self interested power grab by a few select clubs who see it as a way of safeguarding themselves financially and bugger the rest. The proposals are for a 20 team competition with 15 permanent members that would still play in domestic competitions at weekends – so all other teams must bow to these teams with a fixture list designed to benefit them.
Is it mere coincidence then, that The Times and Telegraph are today reporting that EUFA has proposed an extended Champions League from 2024 onwards with ‘Europe’s biggest teams’ being guaranteed a place even if they don’t finish in the top four of their domestic leagues! At the same time the Europa League would be scaled back.
Sounds like EUFA bowing to pressure and a European Super League by the back door!
The rich will get richer etc. and football will be worse for it.
Turning to Wednesday’s game; there is little point in a detailed post match analysis – we were poor and beaten by the better side. Moyes got his tactics spot on – Smith didn’t.
Barkley and McGinn in particular looked way off the pace from the opening minutes.
McGinn showed none of his usual combative edge failing to throw in a tackle or try to nip the ball of the toes of the Hammers midfield leaving Luiz exposed in front of the defence.
Barkley was simply poor throughout the game showing no dynamism, carelessly giving the ball away five times and that on top of a series of inaccurate and misplaced passes.
Whatever the players’ monitors might say, whatever the stats show, sometimes you just have to use your eyes and these two in particular have shown signs of tiredness in the last three games.
We don’t know which players had Covid so are these two in particular suffering fatigue as a result and how many other players are finding recovery difficult between games?
Smith also got his tactics wrong – something he alluded to in his post match press conference. Apart from a short spell at the end of the first half, why did it take Smith until the 80th minute to switch Grealish to the right side when we immediately started to look better – after all he brought in El Ghazi who normally plays on the left?
Arsenal are next up at Villa Park and Smith needs to work out how to adapt our mid field play a bit more to the way other teams set up.
By their own high standards, our mid field three of Barkley, McGinn and Luiz have been poor in the last two games and something seems to be missing at the moment with them being too easily pulled out of position reducing cover to one area of the pitch. This allows opposition teams (that achieve this) a free run at our defence – Lingard for instance continually had acres of space to play in – and its happened in other games such as Leeds.
If we play like the last two games we will get another bashing on Saturday.
Arsenal were on a seven game unbeaten run until Tuesday’s defeat at Wolves which also deprives them of Leno and Luiz both receiving straight reds. I’m not aware of any major injury problems.
Our results have been patchy to say the least and we do have the usual terrible Villa statistics to deal with. It seems we have lost 16 of our last 18 EPL games in February (only winning one) and it’s nearly 30 years since we last did the double over Arsenal and just as long since we last won three in a row against them!
Will Smith freshen up the team – maybe giving Sanson his first start and bring Trezeguet back into the side and, if so who will give way?
Or will he just press a button on the computer and print out his ‘usual’ first team.
Constructive questions are a positive, not a negative and I think there are some to be answered. To continually improve we have to look critically at our performances. That’s not to say that we haven’t massively improved, because we have, and we’re playing some entertaining and exciting football. I’m sure all fans recognise and applaud that fact.
As to Saturdays’ game; it’s a draw for me but then I’m pretty useless at predicting results!
Good post Hitch, I’m glad some did see what I was on about regards certain players being well below par, I’m still smarting over the west ham game and having to bow my head when my next door neighbour and his kids see me. I hope to God that our coaching staff understands that no more will they poo poo and game when players fail to put their boots on .as for what you’ve been reading , it’s something the top clubs have been wanting for years, in my mind it’s wrong we invented the game ,we’ve played the game in this country for over 300 years ,what we have now would not change just for Foreign owner to rape our money . In other words Stuff them.
