Well, what do you say about that game?
While I thought we were actually ok for the first half hour, with our containment plan working pretty well, I look back on the game as a whole and think we were pretty poor.
We started off brightly. We were hunting in packs and generally running our nuts off, exactly as I like to see as to me, it’s our biggest strength.
But you just get the feeling that it isn’t enough.
El Ahmedi, for example, was closing down and stopping them playing, but showed little else.
Delph, who’s been very reliable over the last few weeks, worked hard, but how often did he give the ball away today?
Enough of naming specific players though and while I can’t fault the effort, I just have the over-riding feeling that we’re just poor overall.
The first goal was at least fortuitous, with a nice ball banged in by Andros Townsend, who can do no wrong of late, that seemed to catch Guzan out because he was expecting a header.
It actually didn’t touch anyone and it was just one of those things.
A shame, as I thought we’d actually held our own up till then.
Spurs, having got the goal seemed to step up a gear to me and my opinion says we just couldn’t live with them.
Benteke was brought on and I have to say I don’t recall a single player having such an impression on the team and the Villa fans.
The latter immediately sprang to life and the team looked totally re-energized.
Benteke had 3 chances in a few minutes.
Co-incidence?
Not in my opinion. Kozac has a very tough job in being Benteke’s stand-in, to say the least.
Are we a one man team?
From what I saw today, I’d say we definitely are.
His arrival wasn’t enough to save us though and Spurs got a very good second goal.
No doubt some will say it was just poor defending, but sometimes teams simply get good goals and this was one of them.
I really don’t know how to sum it up, but the game just petered out for me after that.
We never really looked like getting ourselves back into it and ultimately you just have to say that Spurs were better than us on the day.
We play too narrow and just lack any quality.
But we work hard.
As for the shooting, many more lessons needed, in my opinion.
MOTM?
Probably Guzan, who made a couple of very good saves.
Very worrying that he gets the accolade again, as you really shouldn’t be relying on the goalie to keep you in it.
Thoroughly disappointed, as I really don’t think Spurs are that good.
Ah well, that’s the Villa for you.
I think it was Mark who came up with “Aston Villa: Believe”
I like that.
