I don’t really have major dislikes for clubs.
I’m not at all keen on the Blues, of course, but that’s natural and automatically comes with being a Villa fan. It doesn’t mean I’d love to see the club fail to exist though. I’m quite happy with them being constant second best to us, something that never fails to make me smile.
I’m not keen on clubs that win too much either, which mainly means Man Utd, Liverpool and probably Arsenal too. To my mind it’s just that they’ve had way more than their fair share over the years.
And then there’s those clubs that have just spent stupid amounts of money, which would be Chelsea and Man City. It’s a shame as I really have nothing against these clubs at all, but the amount of money spent makes me resent what they have won so much that I actually disregard it entirely.
I’m even ok with Spurs at a push. They have a history of playing decent footy after all.
And then there’s Leeds.
I don’t really have a problem with them either, but the way they’ve become Sky’s favourites for some reason just makes me nearly hate them with a passion. Which is quite odd, given that I have massive respect for Bielsa, after giving us that goal the last time we played them.
The way the commentators fawned over Leeds as they were being beaten by Wolves on Monday made me feel sick, so much that I nearly turned it off. I’m glad I stuck with it though, as reading the reports suggested that Leeds were the better team and deserved to win. My eyes told me they didn’t. At all.
I really don’t understand this love-in (and it’s not just Sky), as they’ve done nothing at all since blowing it so spectacularly under David O’Leary and Peter Ridsdale.
This sort of favouritism just makes me temporarily dislike Leeds, simple.
It seems Gabby Agbonlahor thinks the same too.
Which is fine, except I think he’s going to be a pundit for the game and he’s nailed his colours to the mast and declared Leeds and Bielsa to be a myth. I happen to agree with him, but he’s got a far bigger profile than me and winding the Leeds fans up like that is just asking for trouble to my mind.
Any neutrals will now be wanting Leeds to beat us too.
Hence I wish he’d kept his trap firmly shut.
Watching Leeds on Monday, I couldn’t fail to notice how hard they work. Their strength and stamina is superb and how they last so well is beyond me. Given that I think our fitness is ok, but not the best, it’s an area where I can see us possibly struggling. You would hope that us having had a longer break might help.
It seems it’s not a bad time to be playing Leeds, as they do have injury problems.
Calvin Phillips was ruled out for six weeks with a shoulder injury and that means Pascal Struijk is likely to be moved from the centre of defence into the holding midfield role.
Bielsa would then have to juggle his defence, with Liam Cooper facing a fitness test on his groin knock after he suffered a recurrence of the injury in the warm-up to the Wolves game.
With Diego Llorente also out, the most likely solution to fill in for Struijk at centre-half is that Luke Ayling will move from right-back into the centre to partner Robin Koch, with Stuart Dallas switching from left-back to the opposite flank.
Gjanni Alioski would then step up to cover Dallas at left-back.
Bielsa could look to youth players, with Oliver Casey an option at centre-back, while Leif Davis could be a contender for the left-back position.
At least, that’s what the Daily Express thinks (hat tip).
In other words, Leeds have problems.
As for us, it’s no change and Dean Smith will no doubt pick the same starting eleven.
The only question again is Trezeguet or Traore and you’d expect it’ll be a case of “if it isn’t broken, why fix it?”
So taking Gabby’s and my dislike of Leeds out of the equation, what to think?
I have to say I really hope we stuff Leeds.
It’s nothing personal, but it’s how I feel.
I’m going to be cagey though and not predict anything daft.
Leeds have the energy and drive to maybe beat anyone on their day. But I think you could possibly say that about any team in this league.
I think given Leeds’ injuries and the fact that we’re playing at home (not that it seems to make any difference lately), I’m going to go for the win.
I don’t see many goals though and think it might be by the solitary one.
Winning this would mean 5 out of our first 5 and that makes me wonder how long it was since we last did that?
Which is also the very good reason for me to have a nagging doubt that we won’t do it. Quite perversely after such a good start, the odds are possibly against us.
Fingers crossed though and if we do win we go top.
Now that would be good.
UTV!
Come on lads, you can do this!