Any game .. bloody text.
just cause the monitor was mentioned in your post hitch, you won’t mind me adding. on fb earlier i saw that villa had added to the backroom staff. another dane from copenhagen. the article went on to name all the staff and their duties. there was the guys name who monitors the monitor lmao. i also apologzise i called it a bra to bill, it was actually called a vest in that article. its worn under the shirts and that guy i forgot his name collects the data and probably throws it in the bin who knows,
also hitch grealish was never switched to the right. first half he was on the left, but to get into the game and lose the attention of the two defenders shadowing him, i suspect he swapped with el ghazi but he didn’t . after the barkley subbing grealish moved inside behind watkins. he had the freedom to go left or right. traore and trez were the wide players thou.
if grealish plays down the middle, teams could only afford to put one man on him or risk being over run in the midfield. lingard showed the way to play. he might not have the skill of grealish but he played between the lines he lays the ball off and moves metres forwards for the return pass, but thats enough to by pass the markers. grealish would /could do the same down the middle.
live and learns grealish and villa will learn from the hammers game.
Nath, not wishing to be too pedantic but Grealish did actually switch to the right for a very short period before half time – even the commentators mentioned it.
Anyway, be that as it may, my main point is that Smith seemed reluctant to respond to the game situation and make tactical changes early – and it’s not the first time this can be levelled at him.
In the post match presser he also talked about having changed the way Watkins was asked to play – receiving ball to feet rather than running the channels which he excels at. He admitted this was a mistake – if so why didn’t he change things earlier?
Look – I’m a massive Smith fan but he, like everyone else, is not above criticism. Maybe he’s just too stubborn during a game to admit he’s got it wrong?
I do, however, recognise, that notwithstanding the debate about tactics, the team generally underperformed.
hitch he plays or operates on the left. he switches to the right many games it a ploy to have a go at another defender. smith never switched him to the right. you clamed it took until the 80 minutes or sumat. smith only switched him to operate the position barkley vacated. but he had the choice to go left or right and you clearly see he set up watkins from the right later on.
its just a small detail you over looked accidently or not. i said this line before so shoot me down. players are not the robots fans believe, they are given freedom to alter their roles. smith press conference he explained this and went on to say they fast learners too.
grealish moved to the right first half and then reverted back to left that was his decision. i think his position is the middle behind watkins then he can go either side. also he is much harder to mark out. its obvious innit. down the left or right its easier to mark somebody less room
I get the feeling with Smith that he is quite regimented in his approach. He has his favoured first eleven and style of playing. Up till now it has been mostly successful, however one important stat is that we have only picked up one point having been behind in games this season. This suggests that he doesn’t have a very good plan B or he is too slow in reacting.
Before anyone says I’m being critical, I just want to mention that I think he has been great for us and he is still learning being a premier league manager. This means he can improve further and this is why I’m confident that we have successful times ahead. 😃
6 games in 18 days is crazy fixture pile up. the quality of the football is being affected. only need to look at the results pool manager and fans claiming their players are mentally drained. how can you spot that condition ??? smith also hinted to this when asked was his players knackard he didn’t agree with he said they were mentally tired not physically. the numbers don’t say this he claimed. but don’t believe my word it was in the arsenal press conference the full version with questions
Nath, I really think you should be a little more open minded.
To my way of thinking mental tiredness is a direct result of physical tiredness.
so i should be openly changing my opinions to urs. funny how pool manager and fans i spoken with claim that the fixtures is taken the tolls on the champions with the squad they have.
allow me to remind you el ghazi was the worst player agianst hammers. how could he look more fooked than the others who had played the 5 games in 15 days. el ghazi should have been fresh as a daisy. if your logic is spot on
its like you said other day i don’t know facts and opinion. my opinion is b/s and your opinions are facts that are just not proven.
can you do me a favour find the arsenal press conference, listen to smith then at least you can properly dispute his claims. i explained before i do not have the facts or figures the managing team have on the players. smith goes into this dialog so you would be better to call him a liar not me. then he claims the players make on field decisions they have inputs again his words not mine, i have said thall this before and turns out i was close to the facts in smiths version of the truth. also why would we hire a guy to collect the figures from these vests if it was less reliable than joe blogs eye sight.
also my opinions shouldn’t offend you hitch wasnt it you who claimed i couldnt accept yours.
