Well, this should be easy, right?
Southampton are bottom of the league, after all, aren’t they?
Except we all know things are never that simple with the Villa.
The saints seem strangely inconsistent. Since Christmas they’ve beaten Palace and Everton away and Man city at home, but lost to Brighton and Forest at home and Fulham away.
So it’s hard to call how this game’s going to go.
Squad news and Emery has updated us that Ollie Watkins has trained well and will be available. Ludwig Augustinsson will also be available, as will Matt Cash, but reading between the lines, I suspect neither will feature. I don’t think the manager thinks much of Cash at all, but no doubt we’ll see. Jan Bednarek won’t be available because of his loan from Southampton and new signing Jhon Duran doesn’t have his visa yet, so is ineligible.
John McGinn isn’t quite ready yet, but should be okay for the Leicester game. I have a sneaky feeling that the Scot’s injury has been a little convenient, as it’s given the manager a chance to have a look at the side without actually having to drop him. He’s another who I suspect Emery might be willing to let go in the summer, if the right sort of offer comes in. I like McGinn, but he’s been poor for too long and it seems odd now that there was talk of him being worth £50 million not that long ago.
Danny Ings has gone and I think that’s a decent deal for the club, with talk of upto £15 million. When was the last time we got a decent fee for someone of his age? It makes a nice change and I actually think he’ll do quite well at West Ham, where I think Moyes will play more to suit him. If he doesn’t get the sack, of course.
Southampton then and they have no new issues.
Theo Walcott could be available after being out with a calf injury for six weeks and new signing Charly Alcaraz is looking for his first start.
The player to watch is James Ward-Prowse. He’s on form, having scored 4 in his last four prem games and is close to beating David Beckham’s record for direct free kicks.
While the Villa have loads of potential to let us down yet again, I feel we should have enough to beat them and I see goals. Emery has some astounding record for not drawing games and I think both teams are capable of scoring.
I’m going for a 2-1 win (he says, with fingers crossed).
UTV
Do we have any players left for the Leicester game? Joking aside, we are in a perilous situation if we pick up a few injuries. Especially if the likes of Watkins, Kamara, Mings or heaven forbid…..Martinez!
What’s the point of keeping players that in all probability their introduction to a game would ultimately increase your chances of incurring a defeat?
Emery’s been really brave in setting his stall out early doors…
Not good enough – there’s the door me old china!
I’m inclined to agree but I am worried about CF. Most teams have 4 and we have 2, one at 19 who has never played in this league. I will be gobsmacked if we don’t address that.
Everywhere else I would be ok with taking the risk and not buying for the sake of it.
Hypothetically Watkins gets injured (fingers crossed he doesn’t) and in this here hypothetical alternative reality Igns is still at VP.
What would the chances be of him playing 90 minutes week in, week out and not getting injured?
Remote?
Good point RSS – perhaps Emery feels some of our ‘kids’ would do a better job. If so he’s certainly prepared to back his own judgement at least over the next 18 games.
There’s been plenty of comment on here along the same lines!
Who would do a job as CF though? Not Brad Young I’m afraid. So Duran is our option. I doubt any other Prem team has two men for that position. Maybe someone else can help out here?
Duran Duran DS.
I think he’s a straight replacement, green yes but expect him to be in fray sooner rather than later.
The lads not a kid at 19, the same as a certain Mr Andrew Gray when he came down from Dundee and he didn’t do to badly?
While I agree that we should avoid bringing in players for the sake of it, I still think we should have got a replacement for Ings lined up before letting him go. Maybe that’s still going to happen but 24 hours remaining suggests it’s looking unlikely.
With the cup competitions sacrificed perhaps they want to streamline our squad to scrape through the second half of the league campaign. After all it’s always preferable to source new recruits at the end of the season rather than pay through the nose like Chelsea.
Our current squad is too threadbare to challenge for a European place this season. The likes of Chelsea and Liverpool will almost certainly improve on results with only Brentford, Fulham and Brighton as realistic targets to overhaul which would see us 8th at a push. The 80/81 season when we played the entire season with only 14 players is one which won’t be repeated.
Have to agree Little8. I feel like we’re in a position now very similar to where we were under O’Neil and Lerner before he pulled the plug when we were 2 or 3 top drawer signings away from a serious push at the top 4. I know Jan is hard to find players but there are players out there that could be brought in, it’s not like we aren’t rich enough now where under Lerner we weren’t nearly as rich. As already mentioned our net spend is low in reality. Other top clubs are slipping and we could really do something this season. If we don’t though I know we have enough to still get around top half this season. Emery is a top manager and we can hopefully go big in the summer and push on next season.
Over the last two transfer windows there has clearly been a change of direction at Villa. It seems the big spending has gone – at least for the time being – and the wage bill is being / has been considerably reduced.
Our gross spend over the last two windows (to date) is c. £84m but after sales the net spend is around £34m – compared to Chelsea’s spend of just shy of £0.5bn which is gross. As an aside, is it the owner(s) or Potter buying the players – Brighton over the same period have made over £100m in profit from transfers; surely more Potteresque than what’s happening at Chelsea.
We may see someone come in today but is Villa’s strategy to ‘clear the decks’ for a big summer spend (and a further clear out?)?
NSWE are backing themselves by backing Emery so if we make the top half – even 10th – with a reduced squad, I suspect they’ll be pretty happy.
I can’t see Europe as being a realistic target this season – but next?
Need a striker today badly even if it is till the end of the season, can’t believe we have a chance of finishing high and haven’t improved the team up top
Come on unai do the majic
Traore set to recalled from loan spell? Oh dear, another ineffective winger in the squad. Probably a sign that we can’t get anyone else until the summer.
Actually I think that’s a decent move.
If we can’t get the players we want and need a left sided wide player then get the one we have back from loan – no need to waste money.
I know Traore can be a frustrating player but is he so much different to Bailey? Also, it seems, Bailey can play a central attacking role so bringing Traore back gives Emery options.
On their day either can be a match winner.
Anyway, we’ll have to wait to see the OS confirming it first.
Miles different imo Hitch.
Traore lacks Bailey’s pace and dynamism, a more laid back style that I don’t believe is to Unai’s taste.
I think it’s a wise move – people forget he still scored 8 goals his first season at VP in a team that just scraped relegation. I think the second season he didn’t get a good run in the team and there’s definitely a player there.
Fair call RSS but I still think it makes sense to bring back a contracted player if we’re short of attacking options and aren’t able to bring in the right player (at the right price) from elsewhere in this window.
With Bednerack (sic) and Augustinnson being recalled we do have two loan spots so maybe we’ll see a loan signing before the window ‘slams shut’!
Why does it always slam shut rather than close gently? 🙂
Hitch -Tex
Do you pair have a crystal ball??
(-:
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/aston-villa-make-shock-bertrand-26119031
The only downside is Traore is in rehab following a knee injury but not sure how close he is to full fitness.
I’m not at all disappointed with Traore being recalled.
He’s probably not the dog’s whatsits, but overall he always seemed a very skillful player, who could do sublime things one day and then look stupid the next game.
Bit like Bailey – who knows, maybe Emery can get the best out of him?
Certainly there’s more chance of that than there would have been under SG.
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