I’m sure some of you might be happy to know that the weather isn’t the best here in Gran Canaria. It’s not cold, but it’s not very sunny either. In fact, it’s probably about the worst I’ve known it in lots of visits.
The good news is that the forecast is looking much better for the next few days and it’s probably a good thing anyway, as I often tend to overdo it, get burnt and then spend the next couple of days evading the sun.
I’m waffling, because as I ready myself for the FA cup final, I don’t know what to think for this game.
It’s all a bit meh, now we’ve nothing to go for isn’t it?
I really don’t see us getting anything against City, but if they beat West Ham tomorrow, they’ll be champions unless Liverpool do something dramatic and score a boatload of goals. So maybe they’ll go easy on us?
Most likely, this is our last chance of points this season and we might be able to move up the table a place all two, which adds to the club’s coffers, although it’s small beans in the scheme of things.
Squad news and Jacob Ramsey is looking like he’ll be fit, Ollie Watkins is a maybe, but Hause and Bailey are both still out.
Emi Buendia suffered a knock in training but he looks okay to play.
As for Palace Marc Guehi and Vicente Guaita are major doubts and Nathan Ferguson is a long term injury.
I was asking “who?” too.
Palace are going quite well and are trying to better their previous highest ever finish in the Premier league, so you know they’ll be trying. I think Patrick Viera has done a very decent job there and is even up for manager of the year.
I don’t want to guess the team really, because what I think it ought to be is definitely not what Steve Gerrard thinks. I’d be starting Buendia over Coutinho, myself for instance and I also wouldn’t start Ramsey, who I noticed didn’t make the shortlist for young player of the year.
I thought YPTY was supposed to be for under 21s, but obviously not, looking at some of the entrants.
Oh, talking of awards, I’ve only just learned that Matty Cash won the supporters player of year. That’s well deserved I reckon, as he’s been easily our most consistent player.
Prediction then and I see goals.
I’m going to go for a 2-1 win to us.
UTV and fingers crossed I can get a good internet connection. To be fair, It’s been pretty good up till now.
Comments
69 responses to “Villa – Palace; Maybe, just maybe”
Well we came alive in the 5 minutes added time. Not good enough though and I worry having sold Grealish where we always played through him, we are doing the same with Coutinho. As good a player he is, we become a bit too predictable. When Ramsey and Buendia came on we had more invention and players who can run with the ball. Something Ings and a Nakamba can’t do.
Agree Holte – thought Chambers did well when he came on.
Poor defending again for their goal.
And, at least, they can stop droning on about finishing in the top half of the table!
We won’t and, frankly, we’re not that good.
Going to be a blood and thunder game on Thursday and I can see Villa getting beat particularly if they play like today.
That formation was complete crap. Why stuff the midfield if we can’t keep possession? We don’t keep possession and then when it comes to attacking intent, there was no creativity for the first 70 minutes. What we lacked was width and creativity and that didn’t happen until we brought Buendia and JJ on. I feel for Traore who I thought would have done well in a game like that.
But that’s what I don’t understand Tex. We won the midfield against Burnley.
I think we lack bruisers, which I’m convinced Gerrard will look to partly rectify in the window.
It’s why I think McGinn did well today.
If he hadn’t fought so hard, we’d have been totally overrun, imo.
Cash got stuck in too and even Buendia got involved a bit.
I can’t criticise the effort. It’s just the quality that is seriously lacking.
And I don’t profess to know why.
On paper, these players ought to be a lot better than they are.
Is an even bigger clearout than I think will happen needed?
Possibly.
Reading Gerrard’s post match comments I really do wonder if he was watching the same game as me or that I just don’t understand what an acceptable performance is.
Palace were by far the better side until the last few minutes of the game when we seemed to wake up and they were certainly worth a point – though it pains me to say so,
My thoughts exactly Hitch. Palace were the better team without many clear cut chances and we had the better scoring opportunities which seemed to be the important thing as far as Gerrard was concerned. Unfortunately for us, Ings was wasteful again and far from his previous prolific finishing he had before joining us. Perhaps his sale by date is close to expiration!
Looking at it like that Holte, then I can just about see some self protecting logic in his views – but for me we were just plain awful.
However the XG stats suggest Palace, not Villa had the better (more clear cut) chances at 1.48 to Villa’s 0.89 Make of that what you will!
I want to watch a team playing consistently good football with an ability to control the game particularly at home although I also accept we sometimes need to win ‘dirty’ when we don’t play well. Unless and until we acquire that consistency of performance we are not going to trouble the top half of the table, let alone the top six.
I just hope Coutinho when he’s fully settled with a full pre-season behind him will start to contribute on a more consistent basis as it appears to me that Gerrard is looking to build the team around him.
Today he contributed little with the ball.
Palace were miles better, but Gerrard’s right I think. We had the better chances and should have buried a couple.
Palace had more shots, but I struggle to recall Martinez being troubled, the goal apart.
Reading into his comments, it would seem I was right and he’s aiming to have a side that can be more physical than the opposition, but worryingly, I don’t think he cares about the quality of the football and he’s just result focused.
There’s merit in wanting results, but I want some nice footy too.
I’m not sure what to think about Coutinho’s performance.
He was at least trying creative stuff, but it wasn’t happening, was it?