Nath, calm down.
Hitch has not called you a liar, ever and you need to wind your neck in.
I value your opinions mate, but will not tolerate this sort of tone, which has persisted for days.
I really don’t understand why you’re being so antagonistic?
We’re all on the same side, after all.
First – I have never ever said your opinions were bullshit, nor have I ever asked you to change your opinions nor have I ever stated my opinions are fact. Second where have I ever called you a liar?
Are you now agreeing that the fixtures are taking a toll on players – which is the point I and others have been making?
If that’s the case then shouldn’t Smith be rotating the squad to give players a rest? We can argue ‘till the cows come home about the chicken and the egg (just to be clear which comes first mental tiredness or physical tiredness – the fact is they are medically recognised as being related)
Strange as it may seem, I did actually do some research before I wrote the article and I try and reflect a broad opinion from a number of sources.
As I’ve said before, we’ll just have to agree to differ on some issues 🙂
no you are right i am not accusing you of that i called my own posts b/s
look i rest my empty case if you answer one more question ?
if you think the fixtures pile up affected the players to be fooked. and rotation should have happened so smith is basically at fault. why then did el ghazi play shitter than the other players who had just played 5 in 15 / pool have been managed by a different manager and they rotated and they are complaining of mentally exhausted
just to clarify i think villa lost to hammers cause they were beaten by the better team. no quesstions we got check mate by them they worked out a few conundrums and they had all the answers and our players couldnt work out the puzzles
Nath you know your opinions. That’s quite clear.
None of anyone’s opinions are facts and we should do well to remember that.
That’s what the site is about, opinions and not debates about what is being portrayed as facts.
Frankly Nath, you’re being over argumentative, imo and I’m not sure why?
The easy way is usually to just say “we agree to disagree”.
Fwiw, I think both pov’s are right. Grealish moved from the left rightwards.
It involved him being in the middle and on the right, which is what he often does.
And I strongly remember Smith saying he prefers Jack on the left, whereas I’m certain Grealish said he prefers a free role, preferably central, but is happy to do what is asked of him.
Hence logic tells me Grealish is told to play on the left until Smith tells him he can change it up.
Whatever, my opinion says he should play central or more on the right.
Left back is always the weakest point in any team and teams have exploited our absolute rubbish in this area for years. Why don’t we do the same?
We seem to have players who can play both sides, but none with Grealish’s skill.
But then I’ve never professed to be a tactition. I much prefer to look at the game overall and not at who was doing what.
And against Spam, the midfield looked leggy and tired.
99.9% of fans agree if you read around and I think that says something even if Smith says it’s wrong, simple.
I well remember ex managers saying “we’re playing well, results will come” type stuff just before they got sacked.
Ie managers are not always right, imo.
Anyway. I’m going to say what I said in the Spam preview. We play like we did against them, without some added energy in the side, particularly midfield, we’ll lose easily.
Make a couple of changes and who knows?
Sanson in for Barkley and Nakamba in for Luiz, imo.
Risky, maybe. But sticking for the same side is asking for trouble and we’ll lose anyway.
But I don’t think it’ll happen, as Smith quite rightly likes what he thinks is his best eleven.
But he’s going to burn them out, if he hasn’t already and I don’t care what anyone says about monitors.
1-3 Arsenal win, imo.
fine line argumentative or questioning other ppls opinions. i disagree so i am asking questions is that wrong ok stop pushing my buttons on games you don’t see or opinions you don’t agree on that i make . then you won’t be offended
If that’s a reply to me, I’m beginning to find you offensive.
Pushing your buttons when someone doesn’t agree with you?
Wtf?
Question people’s opinions, by all means.
But keep it respectful.
You know the script. you’ve been posting here for ages.
