It’s all very straightforward.
After previous games yesterday, where Man City lost to Utd and Arsenal could only draw with Forest, we have an excellent opportunity to go clear second in the table.
All we have to do is beat an erratic Everton, who sit 12th in the table, having won one just one of their last six league games, at a Villa park that really has become a fortress.
But when it comes to Villa, nothing is straightforward is it?
How often do we lose to teams that we really ought to be beating?
Can we overcome one of the biggest reasons for our constant lowered expectations?
Squad news and Boubamar Kamara is out after going off last weekend. The bad news is it seems he might be sidelined for a long while which is a real blow. Amadou Onana and Alysson are still not available and Ross Barkley is a long term absentee, who I have a sneaky feeling we won’t be seeing again.
I’ve seen it heard and said that we have a squad crisis, especially after selling Malen in a deeply unpopular move earlier in the week, but I don’t think we’re anywhere what you might call a crisis.
Everton however have a much better claim to a crisis.
The good news is they have old Villa favourite Jack Grealish back.
However, Jarrad Branthwaite and Seamus Coleman are back in light training after hamstring issues, but are not ready to play.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Charly Alcaraz and Tim Iroegbunam are all still out.
Idrissa Gana Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye are still at the AFCON, in the final and Michael Keane is suspended, after a straight red previously.
I make that eight players. Decent ones too.
So as I suggested. They’re seriously depleted, we’re playing at our fortress and we have a great chance to create a gap over Man City.
It’s all very simple then. We win and go second.
So should I have that nagging doubt about us falling at another final hurdle, which I’ve suffered from for years?
Probably, but actually, I don’t.
The new (probably temporarily) optimistic me thinks we’re seeing a reversal of previous years and Unai Emery has instilled a confidence in the players, where it doesn’t even matter if we go behind. We just stick to the plan and more often than not, things will come good.
So while we should win, we know anything is possible in football. The Arsenal game was a great example of how even struggling teams can get a result and even the very last game I watched last night, Cagliari – Juventus ended up with the little team winning.
But I really expect us to have too much for Everton. I don’t expect it to be anything other than yet another tough game, because the Toffees won’t just fold, even if they struggle to put a side out.
I don’t see many goals either, with them playing a low block and us making hard of work of things.
What would I think if we failed to take advantage of this weekend’s results and only drew or perish the thought, actually lost today?
Well, I’d be at least disappointed and probably even really annoyed, depending on how the game goes, but I really wouldn’t see it as the end of the world. That said, I think I’ve sensed a bit of over-confidence setting in amongst the fans, because we’ve opened a 9 point gap on Chelsea in 6th, where it’s looking likely that the top five will qualify for the Champions league because of the weightings. But as I keep saying, anything can happen and it only takes a couple of losses while others win and things change.
So yes, the win is much more preferable.
Villa to win, 1-0 then.
UTV!
Looking forward to it!
I echo all your sentiments.
OLL has it (on last thread) – us old time Villans have seen it all before where our team falls at the last hurdle or like Devon Loch manage to fall even if a hurdle isn’t present – it’s what being a Villan is all about.
I’m hoping for a win, understanding if it’s a draw and gutted if we were to lose!
No forecast from me – too scared I might jinx it 🤞
UTMV
We have to get players in this week cos we have some tough games coming up i genuinely believe we could win the league if we were allowed to spend but top 4/5 would still be an incredible achievement UTMV
Martinez (GK); Cash, Konsa, Pau, Maatsen; Bogarde, Tielemans; McGinn, Buendia, Rogers; Watkins.
Villa subs: Bizot (GK), Wright (GK), Lindelof, Digne, Garcia, Mings, Hemmings, Guessand, Jimoh-Aloba.
No surprises there.
What’s happened to Sancho?
Ill, apparently
Our first XI looks strong and I’m expecting a game similar to Forest. Moyes will set them up to be defensively stubborn and rely on players like Grealish to offer outlet. My worry is that it could be a repeat of Sheffield United at home when we simply needed to win to go top but struggled big time. The other concern is our bench offers very little in changing it up offensively. Malen has gone and we should have made sure we had a replacement in first IMO. Also no Sancho because of illness. Hopefully Martinez will survive the pre match warm up and half time interval.
My hope is the fans are up for it under the lights which adds to the atmosphere. The players respond and we get a repeat of the Bournemouth game. All these odd goal victories do nothing for my nerves.
UTMV!
So that’s all our defensive midfielders injured and out for how long?
I have a horrible feeling about this game.
Unlucky then after good work from Maatsen, leading to a blocked shot by Rogers. Ooh and then another effort, just after Everton had one called Offside.
We’re missing McGinn alrady. Let’s hope that’s just a tweak.
Guessand heads onto the bar, just after I’d slagged him for being lazy at the back.
