While I still remain confident about the Villa, I think the logical stance is that it’s going to be a big ask that we’re going to beat Leeds and Norwich while Albion lose to Derby too.
Which means overtaking the Baggies looks doubtful, although still not impossible.
Derby might well beat Swansea away and Albion at home, which means they can overtake us, if we lose our remaining two games.
Why did I think we were guaranteed 5th place as we stand? So much for that “O” level maths.
For clarity, if you don’t know already, third place plays sixth place and fourth place plays fifth place in the play-offs.
My mind is blown, given the myriad of options, but it looks to me like we face the Albion and Leeds face Derby.
I’d take us to do the Albion over two legs, although it would by no means be easy.
Leeds-Derby is also a tough call, but I’d plump for Leeds, which means we’d face them in the final.
Which all in all makes tomorrow a game that we should try to win.
While losing to them tomorrow wouldn’t be the end of the world, it would give them a psychological edge and we don’t want that.
Beating them on their own turf means we’d have the edge, obviously.
Squad news and it’s looking pretty good for us.
Gianji Alioski, who did well against us in the last meeting, is out for the season with a torn meniscus.
Kemar Roofe, Leeds’ top scorer, is also out with a hip problem.
Tammy and Hause are still out, but we know we have decent back up and Tuanzebe is available.
Dean Smith has hinted that he won’t play a weakened side and I fully expect Grealish and McGinn to start and I don’t see more than the odd change happening.
So while I remain fully confident, unless we’re going to win fifteen games on the trot, the winning streak continues to concern me.
I think I’d prefer us to drop that and instead maintain our unbeaten run.
Where maybe a draw would keep me happy.
Except I see a few goals in an open game, meaning a draw is unlikely.
I’m drawing a deep breath, but I’m going for yet another win.
2-1 to us.
UTV!
Comments
97 responses to “Leeds – Villa; How should we approach this? Part 2”
Kodjia goes off injured and Jedinak is on to replace him!
I have never ever seen that before
1-1
Bamford is a cheating bastard! El Ghazi card will be overturned. F***ing cheat.
Yep, just saw that replay.
It didn’t look like he touched him.
Fair play to Bielsa but this game is only going to get worse
McGinn booked for a poor tackle.
God we need to get him off now.
Cheats – Bamford should be sent off. Nowhere near him – will get overturned. Now we have to take McGinn off as well.
Error by DS not taking McGinn off. He definitely cant play next week as another booking means play off suspension!
Has anyone seen that before , I’ve never, all over us now Mings brilliant what a game.
Probably a fair result in the end as long as El Ghazi’s red card is overturned. What has it cost us though – McGinn can’t be risked against Norwich and Kodjia / Steer injured.
We should probably rest a few players against Norwich as we are certain of 5th and can’t improve on it.
After that one I’d definitely rest just about everyone!
Wasn’t Mings great though? He spoke well afterwards too and he looked like he really enjoyed the battle. If we go up I think we should make Bournemouth an offer they can’t refuse.
All the defence played well but Mings was outstanding and a word for Taylor who put in another composed performance.
I presume we will be charged with failing to control our players – again!
The dire refereeing was the root cause of the problem….he should be charged and demoted IMO!….as for the lineman, the less said the better!
So proud that we can continue to show our class in the face of such adversity! So, so brave…..I’m proud that you’re my club!
UTV
Yes fantastic result deffo thought leeds would get a late winner there.
So proud of our VILLA, having a beer on that me thinks.
Klich was ‘clearly’ offside for the goal anyway. A competent linesman and the melee that ensued would not have happened but for his failure to call the offside!
Some thoughts now I’ve calmed down a bit –
In hindsight perhaps Smith was right to field a strong side. We might still meet Leeds in the final and an easy win might have made them more confident.
It’s a pity that Bamford got a yellow as he might have gotten a retrospective red otherwise for being a cheating bastard. I hope the refereeing is better in the Prem.