I don’t know what your problem is Nath, but maybe you just need to take a break?
As it seems something is really winding you up?
posters question my opinions but i dare question other posters, now what is what there ?
i asked a question over and over which has bearings on you belief and hitch and you claim 99% of fans so has to be right.
why on earth was el ghazi looking fooked when he hadnt played. ???
you even wanted him to play and he had a stinker. ??
pool and other teams have been hit and miss and they claim its mental fatigue and they have rotated ?? so why are they up and down ??
please answer these and if smith was to rotate and lose would you all change your turn and blame the defeat on rotation ??
cause i seem to remember ppl moaning when we lose in cups cause a manager rotated. ??
if somebody answers one of these i will watch tv with the misses
Nath, I don’t know why El Ghazi was crap.
No one does.
Was he one of those who suffered Covid?
Could be.
I called for him so we could change it up. It was my opinion, I called it wrong and said he was crap.
That’s what happens.
It’s not like El Ghazi hasn’t just been plain crap before; he has.
But there’s no doubting he was on a scoring roll before he was dropped to let Barkley straight back in.
I suspect this is just Smith deflecting things.
Barkley has been crap and he made a mistake in taking EG out and putting Barkley back in, imo.
I’m not alone in saying that either. The vast majority think it, even if you and Smiths reference to monitors disagrees.
Maybe you think Barkley has been really good?
Great. That’s your opinion, which I and many others massively disagree with.
Now answer me a question.
Who ultimately decides how long a manager stays at a club?
A) The manager
B) The owners
C) The fans
I’d put a poll up for you, but it would be pointless, as it would be overwhelming.
You can argue with the vast majority of fans who think you’re wrong, all you like. That’s fine.
But don’t try and portray it as you are right and everyone else is wrong, which is what you’re doing.
With that, I’m bored now and done for the night.
you get marks for at least posting what your pushing. but you are confused i am not promoting barkley maybe i have a ghost writer i think he is a decent player but i wouldnt have him in my starting line up. i have said once or maybe twice i think grealish should be starting behind watkins so i would not even have barkley in the starting line up.
i think fans decide but i think fans do not know what they want. take the goalie martinez he has kept 9 or 10 clean sheets in 19 /20 games give and take. one or two mistakes and he is crap=. come on were is the realism there. everybody has off days. he has won more points for villa than he has lost us and i think he has earned a little cushion to have a off day one in a blue moon
right you have answered the burning questions now time for me to watch some crap tv and you dont win any prizes good night
i still believe we will beat the gunners 2 nil i said i will stick with that, what a surprise if grealish is rested i wonder would that be acceptable and if we lost too. see that what i trying to say but can never get to it cause too many dodge the questions except you badger
Bloody hell I’m drained reading all the posts, I’ll say this because I had years of it , if you concentrate on any job that needs your mind believe me your more tired than physical work it drains you completely. Badger that post I sent to you direct only because we cannot put pictures or grafts on here but you can. I thought you might have shown that to all . ? I’m off to bed I’m knackered.
Bill, I can’t do any more than you do in the replies.
I quite like that really, as it doesn’t give me any advantage 🙂
If you play in a European Super League, you leave the domestic league.
Quicker these lot eff off the better.
Greedy b***ards.
And if a player leaves to join the ‘Super League’ then they are banned from representing their country.
Good shout that, Bum Bum.
Except I’m not sure what playing for the country means these days.
We play that many meaningless games, that I’m not interested unless it’s the Europeans or the WC.
Even so, the qualifiers are usually embarassing, so I mostly give them a miss too, as I think they engineered to make sure all the top countries qualify.
I think I might do a bit of research into tournaments and the Champions league and check out the viewing figures.
Whatever, it seems to me, the real money is in the Prem?
Bin the top 6 off and I wonder where the viewers would go?
They would have to move to a European type game and that is not what people want.
If we actually banned them from the EPL, I reckon they’d be back begging in no time.
