Or is it?
We beat Palace on their patch just a month ago, with Benteke getting the winner, so you would think this one should be in the bag really, wouldn’t you?
This is the Villa we’re talking about though and nothing’s as obvious as it should be these days, hence me not being so sure.
Palace’s wingers caused us some problems last time we met and Bolasie in particular is a player I like.
So this one’s certainly not the walkover it should be.
Team news then and we have Gabby and Richardson available again and I can’t see past both of them being selected.
So where does Grealish come into things then?
Well, quite simply, I think this is a game that he ought to start.
I know the “you can’t push him too quickly” argument and I was one of those who thought that way.
I’d still be thinking that way, but I believe we currently have such little threat, that we have no option but to try the kid as an alternative.
I know it would be putting a lot of responsibility on the lad’s shoulders, but there’s no reason he can’t be told that he might be subbed regardless, at half time or whatever. Which could mean that Gabby comes on later, where we can use his pace better in the latter stages?
No doubt it’s wishful thinking though and Lambert has said that Grealish needs to keep pushing the first team harder. A comment I could understand if the midfield and strikers were achieving anything, but given that the midfield create next to nothing and Wiemann and Gabby are mostly way off form, I found the comment utterly preposterous.
So basically, I don’t see the lineup as being anything other than what we’d expect under a manager who just seems totally reluctant to try anything different.
As for Palace, they’re without their captain Mile Jedinak, who’s off to the Asia cup with Australia.
Alan Pardew hasn’t officially joined up with the club yet, but you know the players will be thinking they’re playing for a place, so should be well up for it.
Which makes a prediction difficult.
As per usual of late, I don’t think we’ll score many. At the same time, I think Palace will probably score one.
With that said, logic tells me a 1-1 draw is on the cards.
But this is game which we really need to win and my hope is that we can prevent them scoring.
So 1-0 it is then.
Comments
66 responses to “Villa – Crystal Palace; Grealish to start? Surely 3 points today?”
74% possession is good, shame we have zero creativity. The 26% of Palace play has been when Bacunas give them the ball!! (That ones for Andrew)
Haha.
It’s not a lack of creativity, it’s a lack of movement from any of our forwards. You can’t be creative if you have no one of the 3 forwards we’re playing moving.
You can have 95% posession and still lose 3-0.
Not regularly…
Same players, same formation, same result. What the fuck is Lambert doing? Grealish better be on before 60 minutes.
do you guys have a working link ??? come on both mine are taking the urine
Try firstrow link 2
cheers mate 🙂 dave 😉 lifesaver
Witness this;
Regardless of the result today, the headline of my review will most likely be the same.
long live vlar 3 matches then needs a rest
what point playing gabby at home the only thing he has is pace palace are defending that deep walking pace fast enough grealish does more in 15 mins than wiemen cleverly gabby still not on lambert lovers he started bacuna but he has him in hutton place hutton as winger o my god somebody put our club out of misery and sack excuse of manager
Bacunas in a middle 3 mate
Perhaps getting wingers on so Benteke gets a few crosses as he’s getting nothing? Not really helping himself atm being a statue. All out defensive from Palace and keep trying to play through them clearly ain’t working, we don’t have the quality to do that!!
There we go… Weimann moved. Terrible cross but that’s what is needed.Now just to get the other two to move.
Wow, a positive change. Cleverley’s been non-existent and Grealish is on.
Would be better of watching children on the street playing football more entertaining and these players getting thousands
I don’t think I could be anymore bored of watching a team play than under Lambert… McLeish’s side was more entertaining than this.
Since this “change of style”, we have scored 1 goal.
We were hardly free scoring before, but he has actually made things worse.
In fact, from the moment this idiot walked through the door he has managed to make things worse.
2 wins in 16 games and 11 goals in 20 – shocking.
Fucking shit result. Quicker we’re relegated the better.
3 games over Xmas and 0 goals scored. 11 goals scored in all competitions coming into the New Year. Individual players have scored more than us.
If we had an owner that actually cared about the club, or even just watched the games, a change would be imminent. However, as it is, nothing will change. We’re stuck with this moron and whoever he ends up buying this month. Fucking depressing. How we are not in the relegation zone is a mystery to me.
Well, every point is needed and we’ve actually moved up a place which means we are moving away from the relegation zone. A point is good, just please follow it up with something! Desperately need to add some creativity when the window opens Saturday.
Why does he persist with Weimann? What has the guy got to do to get dropped?! Just play with wingers, please! Grealish on the left, Bacuna on the right and tell them to whip it in to Benteke as often as possible. And play Joe Cole in behind Benteke now he’s fit. Bench Gabby and Weimann – all they offer is pace with no end product and if they are going to utilise their pace, they might as well stay at home.
We’ve picked up hardly any points during a run of easier games. Once we hit a tough run of fixtures we’ll find ourselves right back in the relegation mixer. Other teams are showing signs of improvement and starting to get some results.
Lamberk settled us up of to lose yet again. Worst scorers in Europe bar Hamburg another record broke. By that clown. Lamberk out
2points at home to mighty sunderland cpalace no goals now 11 in 21 matches this season and he keeps picking same crap