Sorry Badger I do have a grudge with Leeds, I’m going back to the days they won honours by Don Revie getting players that past the ball to block off players that was receiving balls, that type of play won them games. They also had players that didn’t worry if legs got broken, Hunter was a butcher Bill Bremler took no prisoners and that stayed with me for years. The fans was at that time worst than Milwall is today, they had one road in to Leeds and away fans was ambushed to and away from the grounds. Memory stays with me over them days. Hope we stuff them .
They were successful for just a couple of seasons Bill. I can ignore that.
just got in and turned lappy on to get ready, omg lappy is on one is it 8 kick off ? i have one hour to fix half the web pages are not loading and if they do the script is small and in funny columns. god help me i might have to use my firestick tonight.
predictions i hope to god we beat these tonight. please please please shut these muppets up. sick of listening to how they shouldnt have allowed us to score etc cheating bar /stewards 4 2 score but i hope we beat the pool result maybe 8 1 grealish scoring 8 cause they calling him diver better than daley
I want us to win, of course, but even more so as ‘Lawro’ still hasn’t managed to get over us thrashing ‘Pool and is forecasting us to lose – again.
Big ask though – winning first five games.
I’m sticking with my draw forecast though
I too have something of a dislike of Leeds going right back to the Revie days and his thuggy team.
I also have a lot of respect for Bielsa after THAT goal…
We’ll need our lot working their socks-off right from the 1st whistle to the last – so I presume Trez will start rather than Traore.
If Villa can play at 100% pressure from the off, I think we can win it, but that’s also assuming that the ref/VAR aren’t all Leeds groupies as well.
As expected, unchanged;
Aston Villa, 4-4-1-1: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Trezeguet, Douglas Luiz, McGinn, Grealish; Barkley; Watkins. Subs: Steer, Elmohamady, Engels, Hourihane, Traore, Nakamba, Davis.
Leeds United, 4-1-4-1: Meslier; Dallas, Koch, Ayling, Alioski; Struijk; Costa, Klich, Rodrigo, Harrison; Bamford. Subs: Casilla, Davis, Shackleton, Hernandez, Roberts, Poveda, Raphina.
Bloody hell, the fawning has stated already!
“Leeds are superb in the box” “sensational quality”.
WTF!
Struijk subbed off already.
We’ve been the better team, the last few minutes.
Not that you’d know it, listening to the comms.
Seems Dirty, Dirty Leeds style still exists…
That’s a penalty to me.
Not given,
Actually I think Leeds have been the slightly better team first half – definitely created more big chances though Grealish might have scored.
We look a little leaden footed – perhaps the ‘burden’ of being unbeaten might be
in evidence.
On the penalty – I’ve seen them given.
Going to be close this.
villa struggled at times with leeds work rate their high pressing. you have to think that their ball pressure will slacken at some time second half, villa if they are still in the game will catch leeds for sure as they are too open and too high.
watkins has been a good outlet he has held the ball up well and spun his marker well a few times. leeds are man for man and that is dangerous against villa with so many players who like to run with the ball.
hoping we play better second half and leeds tire
Come on Villa!!!! I’ll explode if we win tonight!
I’ll say Goodbye just in case!!! 😁😁😁
Stats – Leeds 60% possession and 10 shots against our 5 but only one on target. That’s conceding a lot of shots which we don’t normally do.
Leeds 10 shots, 1 on target.
Villa 5 shots, 2 on target.
It was the same on Monday Hitch.
Leeds didn’t produce what the footy warranted.
And it won’t win you games. Trying to be careful, I’ll jinx us lol.
Watkins struggling with the physical demands again of being a central target man. Trezeguet also. Maybe Smith can get them to poach and shoot, let Grealish and Barclay take the buffeting.
Cash has been brilliant.
Yes, Cash has been ok, but he needs more help, imo.
Villa need to watch their wide men who are causing havoc on the break. Grealish and Trezeguet not tracking back enough. Cash was probably our best player first half but he needs help.
Ha, snap Holte.
When we played against Leicester, we’d crashed out for an early night. I was lying on my side with headphones in and my other half thought I was asleep. She was getting tired herself reading a book, then suddenly I was ‘YEEESSSSS’!!!!! Wife flew out of bed with a near heart attack!!! Very funny…in retrospect! Lol!!!
Jack seemed to hold on too long again then.
Good save from a Konsa effort then.