Which is why they want the best of both worlds.
It should not be allowed, no way.
But it will.
The right palms will be greased, simple, imo.
The issue seems to be, according to the articles I read, is that the Super League proposals allow those participating clubs to still take part in their domestic leagues but on their terms. If true, then imho,that’s outrageous.
The other issue, alluded to by Badger, is where would the TV money go!
Whilst many of us hate the TV influence and the way the money is used, primarily supporting the wealthiest clubs, what would happen if a significant amount of the money was redirected to an even fewer number of clubs in Europe, some of which are mired in debt?
A Super League, even an extended Champions League reserved for the privileged view, would surely have disastrous effects on the funding of domestic leagues throughout football structures (back to grass routes) throughout Europe?
Are we witnessing the end of the ‘working man’s game’ or is that an over reaction on my part?
Bloody hell I’m drained reading all the posts, I’ll say this because I had years of it , if you concentrate on any job that needs your mind believe me your more tired than physical work it drains you completely. Badger that post I sent to you direct only because we cannot put pictures or grafts on here but you can. I thought you might have shown that to all . ? I’m off to bed I’m knackered.
Bill, I can’t do any more than you do in the replies.
I quite like that really, as it doesn’t give me any advantage
Is it morally right to be talking about the Sky 6 going off to their next quest in indulgence whilst still in a pandemic? I keep hearing the b/s about the European super league and staying in the premier league at the same time. Best of both worlds! The fact is that won’t happen because the rest of the premier league will vote against it. Therefore they will have to either abandon ship for Europe or stay. The Sky 6 fans know what they want and that is the premier league. A lot of Pool and Man Ure fans I know tell me they are bored of Champions league until it reaches the quarter final stage. It is getting out of hand with all the unnecessary group stages. The ridiculous Nations league which no one cares about. The extra games created in qualifying and tournament stage of Euros and WC because of the need to accommodate newly invented countries! The Euros 2020 should just be scrapped IMO. The qualifying games for World Cup 2022 begin next month!
Football is about greed unfortunately. Once upon a time before Sky and the Premier league we had a game for the working man which now belongs to the corporates and greedy media companies!
Rant over.
The working mans game left us years ago, imo.
If you want that, you have to look at kid’s teams, like Bill Pearson does.
It’s a societal thing, where you don’t have a company side anymore.
I used to watch the HP side occasionally.
Who? most people would ask.
I look at it as I’ve supported a “proper” club, that’s respected by everyone.
But we’ve achieved nothing for donkey’s years.
If we were one of the clubs offered a place in this bogus new European jobby, would I take it?
Jeez, that’s tricky.
It’s top table and that’s hard to resist.
Because the money has nothing to do with it and the prestige has, to me.
But that’s not what it’s about, is it?
Luiz drops to the bench, Nakamba comes in and Traore starts instead of El Ghazi otherwise as you were!
I would have dropped Barkley or McGinn instead of Luiz. Also I would have played Trezeguet instead of Traore. Time will tell if Smith has made the right call. Has Barkley got a clause saying play if fit?
Aston Villa’s Holte End COVID-19 vaccination hub open to patients
Aston Villa staff, volunteers and the NHS have teamed up to launch a coronavirus vaccination hub at Villa Park; the first patients have been arriving at the centre in the Holte End; the target is for 1,500 doses to be administered every day.
ON THE BENCH..
Villa Arsenal
Tom Heaton
Dani Ceballos
Douglas Luiz
Martin Ødegaard
Trézéguet
Willian
Anwar El Ghazi
Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson
Björn Engels
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Morgan Sanson
Calum Chambers
Ahmed Elmohamady
Pablo Marí
Keinan Davis
Mohamed Elneny
Jacob Ramsey
, Gabriel Martinelli
fook me this is pathetic when are we gonna listen and rotate one nil up so early
Nath?
bill ? no wrong with banter knosa has a headache might need a temp/injury sub nice introduction