There’s no doubt we had more about us when Buendia and Ramsey came on though.
Does that mean we’re going to be the new Leeds or Burnley?
That doesn’t appeal to me and fact is it doesn’t work.
It wouldn’t surprise me if he wants the energy levels that Leeds have shown.
You’re right that that certainly doesn’t work, as it burns players out.
But consider liverpool, whose workrate never fails to impress me.
As for us being a team of bruisers, god no, that wouldn’t do at all.
Perhaps I worded it poorly and his aim is to have a team containing players like Roy Kean and even Viera himself. Both were very good players, but hard as nails with it.
Ah that’s different Badger – either would do but both together ……
Nice article about Villa and The European Cup
https://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/970/reader/reader.html?#!preferred/0/package/970/pub/970/page/143/article/302581
You couldn’t make it up…Villa linked with Suarez according to the BBC.
Maybe Gerrard can consider King Kenny and Ian Rush too…Ian St John anyone?
Aston Villa 2022/3 (aka Liverpool old stars)
That begs a thought ,Gerrard not getting the Liverpool job so he gets the player’s, I have to retract saying Coutinho trots in a game ,I watched a video of him in his days playing, God he’s got a quick mind and feet hope he does it for us next season.
Villa’s possible line up for the opening game of 2022/3?
Bruce Grobbelaar
Phil Neal
Alan Hanson
Phil Thompson
David Burrows
Terry McDermott
Jan Molby
Jimmy Case
Sammy Lee
John Toshack
Kevin Keegan
I agree with Keegan instead of Ings but not sure about Sammy Lee instead of Coutinho 😃
Steve Heighway?
(-:
Mark Lawrenson said on Off The Ball:
“I was at Villa Park on Tuesday and Coutinho, to be honest, I didn’t really see him.“The game passed him by a little bit.
“Coutinho against any team outside the top six will be outstanding because you will get a bit more of the ball and he is very good with it.
“But against the big teams, I just felt he is a little bit of a non-entity.”
Ouch!
When I watched Coutinho in the game against Palace, he certainly had a lot of the ball and I would guess he had the most passes although they were nearly all short passes. I’m guessing his pass success rate was a very high percentage too.
Michael Beale to Charlton? Are we going to get a repeat of last season when Smith lost his main back room staff?
I saw that. I think he’s supposed to be the clever one too, with the innovative coaching. I hope he stays.
I find it odd that this might be reoccurring. Mind you, I also find it odd that we get so many players injured in training.
Could there be something going on that some coaches fundamentally don’t like?
Nah, probably not. I hope.
Coutinho isn’t currently performing at a level he’s reputed to have but we need to see whether a full pre season will make a difference. To me though it’s not simply a question of his performance levels and contribution to the game, it’s more about Gerrard continuing to start him when, frankly, Buendia has far more of a claim to a starting place – and I’ll keep banging on about it because managers have to show integrity in their team selection.
I have no problem with Suarez signing on a one year contract with us moving Ings on and introducing Archer to the first team squad.
Emylin Hughes?
There might be a bit of a problem with old Crazy Horse.
With Newcastle beating Arsenal we are now 14th!
I venture to suggest that Howe is showing Gerrard how to be an EPL manager?
Lets face facts – Howe’s got more experience!
That’s true RSS but it’s also true there was very little support for him on here as a possible manager at Villa.
Isn’t it also true that we’ve taken a hell of a gamble on Gerrard if, as you suggest, he lacks experience – was that the right call after removing Smith given our owners ambition?
I don’t feel he was the right but we’re just gonna see how this project pans out mate.
I wanted Howe.
I thought he was the best candidate at the time and I’ve always felt Gerrard is out of his depth, I still think he’ll be gone by Jan/Feb.
“All we are saying is give Bin Dipper a chance”
Sorry Guest, couldn’t resist 😁
( You know it’s coming)
Christ did I say that?
Must have been pissed after a rare decent performance and Buendia actually starting a game 😂
No mate not you but Shh…………you know who (:
Liverpool Flukey b@@£@ds
Pinched from anfieldcentral.co.uk;
“According to Micah Richards, if Manchester City win the 2022 Premier League title race, Aston Villa will receive £15million as a bonus due to a clause in Jack Grealish’s contract.”
He’s hinting that we might throw the game, because money comes first.
I think he’s very probably right. Not that we’ll need to throw it.
I need to work harder to see if I can get into my betting account (I haven’t been able to from over here) as this is going to be a £20 job if I can.
1/6 !
I don’t think I’ll bother.
£15m???
You Can imagine the phone from CP to SG…
“Hi Stevie, maybe we should let the lads break up early? Give them a well earned rest. And as a team building / bonding exercise how about good old fashioned piss up on Saturday night, the boys can let their hair down just like the good old days?
All on the club of course mate. “
We won’t need to throw it because we don’t have a cat’s chance in hell of winning, City will make fools of us just to prove a point, they are light years away from us and all this talk of Stevie G winning Liverpool the title by way of some sort of master tactical performance is laughable.
Not to sound negative or anything.
More click bait
See Konsa is out for 16 weeks with a knee injury similar to Nakamba.
If Villa were considering unloading him in the summer they’ll have to rethink their plans but a new centre half must have moved up the wish list?
With Hause still out we’re down to two experienced centre backs for the last two games – doesn’t bode well.