Villa 1 – 3 Chelsea: I expected nothing. Who stays and who goes?

There isn’t much to say about the game really. Cash dropped a major clanger and Mings was shocking when trying to defend against Lukaku, who totally changed the game when he came on.
It was the right result although I thought we did well in the first half. The second half was a different story and I moaned to the missus that it was yet another game of two halves.
That said, if you were going to predict the result before the season had even started you’d say we were going to lose. So it was and I can’t get massively upset about it.
The only thing that surprises me is that we’re still eleventh in the league. It just proves how low the standard is this season, to my mind.

And that was our final game of 2021 which led to me thinking about the transfer window and who Stevie G might be looking to bring in.
Let me say straight away that I really don’t expect us to get many players in; maybe two at most and you might add in a couple of loan signings too.

Here are my thoughts and I’m interested in yours in return;

I can’t think who of the kids is our left back, but Targett, who I do like, needs some competition. I don’t think the position is a priority though, as much as I think it’s the one position that’s particularly vulnerable if attacked correctly. Young can cover left back, but it’s not ideal, in my opinion.

Matty Cash, who despite dropping a major gooley last night has been excellent and possibly our most consistent player this season. Don’t believe me? (and some definitely don’t, having read elsewhere) check his stats. He’s the hardest running player at the club, for instance. We have back up amongst the kids and Guilbert won’t be recalled anytime soon.

Defence?
Well, after last night I’m tempted to say I’d replace Mings. Somewhat begrudgingly though, as I just don’t rate him, I have to accept that he has been pretty good for the majority of this season. He’s safe, as is Konsa. Tuanzebe and Hause are decent reserves and I don’t see anything happening in that area.

Midfield?
I think we have a major weakness in this area. It’s particularly where you need leaders and McGinn is the only one who’s anything like. We need a Keane or Gerrard type; the sort who can drive a team on. As well as someone who can stick the foot in. Nakamba had just started doing the latter and it’s typical of us where just as he’s coming good, so he’s out for pretty much the rest of the season.
On paper, we have some very decent players; Luiz, Sanson, Buendia and Bailey, with Philogene-Bidace and Chukwuemeka as reserves seems okay, but I’m not convinced. It’s the area where we often lose games and it needs strengthening.
The problem with that is that you don’t want to cut off the chances of the kids getting playing time and three of our existing players are new and expensive. I’m sure the owners would expect that we give them as much chance as possible before we totally write them off.
And then there are the wide, luxury players. Traore and El Ghazi have both had minutes during Gerrard’s tenure, but I don’t think they have much of a future at the Villa. They, along with Trezeguet might be used for funds in to pay for an incomer.
Will the manager go back to Rangers for one of their midfielders? Possibly, but I’d guess it would be more for running than anything else. None of their mids strike me as better than our existing players.

Which leaves the attackers.
Davis is a goner, either on loan or sold. Although you wouldn’t buy him for his strikerate, someone might be interested in him as a foil for a smaller attacker who needs feeding and he can do that job well, having good hold up play type skills.
And then we have Ings and Watkins.
It goes without saying that they just don’t work together. I’ve seen it said that it’s because Watson won’t pass to Ings. That’s rubbish, in my opinion. It’s more that Ings just doesn’t get himself into the game enough.
I’ve also seen it said that Watkins has a terrible first touch and no footballing brain. That may well be true, but he always gets involved and will at least have a chance or two.
Ings ought to be back up for Watkins at best or sold. Again though, he was expensive and we won’t be writing that spend off just yet. I do think we could do with another striker, but we are not going to be spending the sort of money we’ve already wasted on Ings and Wesley in this winter window.
Maybe we’ll get someone like Lukaku who can create something for the rest of the team to feed off in the summer?

So in short, I’m a bit flummoxed.
We definitely need improvements, yet we have too many players who only came recently and haven’t got going yet and too many decent kids who already aren’t getting enough playing time.
Where do you squeeze any new players in and who doesn’t get to play?

I think this season is now more about consolidation. That’s a step back from where we should be, but there are just too many players that need to be given more time. I don’t think anybody will be too happy about that, but I really don’t see much happening at all.
You can guarantee there will be dozens of storys about supposed transfers though.
I think even more than usual, I’ll be taking them with a massive pinch of salt.