Besides playing some stylish football Smith has instilled in the team two great attributes – fight and resilience.
Full marks to Bielsa for ordering his team to let us score but I’d bet that wouldn’t happen in the final.
I’m hoping that Smith plays the second eleven against Norwich, we need everyone fit.
Finally I think that we can do it and, if we don’t, I’ll still be proud of my team because, whatever happens, they won’t go down without a fight.
DS confirms that McGinn wont play next week! Sensible decision IMO
Absolutely McGinn shouldn’t play against Norwich. Does anyone know where Davis was? Hopefully Steer won’t be out for playoffs. Got to say Kodja and Grealish were poor today. Mings, Tuanzebe and McGinn were outstanding today and considering we will definitely be finishing 5th, I would field a 2nd string team against Norwich. Put in a couple of U23s if necessary to make up the numbers. Can’t risk anymore injuries or suspensions after Steer and Kodja injuries.
Davis phoned in ill yesterday!
Phew! At least he isn’t injured.
The general consensus amongst fans was that Villa should have played to the whistle and Bielsa was wrong to gift us an equaliser.
On reflection I feel a bit flat after our walk through goal. Although the moral factor was at play, it made Leeds look like the winners with their charitable approach.
There really needs to be a line drawn in the sand after today and that no player kicks the ball out and only the referee can stop the game. That way the players will know exactly where they stand and no arguments.
As for the playoffs we have to hope Abraham is fit because Kodja and Davis lack the presence that Abraham has. Davis can hold the ball up well and works hard but doesn’t score enough. Kodja is a luxury player who is better as an impact player from the bench. This is my biggest concern because elsewhere we can match anyone.
We still haven’t beaten a top 4 team so let’s hope that ends next weekend or in the playoffs.
And those same fans would take a different view if it happened to their team.
It wasn’t a matter of playing to the whistle – Roberts appeared to have agreed to put the ball out and once the Villa players stopped made the pass to Klich who went onto score. Klich, in any case, was offside but I suspect the assistant referee had also been distracted by the interplay between Roberts and the Villa players.
Bamford then got El Ghazi sent off by blatantly cheating which gave Leeds an unfair advantage – no I don’t think the walk through goal made Leeds look good or charitable winners – it gained Bielsa a great deal of respect and quite rightly so.
I agree with BFR – in that players are normally good judges of when to put the ball out where a player is injured and today’s incident is rare.
Fair points, Holte , but consider: what if a player really is seriously injured and the referee, being human, plays on too long. Players will always and should always kick the ball out of play when their instincts tell them that a fellow professional is in trouble. Referees have enough on their plate as it is.
Yes, Villa should have played to the whistle, but Bielsa did the right thing; so what if Leeds look good because of it? Makes a change from them always being the pantomime villains and, most importantly, we’re now unbeaten in 12. I would’ve taken a draw before the game.
As for not beating the top teams, let’s add some context:
We should have beaten Leeds at VP but at the time, the defence was, shall we say, a ‘work in progress.’ Losing away to what will probably be the title winners, when a new manager has just started implementing a new playing style, is no disgrace. And Norwich won’t be in the playoffs anyway. The away defeat at Sheffield doesn’t count. That was during Bruce’s misguided end of tenure. As for the 3-3 draw, coming back from 3 down against another very settled top 2 team, well, that kind of fighting spirit is the stuff that can win playoffs. As for West Brom, we were robbed at The Hawthorns and still had a dodgy keeper between the sticks at the time. The defeat at VP was when we were at our lowest. After that, we’ve done the double over Derby and Borough, smashing them both times. And we’ve taken 4 points off Bristol. So I wouldn’t worry too much about the stats.
A score draw at Albion and a 0-0 at VP would see us at Wembley. I’m not saying this is what we should play for, but my point is, you don’t always need to win to be successful. I recall a super 2-2 at Highbury followed by a 0-0 at VP to get to the League Cup final in ’96. Then, coincidentally, we hammered Leeds to win it. Do you see my point? We can’t win every single game. You do what’s necessary to progress.