I’ll have to look for more reasons to slate him.
Well my mind’s made up, Watkins can go what does he bring to a game now, Guesand, also, I’m now feeling this game’s gone today,
Guessand is an enigma. Most of the time he looks awful but he has had two efforts on goal which were probably our best chances. McGinn looked really uncomfortable walking off so probably out for a long period. We desperately need reinforcements or the entire season will collapse.
We can still win this game but we need to sharpen up. Everton are more physical than us and we need to play the passes quickly. Konsa is winding me up with his constant turning back towards Martinez and hoping for a foul when pressured. We got lucky with the shot against the post and especially the disallowed goal. I know I would be annoyed if it was the other way round.
Come on Emery! Sort them out!
Bring malen on oh sorry we sold him to roma for fuck all and he’s just scored for them
You couldn’t fuckin write it
This is a horrible game…💩💩💩💩💩.
No idea on a final score. A sneaky 1-0 would leave me ecstatic!!!!
Well done to everyone involved with our transfer policy. Kids on the bench and thanks to Torres we look like missing another opportunity. Bottlers FC?
Villa fall at the final hurdle yet again,
It’s so bl**dy frustrating being a Villa fan
Sometimes it’s so difficult being a Villa fan – you just know we’re going to implode and against that prat Moyes.
We’re absolutely shit, what a shambles this game turned out to be, Pau giving ball away to a goal, Watkins not even in the game. and the lost of our only decent midfield we’ve got,
As I said, I had a horrible feeling about this game.
McGinn injury going to be decisive I fear.
I want to know when blatant 2 handed shoves in the back became acceptable.
Should have been a second yellow. Makes me sick, because it’s bloody cheating.
What can you expect Badger – the whole game is corrupt and ref’s are useless.
Another game when a player against us should have been sent off – that’s three this season.
Trouble is, I don’t think we help ourselves with all the back chatting and complaining, as much as it might be justified and especially from Rogers.
I’m sure we just make enemies of most referees.
We just couldn’t do ourselves a bloody favour could we.
Players on the pitch without any competition from the bench. Why haven’t we recruited reinforcements when we are in a great position. Sutton said he couldn’t understand letting Malen go so early in the window. Watkins now without competition and he was awful. McGinn injury leaves us without our three best combative midfielders.
As for Torres, piss him off to Barcelona and play Lindelof or Mings.
Martinez too looks half the keeper from a couple of years ago. And don’t get me started on Guessand. At least Hemmings looked decent when he came on.
We’ve done our allowed budget Holte, imo. 2 young kids and nothing else in nearly 3 weeks?
I’m convinced we’d have done a lot more business before now if we could.
So, so disappointing and no wonder Villa fans expect us to always fail.
Typical Villa all over.
Torres isn’t a defender as long as he has a hole in his arse and Watkins was useless today. 9 touches in that first half and that was probably his best half.
Poor, poor performance all round and only Buendia and Youri come out with the slightest bit of credit, imo.
The rest, every one of them were crap and we’d need a second string as good as Arsenal’s to do anything about that.
That said, Selling Malen is looking a terrible decision, as we couldn’t even swap Ollie out, although Guessand was unlucky.
At the end of the day, we just shouldn’t have lost at home to a second string side.
What a waste of a brilliant chance today.
Well Watkins will get struck off as a contender for the world cup after seeing that performance I would think, he was not visible at all tonight, Unia stop pissing about and get someone in as replacement. That was unacceptable today by far .
The end is predictable, the endless variety by which Villa achieve it would strain any script-writer.
We blew the chance to go second, as we always do in this circumstance.
Contributions started with the Management who let a fit Malen depart while his replacement arrives crocked. Then, when below even the bare bones in midfield – if Bogarde starts – we lose McGinn and the driving energy. There was Tuchel, watching glumly, as Rogers had another off day in front of the England boss..
Rogers was the victim of a refereeing lapse, again, it happened at Arsenal. A player on a yellow already shoves him in the back – clear free kick and justified second yellow – but nothing given. From that lapse Everton get the ball upfield and Torres has an awful first touch leading to the goal.
OLL – you and I both know it’s pointless complaining – when did Villa ever get key ref decisions in our favour?
And we lose again from an error in defence.
Sometimes I do wonder why I’m a Villa fan – perhaps we’re all masochists at heart.
So, Villa do what Villa does and we fail at the final hurdle again!
As an olden Villa fan we’ve been there so many times it becomes part of our DNA
Luck has decided to wave two fingers at us – another game, another key midfielder injured. Whilst the media go on about other teams losing key players, nothing about Villa’s injury list, more about our ‘lack of squad depth’. Any other team losing all of its midfield would get lots of media attention.
Am I bl**dy angry – yes I am.
And another game when a player should have been sent off – instead he gets player of the match – a f***ing fix.
Livid.