I’d be very happy with a competitive draw against Norwich, then we’ll deal with Albion accordingly. It will be tough though, and all the players and coaches will need to be at their best.
Today was a random, crazy game. Happy we’re still unbeaten. Onwards and upwards!
UTV
I predict Leeds will get to the final btw
yesterdays game left me very frustrated and angry. first off this whole thing about putting the ball out of play has to be addressed. i think teams should not be responsible of knocking the ball out of play. it should be down to referee to stop the game if he deems a player is in need of treatment.
the referee yesterday was at fault, had this been the play off finals, we would now be still in championship. all because the referee lost control of the situation. after villa played the ball out for a leeds fake injury. it was only fair for leeds to return the favour. kodjia was not even faking and really did need treatment.
leeds scoring a goal after villa stopped playing, then caused tempers to flair up rightly so. how did from all the hand bags swinging and gesturing. did the lineman see something that just didnt happen. ok bumford deserves a oscar, for some fine acting. but the lineman couldnt have seen anything, as replays showed nothing stroke bumford. apart from his own imagination. the linemans and referee can not send ppl off, for what they think happened, it has to be what they saw.
the game was totally ruined. but the game before this incident was like a game of chess. stalemate was probably going to be the end result. i thought leeds were slightly better in they cause us more problems, than we caused them. but their wasn’t much in it. i also think villa overplayed it at times. the way to beat leeds is to counter them fast and we just never did that. but we should look into this for the final of play offs if we both reach that.
Nath – I agree that up to the goal incident it had been a good game. The other important point on the incident is that Klich was offside when Roberts played the ball to him – same linesman missed that as well as getting the Bamford incident completely wrong! The goal should never have been allowed but, thanks to a fine sporting gesture by Bielsa, the right result was reached in the end.
I agree that Leeds caused us more problems but, on balance, we had the best chances in the game. Grealish had a quiet game, not at his best, but he did come in for some rough treatment, non of which received a yellow card. McGinn makes one poor tackle (made worse because he lost his footing) and gets a yellow!
OK, so I have my claret and blue glasses on 🙂
UTV
Last games of season next Sunday – one televised live. Depending on Derby’s mid week result reckon it could be Derby / Albion or Stoke / Sheffield U. might be an option as they could still be Champions.
Outside chance it might be Villa / Norwich I suppose.
I am not altogether sure but, from the footage and commentary I have seen and tried to work out, the assistant referee appears to be telling the referee Stuart Atwell that he (the assistant ref) had been told by someone else that El Ghazi hit Bamford in the face. If you look at the footage, before Bamford attempts to win an Oscar, there are at least two stewards on the pitch, appearing to try and calm things down. I don’t believe that the assistant ref has seen anything but that one of the stewards, (who is by no means biased of course) has relayed the incident to the assistant ref and he has then gone on to tell the ref what the steward has supposedly seen. If that is the case then, having taken the word of a third party, not connected to the officials, they should not be allowed to officiate again. In any event, Bamford should be banned for his actions.
I read that Hourihane may be in trouble from Sunday’s after goal fracas. There are allegations he threw a punch at Klich – he certainly grabbed his shirt and was booked (apparently). So we may well swop one red card for another but if that is the case then Bamford should also get a ban.
It’s up to the referee to stop the game. The fact that the officials were awful shouldn’t matter. Hourihane should never have kicked the ball out when their defender was down injured. If we had scored from it there would have been moans from Leeds but they would have been towards the referee mostly. Hourihane’s kind act created the chaos that followed. Hourihane was angrier than most because he kicked the ball out and risks punishment for his reaction.
Most of all, I would like to see Bamford banned to try and prevent those who try to con officials in the future.
On a different note I have read that Hogan isn’t eligible for playoffs even though his Sheffield United stint finishes on Sunday. Let’s hope Abraham is fit!
I read the same Holte – re Hogan.